What NO ONE Knows About Pelican Cases 

Would have been cheaper to just give this guy a new case... instead of having people see this video. 🤷‍♂

Owned Pelican for many years and use their EMS case in my patrol car for emergencies. Never had an issue. Have some Nanuk cases for home and vehicle first aid kits. Love em. Looking to buy another couple small cases for random shit but reason I’m gonna choose Pelican again is for the pick and pluck foam. That stuff is amazing for getting things just right. Just found out about an outfit here in Texas that is making cases for less but it’s hard to go with another and have to deal with cutting foam. Pelican has the lock on that it seems.

Lifetime warranty against breakage, unless damaged. Talk about going back on a word. That's disappointing.

Thanks! About to purchase some cases and found your video. No Pelican for me now.

Nanuk has now entered chat...

Maybe not the airline fault. Maybe your fault for forgetting to open the airlock and it exploded at high altitude.

Well then... Guess I'm going with a Nanuk case afterall.

First, let me thank you for making this video. I have been a Pelican fan boy for probably 20 plus years. I have a [lot] of Pelican cases and have never had any issues with any of them. There are three main reasons why I am a Pelican fan boy. The first reason is they are made in America. The second reason is I have found them extremely durable and the third reason [was] the warranty. I have never had to use the warranty, but I am now really skeptical about it. Your case cracked and I would really like to know more about their reasoning for not covering it. As far as I am concerned their material failed. They market the cases as protective cases, which means to me it [protects]. It can't protect if it is broken. Again, thank you for making the video and informing us. We are now at least aware that if our cases break they made not be covered.

Thanks for this information, I so far have a couple of pelican cases as I was willing to pay very high premium price for what I thought was the best warrenty available. I shall not be wasting my money again, will now be buying cheaper alternatives that suit my requirements just as well.

I was debating which box to buy, but knowing that Pelican does not property cover their warranty for basic breakage, I will just buy harbor freight and buy their warranty - which does cover breakage. Plus save a few bucks.

I have like 8? pelican cases. It really sucks that they did you wrong! They deserve for this video to be made, with every detail you pointed out so well. You were not negligent!

Thanks for making this Video. I experienced something similar. Basically, my case was dropped. “ it was dropped”. As they are made specifically for this type of unfortunate handling. They’re suppose to be durable. Pelican sent me an email claiming that the product in question was “ misused”. I now use “ MEIJIA”.

Thanks for this info on Pelican! The warranty is why I was looking at getting one. Im glad I came across this video! Ill just go to Harbor Freight and save a boat load and just know that the warranty is junk. At least I'll know what Im buying then.

Looking at your picture of the damage (about 2:14), I am not totally convinced this isn't a manufacturing defect. The plastic may not have cured properly and failed under load. If this was not a manufacturing defect, I would expect impact damage on the top, or opposite corner. Or some kind of deformation on the opposite side. It does not appear to have been dropped on this corner. Based on your description and the limited information gleaned from the photo, I lean toward material failure.

Maaaaaaan. What total jive. Good on your for calling these jokers out. I was looking to buy one of these for a tour in Australia back in May...glad I held off. Thanks for the info!

fantastic video, thank you for making it. I'm a filmmaker and have been in the market for a pelican for a while now and this answered a lot of the questions that I've had. Thank for your digging and information!

One way of looking at this: Pelican, like all companies, will always try to protect itself from warranty claims and will word its warranty language accordingly. Another way of looking at it: Your Pelican case did its job and now needs replacing, like when your motorcycle helmet takes a whack. It's only good for one whack. I have only one Pelican case, a 1400 that I got for free (no, I didn't steal it). All my other hard shell cases are Apache (Harbor Freight), and I'm about to place an order for one or more of the Amazon brands. Pelicans are overpriced and under-warrantied. The other brands provide essentially equivalent protection, so why pay more than double?

I was about to buy one earlier today, up until I saw your video. Ughh! This is indeed misleading AND dishonest from them; very dishonest. I've been wanting a Pelican so badly for so long now; but I guess I'll just go with the $100 version from their competitors at HF.

Another case of we dont give a shit anymore about you once we have your money .Thank for making the video because i just like a whole bunch of other ppl have bought their cases on the premise that these thing are virtually unbreakable and if that was to ever happen, they would honour their warranty apparently thats not the case .Completely dick move on Pelicans part .

Maybe it's Nanuk time. Never had to warranty one but I have Pelican cases and have started ordering Nanuk. I am a photographer and videographer never had a problem but have heard other stories about Pelican and their get out of warranty free warranty clause. Glad to see you make this video and tell the truth.

This video has 28,131 views until now. Imagine 1% of that number is 281 people includes Pelican customers or potential customers. They stop buying Pelican cases. Let's say Pelican make profit 30% for each $300 case 281 * $90 = $25,290 So, instead of give this guy another $300 case, they lost $25,290. A very smart move 😂.

Wow. Total dishonest and shady. Everyone ban and quit purchasing Pelican. Buy Nanuk. Way better company. Way better made. Way better prices.

End of the day, their product failed. And then they failed you as a customer. American made product companies should stand behind their products not cower behind a clause in their warranty, which i add is open to their own interpretation. If the airline threw the box from 20ft high they should be held responsible for the damage as its gross negligence. Pelican should tell their customers, it’s not indestructible and the product will fail eventually. Bare minimum $50 deductible one time replacement standard, with purchase of case to original owner, non-transferable with proof of purchase, bump the msrp +$15 and chalk the extra units up to project yield loss.

It appears that there might be surface damage on the case, but it is not clear if it pre-existed before the fracture or is the result of the initiating event. If you believe that it occurred simultaneously with the main fracture then it is clearly the responsibility of the airline. Nothing is indestructible; and I understand Pelican's position if this is what happened. Having said that, if the case was not damaged prior to the flight, and the case exploded due to a malfunction of the depressurization valve then it is Pelican's fault. My opinion only. Good luck.

Thanks for the video, this has convinced me to buy a different brand case for less money.

Was just about to purchase a couple of them for me and my team deploying to an African UN mission. But after this review we’re back to the drawing board. Thanks 🙏

Thank you for the video. I was planning on buying one of these cases until I saw your video. Wish Yeti made these types of cases. They stand behind their products. I bought a 5 gallon bucket from Yeti to carrier all my paddle board equipment and fishing gear. The bottom of the bucket crack, just sitting in my garage over the winter in FIorida. I sent them pictures and they sent me a new bucket after returning the broken one. Pelican should lower their prices if they don't plan on standing behind their inferior warranty and product.

The whole point of paying a premium is the warranty. There are cases like the Harbor Freight Apache 5800 that offer the same protection for a fraction of the price. Wont be buying Pelican again.

Pelican needs to do better. I almost bought 3 Pelican cases tonight until I saw this. I would pay premium prices for subpar customer service.

i'll never buy a Pelican again. Scumbags. They should at least give you a tube of KY Jelly

I was unsure abiut getting a Pelican case and now I am definitely not. Not because of the quality what so ever but just this crap corporate way of doing dodgy business. Many thanks for your video.

@pelican not gonna chime in on this? Doing research now and this completely turned me off from pelican.

8:56 still concerning

Thanks brother, won't be buying any pelican products 🤙 customer service 👎

Well guess I’ll go with a different company.

I used to think they were a GREAT company. Just going to buy Harbor Freight from now.

Awesome Video was about to buy a Pelican Case... Banning that brand from my shopping List thanks so Much! They can keep there Dishonesty .

Waaaaaw peli, really? Some cases are 700 usd. I was peli al the why but a reevaluating my choice now

weird i literally got a response in like 20 minutes and they sent me a new one no questions asked

Everyone. Always read the warranty before you call. That way, you know the appropriate mode of failure to discuss with them and can better describe the way in which the case has failed and should be covered. I can all but guarantee you would have gotten a replacement if you had just told them the material failed and fractured during normal use. I highly doubt they would have asked any questions at all. Its just a matter of modulating your description of what happened to better fit an acceptable failure mode. If you believe the case failed in normal use. Don't try to blame yourself or give them an out. Tell them the material failed due to a manufacturing defect as it is the truth. The defect being the inability of the material to maintain its integrity during normal use.

Thank you for the video. I build products from similar cases ( different brand) so am fairly familiar with them in general. I have no affiliation with pelican. Let's for fun pretend instead that we are taking about a car and the warranty says that they will fix the car if the parts are defective or if it breaks. Now someone else runs into your car and dents it,. Is that part of the car warranty? Obviously no. IMHO, this is the same situation. Sorry that is how I see it. As a practical matter though, it gets very cold in an aircraft baggage area. Pelican cases are made from i think polypropylene, so not really cold resistant. What you want is a case made from ABS plastic like some of the underwater kinetics. ABS is intrinsically cold resistant and is used inside of refrigerators.

Loop hole, claim warranty on a brand new case to get a new case because it meets criteria 😂

I was about to drop 300+ on a Pelican case. Your video stopped that.

Warranty issues a Pelican are not honored as the 'Lifetime Warranty' they push. Purchased the R40 Ruck and it came with the wrong Flexible Lid Organizer. Received the one for the R60. Sue at customer support emailed that I couldn't purchase the correct part. They didn't offer to replace it in any way. Pelican needs to experience the Bud Light losses for a couple of years. Contact anyone you even suspect might purchase a Pelican case. Let's set this company on the right track.

All warranty claims of any nature are barred if the product has been altered, damaged or in any way physically changed, or subjected to abuse, misuse, negligence or accident. Pelican Products, Inc. (“Pelican”) guarantees its injection molded products for a lifetime against breakage or defects in workmanship. So what is BREAKAGE? VS WHAT IS DAMAGE? breakage: the action of breaking something, or the fact of being broken. damage: physical harm caused to something in such a way as to impair its value, usefulness, or normal function. WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF ???????

You are absolutely right. What they SHOULD say if they are honest is "we DON'T cover breakage", because clearly, they do not. I mean, it's bad enough they charge you TWO HUNDRED dollars for a plastic box, you'd think they would love to keep repeat customers. How much can a little bit of plastic material really cost them anyway? Seems like they don't care about their rep or repeat business. I was looking at getting one so this is a shame to hear. While I'll still look at getting one, it may shift me to 2nd hand. Why pay top dollar if this is how they treat their customers?

Seems like Pelican sucks when it comes to warranty.

This bums me out. I was under the impression that Pelican was better than this. The warranty slogan is very misleading if this is the case. "we cover breakage unless it's damaged???" I know a lot of people in the industry who swear by Peli. Guess I'll have to re-think my stance on their product. Also, good on you for reppin' Bad Cat. I know John, but haven't talked to him since before lockdowns. A mutual friend (who wired the amps) told me he sold the company. I was surprised, to say the least. Anyway, has Pelican done anything to make things right? I have a couple larger cases, one for my mix kit and another for some video equipment. I spent the money on them because of the warranty.

This stinks! I've never owned a branded Pelican but I've owned many of the Chinese clones and none have given any trouble and I have carefully checked the materials and engineering of every case I own. Pelican cases cost around double what I have paid, but if one had failed catastrophically like yours I would absolutely expect better treatment under a warranty. This bad PR will cost them far more than a replacement case.

Buy pelican vault line instead. Less expensive less warranty.

I was going to buy one but not anymore thanks 👌🏻

I came the conclusion not to purchase Pelican Cases many years ago. I had purchased several long gun cases and decided to go back to my trusted dealer to purchase two particular cases in black. I was informed by the owner (dealer) that the area representative could only get the cases in green. I was not satisfied with green and demanded black. Long story short I ended up contact (via email) the VP of Marketing and sales to voice a complaint and desired action. I was assured that I would receive the two cases in black as I have requested, which after approximately one week I did receive. I was satisfied at that point. But this is not the end of the story. One of the employees and a personal friend in formed me what the area represents said upon delivery to the dealership. And I quote, “it would have been a cold day in He- , if it was left up to me.” Of course I filed another complaint with Pelican, with NO ACTION OR RESPONSE ! Due Pelican’s attitude toward me, lack of action on a Formal complaint and excessive cost I will never purchase a Pelican product. They are much like YETI…….

i was actually looking to buy a new pelican case for the rave... but after this i have nothing to say about it other than bad.

Pelican has always been good to me, but the case was clearly abused by the airline. The airline should be replacing your case. But also, think how your EQ would have faired if you didn't use the pelican case. For the cost of the case it shouldn't be ablative, but it is. It's job it to protect your stuff and that it did.

It’s very simple. They aren’t the company we thought they were. Too much competition to spend that much on Pelican to not have a warranty.

"When this is obviously not the case".... had me laughing 🤣 😂 unintended pun... sorry about your experience. I hope the airport or airline took up the responsibility for damaging your baggage!

I used pelican in the Army and unlike the ones you buy from them in the civilian market, they are WAY different. Insanely bulky and can be beat to hell and back. Not designed at all for civilian travel. Now that I am a civilian and the army no longer pays for it, I wanted to buy a pelican but instead bought their cheaper brand Vault because the only difference was the “lifetime warranty” which the same sized pelican named version was about 60% more in cost. I figured for 100$ bucks I’ll take the risk. So far so good, I just don’t slam it around like a disgruntled baggage handler or a gestapo tsa employee. I just want to say thank you for making this video cause now I know I wasn’t missing out on that “lifetime warranty” 🤣

Top 3 Pelican Alternatives = Nanuk, Evergreen & Apache (by Harbor Freight)

Thanks for the video. This is upsetting information, since I was about to buy Pelican solely because of the warranty.

First off, bummed to hear this. Sucks what’s happened to your case, and wonder if the airline picked up the tab? Devils advocate here: maybe look at it this way. In actual fact, the Pelican DID do its job in protecting your gear. Had the pedal board been in say, a regular soft suitcase instead, it probably would’ve got damaged beyond repair by whatever it was that that caused the crack. In a sense, the case took the hit. Now whilst I agree that the wording of the Warrantee is a bit misleading (to your point, that opening line probably makes most believe they’ll replace anything) I personally don’t think there should be a sort of ‘blank cheque’ for any damage to the cases. They’re plastic. They’re not unbreakable, nor do Pelican suggest so. Despite what people think, they’re not ‘bomb proof’; nor should they be expected to be. You can’t be sure what cased the breakage, and hence nor can Pelican. For all you know, baggage handlers might’ve dropped it off the truck, driven over it a few times, and thrown in back on the plane. They’ve become industry standard protective cases for a lot of different industries (I’m personally in the photography) because of how strong they are, particularly where yours broke. Which lends me to believe there was obviously some sort of mis-handling here, pushing the case beyond its limitations. Think of it as if they were a Helmet company. You come off your bike and crack the helmet. Your head is thankful for it, but now you have a helmet you can’t really use. Would you normally expect a helmet brand to cover that broken helmet under their warranty? Personally I’d like to see some sort of middle ground here, like… a trade in system where you ship the cracked case to them and they offer you a replacement for 50% off or something. A sort of consolation if you will. In my dealings with Pelican, they’ve been pretty good with replacing latches and parts for eg. But obviously they’re standing by the strength of their shells- in your case. Anyway, hope your situations been resolved. Hopefully I could’ve brought some ‘other side of the coin’ to this discussion. Hate to see so many other commenters being so flippant and ‘boycotting’ brands like this over these incidents. But I appreciate you opening up the discussion.

That sucks! Yeah if they say lifetime warranty it should have covered that. It's not like you drilled in something else to compromise the case. I have a Nanuk now, but there are pros and cons to both for sure. Even while claiming the same size, I can fit more into the Pelican vs Nanuk due to more boxy profile. Nanuk has better designed accessories (lid organizer) and they are prompt to send a replacement no questions asked (zipper on my lid organizer)

Good to know, I think maybe they are referring to 'broken' as in it not functioning and not as a result of damage or mishandling. So if the latch suddenly stopped working or the hinge came apart. It is as you say very misleading.

I just went through this a week ago and again a couple years ago. Denied both times. I'm curious what conditions are actually supported

That sucks. Try Evergreen cases. I have a Seahorse 920 for my fractal rig and it's built very tough. Also USA made with lifetime warranty.

I was about to buy a 550 case, but after hearing this, I've often out. After reading their "warranty" it seems like the only time it would be covered is if the case were to just spontaneously break while sitting on a shelf!

The warranty sounds worthless. So pelican now looks worthless, if it is damaged, by transport, through no fault of the owner. Actully there are better cases. As for warranty I dont know, but I would not count on their warranty. To bad this is how company's loose their name association with quality and customer service.

i don't travel with gear like you do, but i do plan to bring a guitar back to washington when i head home to Texas later this year. i was planning on using an SKB iSeries case, and i've got several of these things so i'm pretty familiar with them in at least a storage capacity. part of me does not expect the case to survive, but if the guitar does, the case has done its job. still, i love my cases. it's weird, but you obviously know what i'm talking about. you spend money on these things that protect your investment - they become part of your investment. it sucks when this stuff happens. might be worth reading skb's warranty and see if it's the same as pelican's. they've replaced minor things for me without a problem, though i've never had your depth of experience.

I have had two cases so far replaced by Pelican. After emailing them and them reviewing the case they make you go through a small amount of things like drilling a hole and providing pics and writing your case number in metallic sharpie on the case. No problems at all. Customer service has been great. This has made me brand loyal. I own 15 cases from them and also use them for moving music gear. Sorry to hear you were treated like this. From my past experience Pelican have been nothing but great.

Nanuk, go nanuk

When I bought mine the warranty said: «The guarantee does not cover shark bite, bear attack and children under five.»

If I can’t get them cheap 2nd hand, then I will no longer buy them new. Glad to have come across this video. Thank you.

It's hard to argue no warranty coverage for misuse and abuse, BUT the accident reason is total bullshit in my opinion. Who amongst us doesn't drop something from time to time. I mean if the case cracks from falling one foot out of your car or anything, then according to the warranty, you're S.O.L. Yes your valuables may be not be damaged, and the case did protect them, but if you claim military grade this, military grade that, and have a lifetime warranty, then people expect a simple accident to be covered. Your product isn't worth it if you can't honor your "misleading" warranty. I can buy a lesser known, and cheaper product and still have my valuables protected.

Wow, this is really helpful thank you, unfortunately, I just bought 2 pelican air 1535 cases. I am so pissed, what a tricky warranty. I will not buy anymore! Thank you. Sorry about your case 😞

I had a Pelican cooler that broke at a corner, about a 1" hole. They didnt honor my warranty either.

polypropylene becomes brittle below 0°C. Perhaps they dropped it when it was frozen

Then what's the point of Pelican if they sell their case at a premium..? I came across your video to look for some good cases, and I do use Pelican cases for transporting really expensive survey equipments hence understandably, Pelican is the golden standard of tough cases. But now this story is pretty concerning in regards to Pelican's "lifetime" warranty and its perceived quality of their product... why not just grab the alternative brand that worked as well for way cheaper and insure it instead? Thanks for sharing this to us.

just because you can afford it doesnt make it ok this is why consumers need to anker down on companies as no company (most) take your money as fast as they can but afterwards they kick back and not comply to you. so why pay them?

Thank you for the video. I will go fine a company that stands behind there word and work!

I have a ton of Pelican cases and like you, pay the premium because of the quality and warranty. Hopefully the airline paid for your bag. I will think twice before purchasing another Pelican case and will now look at other brands.

Hey bro, this is definitely influencing my choice to buy another pellican case. If the case breaks, then they should warranty it - that's what a warranty is. Companies that actually warranty their products, and stand behind them, get my business. If they say they warranty your case, then say they actually don't in the same document, then it's trash for the wastebin - basically a nothing document.

I was also about to buy a large pelican for my photography gear, and like you assumed the warranty was one of the reasons they were so expensive, which is a trade-off I will make. Since they don't seem to honor their warranty, I will just go elsewhere, thanks for letting us know your experience. How disappointing.

There is no misuse for Pelican since they are designed as any use, they of all should know this!

i will never buy one

"breakage" means breakage without any further explanation. Seems like they fine printed their way out of their first sentence clause. I was about to "place in cart" their 1535TRVL. Not anymore.

one of the reason of buying original pelican is warranty, when they not warrant this there is no reason to pay 4 times what other cases cost. i have considered buying pelican but after this video i will never buy pelican as long as i can get a simmilar case for 1/4 cost and problaby better waranty. i have many offbrand cases they work great and have taken a beating without breaking.

Thanks! I was looking for cases and almost went with the Pelican because I thought the warranty would make the higher price worth it. Going with Nanuk!

lifetime, why say lifetime and breakage?

That's ridiculous. I have to say though...it might be worth actually getting someone on the phone, if at all possible. Emails can be ignored, a person on the phone is another matter entirely. Maybe it wouldn't help, but I've had multiple occasions (with other companies) where emails didn't help, but a phone call resolved the problem asap. It's a PITA, but actual human interaction with voices and everything is often a lot more effective. The customer service rep is recorded, and if it's a company like pelican with a reputation to protect, they're highly motivated to help you if they can. Even just a discount or gift card for a replacement case or something might be an option, and it's better than "sorry, no joy, buzz off" which appears to be the gist of your email interactions with them. • Thanks for sharing your experience, man. (Oh, and if you don't want to bother with warranties that won't be honored anyway, Harbor Freight Apache cases are hugely cheaper than Pelican, but I've had nothing but excellent experiences with them. If you want, you can even get the 2 yr extended service and replacement plan thing, and renew it, but I've never bothered. Never broken one, either.

I have never heard of Pelican not replacing a broken case. If this is the direction the company is turning, I do not see its competitive advantage. When they first started out, they were the first to make durable plastic cases. But now, with the market saturated with copy-cat case companies that sell very similar products, also made in the US, at a fraction of the cost, why would I bother going with pelican?

Damn I feel even better about going with harbor freight apache. I hope the airline covers for the damage.

They would have replaced it if you were John Mayer. Maybe escalate it to get his attention lol. He was who I first heard about using pelican cases. Really sucks bro

While I love the Pelican case and own a couple of them. I mainly use SKB cases at my work. I fly out all the time for event production with about 20 cases. not only do they hold their structures well, but their parts support is top-notch. we had one case that had a huge dent and we requested SKB for a repair, and they sent us a brand-new one.

Not to be offensive or anything but strawberries are toxic to cats

Good to know. Any alternatives maybe ? They tend to be the goto default cases for carrying video (my field) equipment, maybe someone is interested into doing some kind of documentary ?

Guys, seriously the used pelican market is something special. Over 80% off most any case if you look hard enough for it.

Wish I had seen this before as I just bought one for my photography gear based on its reputation and and warranty this is now very concerning

Harbor Frieght for me!

That sucks man. The way you explain the story it sounds like you told them you suspect the airline misused/abused the case and therefore Pelican is telling you that you should hold the airline accountable and not them. Just saying the way you laid it out it seems that way. I had a flashlight from like 2003 that I used in the Middle East while in the service and around 2019 or so I filed a claim because the light was no longer bright as it use to be. They replaced the flashlight. I haven’t had any issues with the cases, yet, but thanks for the video, something to consider.

It’s sucks ,they’re scamming people !

If you are ever in Florida i have a store where i sell pelican cases for 80 percent off