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Grizzly 40 Qt Cooler Review

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When it comes to boating, camping, hiking and other overland activities, food and drinks are always part of the equation. Strenuous activities can make us easily go hungry and thirsty. However, when you are outside your home keeping the drinks cold and the food fresh can be a challenge.

Those of you who go camping know that simply putting your food and beverages into a bag or any container won’t do. For one, the drinks will get warm and the food will spoil in less than a day.

Secondly, if you are in a bear country and this furry animal smells your food, you can say goodbye to your meals or your entire campsite, for the matter. This is why you need a good cooler – one that can withstand an attack from a grizzly.

Joking aside, the Grizzly 40 cooler seems to have gained a lot of popularity due to many reasons. Welcome to our Grizzly 40 Review!

Grizzly 40 Cooler, Olive Drab, G40, 40 QT
  • Rotomolded: Our coolers are made from rotationally-molded LLDPE plastic and are designed to achieve even wall thicknesses for optimal durability.
  • Thermal Properties: All hard-sided coolers are pressure injected with up to two inches of Ecomate polyurethane foam for optimal cooling. This unique insulation has no global warming potential, no ozone depletion potential, and is made with no VOCs.
  • Lid Gasket: Our lids seal with a rubber gasket to keep cold air trapped extending the longevity of your ice.
  • Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) Certified: All Grizzly hardside coolers are IGBC Certified Bear-Resistant. Each hardside cooler also comes with two lock holes to keep your cooler secure and your contents safe.
  • Made in USA

Grizzly 40 Quart Review

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Pros:

  • Modular design
  • Versatility to support more than 50 types of accessories (including a bottle opener)
  • Durability (even though ours cracked)
  • Fits most type of vehicles
  • Several different sizes
  • Wind deflector
  • Lightweight (relative to size)

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • Raised edges (could get in the way of some cargo or non-Front Runner accessories)

Key Features

When buying any kind of product, its key features are of utmost importance.

Here’s what makes this product special compared to other coolers:

  • 40-quart capacity
  • Weighs 24lbs when empty
  • Pressure-injected insulation
  • Rotationally molded (RotoTough) construction
  • 2-inch drain•Heavy-duty molded handles
  • Stainless steel hinges
  • Secure BearClaw latches
  • Non-slip rubber feet that leave no marks
  • Rubber Gasket
  • Lifetime warranty
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The Grizzly 40 cooler is unlike your regular cooler. It has superior features that you will not find in many similar products within its price range.

Regular coolers generally retain ice for a day or two so if you are in the middle of nowhere and can’t pick up ice, your valuable supplies will only stay cool for so long.

Wherever your adventurous feet take you, if you need a cooler to keep your provisions cold and fresh for up to 6 days, this product is a perfect solution. If you consider yourself a hardcore-overlander, or if you are one of those people who go on adventure travel in remote destinations, nothing can be more important than a reliable cooler that is tough enough to stand up to all sorts of rough usage. 

We know how harsh the conditions can get in the great outdoors. With this product’s IGBC (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) certification, you can tell that it is extremely durable as the certification is only given to containers that are bear-resistant. Yes! it is as strong as its namesake. 

Your valuable supplies will stay fresh and protected even under intense situations and conditions.

This is an important consideration especially if you will be camping or traveling in bear country. 

The certification designates that this Grizzly cooler has gone through the appropriate testing and is considered compliant with the organization’s regulations.The Grizzly 40 cooler is a strong ice chest packed with many practical features and is made to last. It’s available in different colors including gray, lime, orange, red, tan and sandstone. You’ve got a limited budget? Don’t worry as it won’t break the bank.Here are some of its notable features:

Dimensions and Capacity

This cooler measures 25.5 x 15.5 x 16 (in inches) and weighs 24 pounds when empty and has a 40 quart capacity.

Now you may wonder what can you store in a 40-quart cooler.

Put up to the test, the Grizzly 40 can easily pack 25 bottles at 12 oz a piece, along with the ice necessary to keep them cool. In terms of cans, that would be 55 to 59 cans of beverages.

That means that you’ll have plenty of space for food and drinks for your group.

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Click image to see more color options on Amazon

Durability

The Grizzly coolers have been placed under some gruesome tests, and it is said that they are able to withstand cliff falls without sustaining a lot of damage. 

The company even tested it by placing it under the wheels of an 11,000-pound tractor – and it still survived. 

Whether the claim is true or not, one thing is for sure. This Grizzly cooler is made of rotationally molded plastic which allows for consistency in thickness, durability and overall quality of the plastic.

The rigid rotationally molded shell of this cooler is extremely durable so that it will hold up to extreme abuse.

That’s why we mentioned earlier that you can bring it with you wherever and whenever you will.

Grizzly coolers are made in the US and backed with a lifetime warranty. That shows the company’s confidence that their product will stay strong and will last long.

Grizzly 40 cooler review

Camping is easier with a good cooler

Insulation

An extremely durable cooler is of no use unless it can retain coolness for a long period of time.

And if you are going to a place where drinks get warm fast, you need a cooler with reliable insulation.

This product is a perfect choice for that.

This product uses a silicone rubber gasket which is reliable in keeping cold air trapped inside, thereby holding your ice cold the longest time.

It is also tested for ice retention and based on their test as well as feedback from other users, it can keep your supplies cold for up to six days when most coolers can only hold up to two to three days.

Due to this feature, this product is an ideal choice for long trips and in intensely heated adventures.

Moreover, if you are curious about what’s inside its thick shell, it’s the pressure-injected insulation consisting of up to two inches of polyurethane foam.

It works side by side with the rubber gasket in keeping the insulation at the optimum level. This pressure-injected insulation is environmentally friendly too.

When it comes to insulation, Grizzly 40 is one of the best coolers in the market. It’s likely that you will not have to resupply with ice for at least 5-6 days.

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A divider that doubles as an icepack. What a great feature! (optional)

Latch and Closure Systems

The latch and closure systems are important factors to consider when buying a cooler as they affect the overall cooling performance.

Even if your cooler has good insulation, if it will not properly close or if the latch often fails, then the insulation becomes useless. 

For the Grizzly 40, its latch and closure systems are dependable. The molded-in hinge with integrated interlocking design won’t fail you regardless of how frequent you open or close the box.

Grizzly 40 also boasts of using Bearclaw latches which many say have unsurpassed strength. The latches will retain strong grip on the lid despite violent movements.

Drain System

A good drain system is important to help remove the water once the ice has eventually melted. Without a drain and a drain plug, you wouldn’t enjoy tipping the cooler over to get rid of the nasty melted ice.

And it’s even more challenging to remove the water if the cooler is still filled with your supplies. It is a dirty job that nobody wants to do.

Thankfully, Grizzly 40 has a 2-inch drain plug as well as full-length drain channels, letting you quickly and completely remove the nasty melted ice out with no hassle. 


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Portability

Compared to regular coolers, the Grizzly 40 is unmatched in terms of portability. You can conveniently take it almost anywhere! It’s a great cooler for overlanding, tailgating, mountaineering, hiking, boating and much more.

When fully filled with food or drinks, you can take advantage of its built-in molded handles on both sides to carry the camping cooler with ease. It’s easy to get a secure grip of the cooler with this type of molded handle.

Because the handles are on opposite sides, it allows for two people to carry the load. 

Should you decide to load the cooler in your boat or truck, the tie-down slots will work for you to keep it secure during the trip.

And you don’t have to worry about slipping as it also features Grip Feet or rubber feet that prevent it from sliding. Once you reach your destination, you can also attach the included Slick Feet for easy mobility.

Cooler Warranty

This Grizzly cooler is a good investment considering the many great features that it has to offer. While it’s not that expensive, you’ll still have to spend a significant amount of money to purchase it.

To help ease your financial burden, Grizzly offers a lifetime warranty for this product.

Grizzly Coolers LLC warrants that this cooler is free from manufacturer defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service.

When the warranty applies, they will repair the product or its components or provide you with a replacement. 

It’s important to point out that not many coolers offer a long warranty for their product. Generally, you’ll only get 1 to 5 years of limited warranty. It’s a good-to-have feature for your peace of mind.

What Are the Alternatives

What Other People Say

When you are buying a product, it’s important to know what other people have to say about it. Positive product reviews can help validate the claim of the manufacturer regarding the product.

Regarding the Grizzly 40 cooler, many praise it for the fact that it drains so quickly. We also read reviews about people who used it on a number of different trips and subjected it to different harsh conditions but in the end, it still held up and remained as solid as it was.

There were also customers who invested in this Grizzly cooler due to its ability to retain ice for a long period of time. One customer claimed that when he went on a trip to New Mexico – where it was very warm – the ice held up for a total of 6 days. And this was considering that he opened it repeatedly.

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Wrap-Up – The Grizzly 40 Cooler Review

Whether you’re headed to a camping trip or hunting site in the wild, going to the beach, tailgating to your favorite sporting event, or going to a 4th of July barbecue with friends, keeping your drinks cold and food fresh is absolutely key.

Thankfully, with high-quality coolers such as the Grizzly 40, that is possible. 

The Grizzly 40 is one of the toughest, rigid and most durable 40-quart capacity coolers in the market.

Backed by its IGBC certification, even a bear won’t be able to destroy it.

And that’s just the type of cooler you need if you are a hardcore adventurer. 

Also, since it is highly portable, you should have no problem taking it with you to your various destinations.

Looking at the overall construction of this cooler down to the smallest details such as the Bearclaw latches, drain plug and handles, you can tell that it is a well-thought and well-made product.

The fact that it comes with a lifetime warranty tells you that the company who made it is confident that it will last long. You will have peace of mind if this is the next cooler you will take on your next adventure.

Considering its affordability, its durability and its ability to hold your items cool for close to a week, this is definitely a product that you should invest in. 

You may want to check out the Amazon listing, for further information.

You’ll be able to see the picture gallery to get a closer idea, and you can see more feedback from previous customers – just to further improve your knowledge.

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AUTHOR
Ferenc
Ferenc Elekes has been a devout Overlanding enthusiast for many years. During that time, Ferenc has explored 75 countries on six continents, with overland travel involved in 40 countries on three continents. From his trusty 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with a roof-top tent, he’s blogged about experiences that can only be found in the remotest regions on Earth. Along the way, he's gained in-depth knowledge of the novel challenges overlanders encounter and practical ways to meet them. On his website, he shares informed opinions about everything from the best overland gear to how to get a vehicle unstuck. Ferenc has also written for Ih8mud, the Expedition Portal, the Overland Journal, and he is often invited as a guest to outdoors-related podcasts.
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