As for convenience-related features, you will find that the Cooler has you covered there as well. They include helpful items such as a mobile device stand, dual built-in bottle openers, various cup holders, removable accessory holders, tie0down loops, and more. For a non roto molded cooled, the Igloo provided impressive ice retention ability.
The cooler caught my eye with the unique styling and the large wheels in the back. I didn’t know all the extra features it had until I got it. On the back side of the cooler are two removable rod holders. The same mounting bracket that is used for the removable rod holders can be used with removable Igloo cup holders. Needless to say this is the perfect cooler for a beach day or surf fishing.
The huge wheels have excellent grips and, combined with the glide handle, allow you to easily tow the ice chest over rough terrain. In addition to the mobility aspect, there are tons of other awesome features that very few other coolers can say that they have. This includes things such as a butler try, storage pocket, built-in bottle openers, food basket, optional LED light, and more.
When traversing grassy fields to beach dunes or dirt roads to wooded trails-wherever your heart desires, the Igloo Trailmate will get there with ease and be the life of the part day or night. Headed to the beach, a picnic, fishing or a camping trip, the Trailmate wheeled cooler from Igloo has you covered. Igloo Coolers have always been known for their attractive price points. While they typically won’t have the level of performance of higher ends brands like Yeti, RTIC, Orca, etc., they have always struck a happy balance between cost and usability. So more realistically, aim for around 2 ½ to 3 days of ice if you fill it up 1/3 to ½ way. Since there is only one size to work with (70 quarts), we decided to vary how much ice we put inside.
The interior has been treated with a stain and odor resistant coating so the cooler always stays fresh. While you will pay more for the igloo soft cooler than most other Igloo products, we still feel that it is a bargain for what you are getting. The sheer number of great accessories justifies a lot of this higher asking price and even as a simple cooler, it does a decent enough job to not make us gasp too much at the asking price. As for toughness, the cooler is comprised of an aluminum frame and utilizes stainless steel hardware. You don’t have to worry about this ice chest falling apart when you are towing it to your next adventure. However, it still won’t be quite as tough as the simpler premium coolers on the market from Yeti, RTIC, Engel, etc.
If you are simply after an ice chest with the longest ice life and most impressive build quality (and have a very large budget), then stick to Yeti. But if you need something igloo soft cooler more mobile and plan on doing a lot of entertaining, the Trailmate should be on your list. As always, ice life is one of the most important metrics of a good cooler.
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We were initially pumped about this array of features, though our excitement lessened throughout testing. The plug leash – a great feature for any cooler – is attached in a way that we had a pretty hard time unscrewing the actual plug, and typically had to use two hands to accomplish. The extra boxes and fishing rod holders on the outside kept popping off when we lifted the cooler or pushed it up against something in a certain way. The butler tray isn’t quite the right size to fit snugly in the trolley handle, and so slides a lot when in place. We did find the internal dry basket and two bottle openers on the outside to be fairly useful though. The Trailmate wheeled cooler from Igloo is designed to withstand rough terrain and take the party wherever you go.