The strong metal pull arm is also high quality as is the entire cooler. While it lacks the large feature set of the Trailmate (it’s basically just a box on wheels) it makes up for it in quality. It has cup holders in the lid and similar ice retention to the Trailmate. Overall this is just a good cooler for a fraction of the price.
But where the Trailmate shines is in its mobility and features. There isn’t anything that Yeti offers that can match Igloo in these areas. Also, despite all of these additional features, you will still find that the Trailmate is typically more affordable than a similarly-sized Yeti.
On the front of the , Igloo advertises up to 4 days of ice retention. In our testing, the Trailmate crushed these numbers with 8 days of ice retention. Every day during our test, the lid temperature of the Trailmate was 100°+. 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. It has a very innovative design featuring large wheels, a pull out side handle and everything for external baskets and compartments to cup holders, interior dry baskets and bottle openers.
The Trailmate is a total monster when it comes to features and we needed to do it justice because this is not something you see everyday. These two materials won’t rust, break or fail apart; they’re meant to hold the coolers’ parts together regardless of the surrounding environment for a cooler with a longer life span than expected. Let’s start with the one thing that you may have already heard and read about many times before considering a portable cooler in the first place; roto-molded construction. Not only that, the set of features given to this cooler is something we guarantee that you won’t find anywhere else.
Locally, he has also led many groups cycling through Vermont, Nova Scotia, and Wisconsin. David constantly uses and tests the latest gear for the outdoors, which in turn allows him to help others make more informed buying decisions. He’s excited to share more of his knowledge and to see others enjoying the great outdoors more because of his advice and recommendations. Most notably, the Trailmate Marine has UV inhibitors that enable you to leave the cooler in the sun without having to worry about damaging it.
From the Sportsman to the Iceless Thermoelectric, there really is a cooler for everyone. Igloo seemed poised to take on brands like Yeti at an affordable price. Igloo, the brand, has quite a reputation for being a great coolers manufacturer that goes above and beyond the expectations of the customer. The RovR cooler is probably the closest thing to the Trailmate cooler in terms of what features it offers. Most high end coolers like Yeti come with either a 5-year warranty or a lifetime warranty. The Trailmate has a little detachable waterproof storage box that clips onto the front of the cooler.
Cool Riser Technology – Improves cooling performance by elevating cooler from hot surfaces. Drain Plug – Threaded drain plug is garden hose compatible and features a non-slip, easy-grip tethered cap. Tie-Down Loops – Easily haul beach chairs, umbrellas, and other accessories by strapping them right to the cooler.
Advertised igloo soft coolers may display a strikethrough or regular price. As large as my similarly sized Lifetime cooler is, this thing with the space wasting handle and wheel must be gargantuan. And it would be just as likely to tear your rotator cuff when fully loaded. My name is Charles and I am the owner and creator of Coolersworld.com.
We were initially pumped about this array of igloo trailmate, 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.
However, Vibe’s wheeled cooler is quite something with its roto-molded design, color variety and the fact that it can hold up to 70 qt. Yeti’s wheeled cooler the Tundra Haul is many people’s favorite cooler with wheels given what it has to offer; it’s roto-molded, bear proof, durable and it is 100% functional. In terms of build quality, all of Yeti’s hard coolers are roto-molded and bear proof including the wheeled ones. The Trailmate all-terrain cooler on the other is neither roto-molded nor bear proof which could be compensated if we take into consideration all the awesome features we already mentioned. Igloo coolers are insulated, and as such, each container efficiently protects against heat and cold elements. These coolers are not designed to heat or cool an object, but with their foam insulation, your Igloo keeps the temperature at the same level for an extended period of time.