This is not a run of the mill budget cooler yet not a roto molded cooler, it falls somewhere in between. Finally, one of the most important aspects is the mobility of this cooler. I quickly learned that this cooler is made to go over far more than than pavement. Given that it has the name Trailmate I knew it had to go on a trail to truly earn it’s name.
Additionally, our team tested select coolers in person, running them through various tests for capacity, durability, ice retention, and overall usability. This good-looking backpack cooler from Corkcicle is spacious enough to hold snacks and drinks or a picnic lunch for a few friends. The wide top opening igloo soft cooler makes it easy to load, while the extendable side pockets mean that your large, insulated water bottle doesn’t need to take up space inside the cooler. A big front pocket offers enough room to stash your wallet, phone, and keys so you won’t need to take another bag with you to the park or the beach.
Unfortunately, we don’t feel the same way about the Trailmate Marine. We found its performance and overall quality to be less than what we had hoped, though its price is not much less than many of the seriously impressive coolers we tested. On numerous occasions, we found our hand searching for a front handle that doesn’t exist, only to latch onto the bottom of the little white box nestled on the front.
To be fair, the cooler was filled to capacity with ice, as we do with all of our ice retention tests. However, 4 days should be easily attained with a decent amount of ice used. A cooler that boasts a ton of features and is ready to tackle the trail. This cooler has been out a few years and we finally got our hands on one to put to the Tailgating Challenge. The Trailmate cooler claims to keep ice for 4 days and go anywhere with it’s 10 inch all-terrain wheels. We are on the quest to find the best coolers for whatever adventure life gives you, so now let’s learn more in the Cooler Review.
“I use it for my kids’ sports activities, going to the beach, if we want to have a picnic, or any function that requires us to bring food and beverages,” she says. For a high-quality pick that won’t break the bank and comes in four functional sizes—12, 20, 30, and 40 cans—we like the RTIC Soft Pack. It’s light, durable, waterproof, and leakproof, and has good ice retention for a soft cooler. Plus, it floats, which makes it perfect for boating and kayaking. Whether you’re heading out on the boat for the day or enjoying a quick overnight, this compact Igloo cooler will do the trick. “I use it for weekend trips where I need to bring some stuff,” shares Lauren Aber, an avid camper and hiker.
Igloo designed the new Trailmate Series of hardside coolers with a focus on durability and better performance. A key member of our always-up-for-adventure Trailmate Series, this compact yet spacious 25-quart Trailmate ice chest will help invigorate your journey. A key member of our always-up-for-adventure Trailmate Series, this spacious 50-quart Trailmate ice chest will help invigorate your journey. As we mentioned in the opening, we feel the Trailmate is the best bang for the buck when it comes to wheeled coolers. This cooler others impressive ice retention, more features than most competitors, yet doesn’t break the bank.
You’ll get long-lasting, extended ice retention, thanks to a THERMECOOL™ (it’s eco-friendly!) insulated lid/body and Cool Riser Technology®. Often referred to as “the Swiss army knife of coolers”, Trailmate Journey is truly the cooler that does and has it all. Good looks, many talents (aka handy and effortless-to-haul features) and an easygoing nature. You’ll get long-lasting, extended ice retention with the Trailmate, thanks to the THERMECOOL™ (it’s eco-friendly!) insulated lid/body and Cool Riser Technology®. Items should be repackaged so they are completely airtight and can be packed in a way that eliminates as many spaces as possible. “Air and space are your enemy, so fill in the gaps between items with more ice or ice packs to maximize contact and thermal efficiency,” Cunningham says.
While it looks a bit like a travel backpack, the Lotus isn’t built for distance, but if you’re walking a mile tops to the location where you’ll spread your blanket, it’s perfect. That said, before you purchase a cooler the size of an inflatable pool, consider the types of activities you are going to use it for. If you’re planning a day hike and want to pack some drinks and one meal, you don’t want a 70-quart hard-sided cooler.
The large size of this hard-sided cooler also means that it can double as a bench, table or even stage. It is pricey and may be hard to move around, but it makes up for that in durability and quality. One of the major selling points of the Igloo Trailmate, in our eyes, is the myriad of features that come standard with this cooler.
Unfortunately, that little white box slides up and off the cooler as soon as you apply pressure – not a great handle, so the retracted trolley arm will have to do. Our least favorite aspect in terms of usability is the drain found in this cooler. Though it has a wide channel to help empty it of meltwater, the inside of the drain also is turned into a protruding tunnel into the interior by a white plastic tube. Why this is a thing, we’re not sure, as it made the Trailmate the least conducive to emptying via drain plug of any model we tested. With no latches to mess with, the Trailmate is fairly easy to open when you want some of its contents. It does require a good push down to close it all the way, but that requires less effort than many other coolers, rather a conscious thought to remember to do so before all the ice melts.