Introduced in 2017, the Travel Bottle by Pelican is part of the company’s ongoing drinkware line as Pelican expands its line of products beyond hard cases. With its robust design and hardened material, the bottle will ensure hot liquids remain so for hours, while cold remain so for even longer.
Made from a body of BPA-free 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel, and folded to shape a vacuum-sealed, double-walled design—the bottle’s body has the ability to regulate and prolong the thermal shifts of the contents inside. Its overall ergonomics (support bands on body’s top and bottom, and overall diameter) allow for a comfortable hand grip. The rubberized, non-slip base helps to ensure the bottle remains in place regardless of surface.
On various pained versions, the tumbler includes a sweat-proof powder finish to mitigate the body from “sweating” and allowing the user to maintain a non-slip surface.
The leak-proof lid is a screw-top design made from Eastman Tritan™ copolyester for heat resistance. An integrated carrying handle allows for the bottle to be easily opens and securely closed regardless of pressurization due to internal temperature changes.
Specifications:
- Length……………………………3.62″ (9.2 cm)
- Height…………………………….11.00″ (27.9 cm)
- Overall Volume Capacity…32oz (0.95L)
The Travel Bottle is available between 18, 32, and 64oz. sizes, and comes in Black (featured) and White.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Excellent (5/5): At an MSRP of $29.95 for the 32oz variant, the Travel Bottle from Pelican is made from folded stainless steel for its longevity and impact resistance. The thicker, screw-top lid also is intended to provide maximum insulation while allowing immediate access. Comparators to the Travel Bottle would be Rambler 36oz ($54.99) from Yeti, or the 32oz Bottle ($44.95) from Rtic (but appears at a sale price of $19.99 on some third-party retail websites). This would put the Travel Bottle at an excellent cost amid the market of similar products, all with similar construction and design.
- Comfort – Good (4/5): Like any 32oz vessel, the Travel Bottle was a bit bulky to wrap your hand around simply because of the overall diameter, but the painted finish not only prevented sweating, but gave the container an added tactile feel. The rubberized base also helped ensure the bottle remained stationary on a desk, countertop, truck hood, and wooden table. The one noted aspect from a perspective of exposure to 8 hours of heat (such as coffee) was that some warmth (not to the point of discomfort or pain) was noted on the top of the body, presumably since that is where it is thinnest and the material interacts with the lid allotting for a dissipation source, but the rest of the body remained cool throughout the duration. One recommendation to Pelican would be perhaps to offer as a separate accessory an attachable handle for improved carrying.
- Durability – Excellent (5/5): The 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel used in the Travel Bottle is a material that is both food-grade safe and extremely durable. It is frequently used in cookware and commercial kitchens for both its ability to resist heat and warp. This translated in the bottle to a body that sustained its shape through rough love inside an equipment and range bag with other items, as well as on the trail or campouts. Indeed drop-testing (10 drops from a height of 6’) only resulted in surface marring to the finish, but nothing that exposed the base metal. Perhaps the weakest element to the overall product would be the durability of the plastic lid, but it too was robust enough to survive the drop testing. But should anything untoward happen to the Travel Bottle, it is guaranteed for life by Pelican for full replacement.
- Functionality – Good (4/5): Functionally, the Travel Bottle did what it should—it kept hot drinks hot, and cold ones cold. But in comparison to other Pelican and Yeti products that share similarities in design and material, the Travel Bottle had the best heat retention level of all those tested. With only an average loss of 5.15 degrees per hour, over an eight hour span, the Travel Bottle performed the best (see data chart). This could be most likely attributed to the thickness and seal of the lid (where most tumblers and bottles experience heat loss), that gave it the best retention level over time. There also was a notable pop from pressurization when unscrewing the lid but thankfully no splash back, and Pelican could improve the design if it could augment the lid with some type of push-button pressurization valve to allow the user to depressurize the bottle before fighting to open it. Otherwise, the leakproof seal to the lid kept the liquid contents secure. When testing cold items, fully packed ice inside the Travel Bottle lasted for approximately 3.75 days before all ice had melted leaving water at a 33 degrees.
- Weight – Excellent (5/5): At 17.3 ounces for the 32oz bottle, the Travel Bottle’s weight was solely determined by the amount of material and overall size. The 32oz version of the bottle still felt lightweight without any contents, and even with various liquids added still was not exceptionally burdensome and felt at home in a backpack or waist pack. In contrast, the Rambler 36oz (24.5oz) from Yeti, or the 32oz Bottle (19.2) from Rtic both demonstrate that the Travel Bottle from Pelican is at an excellent light weight amid a market of comparable alternatives.
Overall Rating – Above Average (19/25)
Product Link: https://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/drinkware/bottle/travbo32
I am reviewing this product as a courtesy to the manufacturer and via STL Shooting Enthusiasts, so that I can evaluate it and provide my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give positive reviews. All views are my own, and based off my personal experience with the product.
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