Pelican G40 Personal Utility Go Case Review

As we noted in our Pelican Memory Card Case (0915 and 0945) review, Pelican is a brand that’s made a name for itself by creating incredibly durable and protective cases of all sizes.

The Pelican G40 Personal Utility Go Case is no exception. It’s a mouthful to say, but more importantly, it offers a significant level of protection for your smaller everyday necessities—especially when you’re out in rougher terrain.

These last two weeks of testing have been fun, but we’re ready to get into this review. Let’s get to it.

Materials & Aesthetic

The G40 Personal Utility Go Case has a distinct boxy, techy aesthetic, yet it also looks rugged enough for the outdoors. We’ve been testing the Surf Blue/Gray colorway these last two weeks, and appreciate the bright exterior that makes it easy to spot.

There are several even brighter colorways, like White/Aqua and Lime/Gray, that are quick to find when you drop them in the bush or water—or, you have Anthracite/Gray as an option, which is much more subdued if that’s what you’re looking for.

Branding-wise, you’ll see the Pelican wordmark debossed into the side that doesn’t draw much attention, but still asserts itself as a brand that means business when it comes to protecting your stuff. It’s minimal but makes its point.

This case is constructed with a durable ABS plastic outer shell with rubber bumpers around the outside to protect it from those accidental drops. It’s IP67 rated for protection against all kinds of debris, whether it’s snow, dust, and dirt, and can even be submerged in water at a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.

Naturally, we wanted to put this thing to the test, so we’ve been taking it on all of our outdoor adventures—hiking the trail, kayaking, you name it. We’ve dropped this thing both on the ground and in the water, and our gear has been safe from harm every time. It’s one tough cookie—or case, rather.

Features & Usage

There’s a handle at the top that you can carry the case from, or clip a carabiner to if you want to hang it on the outside of your pack. This has been a convenient integration, as this case is pretty big and bulky, making it difficult to pack away in our bags for later use—it just takes up too much room for the little amount it can hold.

This case opens up one way, and that’s by the large latch on the side. It’s stayed secure throughout testing, so we haven’t had any issues with gear falling out or debris getting inside—as long as we’re careful with how we pack it, which we’ll explain shortly.

When you do have it open, you’ll notice a removable tray where you can set your phone, as long as it’s an iPhone 11 Pro Max, Samsung Note 9 or smaller. It will also depend on what accessories you have on your phone, like cases or pop sockets. For example, if you have too thick of a case, this can cause some difficulty with closing the latch. Even if you are able to close it, it’s a tight squeeze, which can place a lot of unwanted pressure on your phone and anything else you’re keeping underneath it.

On the back of this removable tray, you have some slots where you can slip your ID and other cards in case you need them on your journey, as well as an elastic strap, which Pelican advertises as a spot to hold headphones.

We kept a pair back here and found it did an alright job of keeping them together and in place, but since they’re bulkier, it can affect what you’re able to pack in the free space below the tray. Keeping something flat like cash would also work if you want to use this integration as a super minimal wallet and leave you more flexibility for packing other items.

You’re then left with some room at the bottom to store any personal care items or basic necessities, like chapstick, keys, a charger, and the like. This case isn’t very deep, meaning anything you do keep inside will need to be especially small—we tried getting a pair of Apple AirPods in here, and with the case, they didn’t fit.

We’ve also found that when we’re keeping a pair of corded headphones secured with the nylon strap, it essentially cuts the rest of the space in this case by half, even further affecting what we’re able to pack. Plus, we have to make sure to position the items on different sides of the case, so they don’t come together. Otherwise, this will cause the tray to shift upward and make it difficult to shut.