Alaskan-Invented Cooler Finds Distribution Through Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

Anglers in need of an all-in-one cooler can find an Alaskan solution at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. The national chains reached a distribution deal with PacBak, maker of the P88-MK Cooler/ROAM 18-V Vacuum Sealer Combo invented by Brian McKinnon of Wasilla.

Cooler Heads Prevail

McKinnon and his brother Phil, PacBak’s Alaska representative, met with the retailers’ parent company this month at Bass Pro Base Camp headquarters in Springfield, Missouri.

After they presented their line of PacBak products—the cooler plus its accessory vacuum sealers and batteries and their Byway Waterproof Backpack—the purchasing team and leadership agreed to a distribution partnership.

“I used to look up pictures of this building and imagine my coolers on the shelves when I was working on the North Slope and didn’t have a home to go home to during PakBak’s infancy,” says Brian McKinnon. “This goes to prove that if you power through the disbelief of others, you will surely end up where you imagine yourself being proving the believers right. This is not only a win for PacBak but for all entrepreneurs and inventors from Alaska.”