Igloo 70 Qt Premium Trailmate Wheeled Review 2023

As we approach our next century, Igloo is 1,200 employees strong. We are proud to call—a 1.8-million-square-foot, three-building facility in—Katy, Texas home. With more than 500 products sold at thousands of retailers around the globe, we can confidently call ourselves the number one cooler manufacturer in the world. 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. 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.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement. The Liddup, for example, has LED lights inside for lighting up the cooler when you use it at night. The Marine has special inhibitors for UV rays in the wall that protect it from the sun’s damaging rays.

The large size of this cooler will keep up to 112 cans cold for you and your party’s enjoyment. The fact that it can also be used as a tray is the real stroke of genius, though. The butler tray is modular and can be fitted right onto the handle. It comes with cup holders built into it and has a rough surface to ensure whatever you place on top of it stays on top of it. When you’re done with it, you can store it neatly under the lid of the cooler.

There is not only space for the stuff you want to keep cold, but also stuff you don’t want so chilled. The dry storage bin, for example, is a great place to put your phone and wallet, among other things. If you have more stuff that is less sensitive to water, you can place them in the larger storage pocket right beneath the dry storage bin. The purpose behind the glide handle is to make it easier to pull the cooler around. You can pull it out as far as you want to make the hauling of your cooler easier.

igloo soft coolerIn addition, a few users have requested an extra latch on the lid. While the absence of lid latches ensures easy opening, we suggest using a bungee cord or a similar item in the lockdown loops if you anticipate your cooler being overturned during use. If you go with the Trailmate Liddup or Trailmate Marine models you will only have a single color to choose from. The Liddup comes in a gray/red combo and the Marine comes in white (similar to all of Igloo’s other marine-inspired products). Why we didn’t quite reach the 4-day mark that Igloo suggested, it wasn’t far off. Most people aren’t going to use this much ice as it would take up way too much valuable storage volume.

First of all, the Igloo Trailmate was designed to be the ultimate all-terrain cooler. With wide heavy-duty wheels and extendable handles, it’s meant for long hauls across grass, sand, gravel… you name it. Bestcooler.reviews, established in 2015, is a leading blog-style magazine dedicated to reviewing and blogging about coolers. Both co-founders of the site, Luke and Greg, are two genuine cooler geeks and have been so for ages. Both guys share their passion on this website, covering different types of coolers, posting in-depth buying guides and reviewing tens of different products every year. Luke is a co-founder of bestcooler.reviews, a cooler expert and author of 70+ reviews on this website.

igloo soft coolerThese two round discs are the most redeeming feature of the whole cooler. At just over 35 pounds, the Trailmate is also one of the lightest wheeled models we tested. To experience the Trailmate Journey firsthand, we suggest purchasing it on Igloo’s website now before it sells out. If you’re seeking a feature-packed, large cooler at a competitive price, the Igloo Trailmate Journey is our top recommendation. It’s guaranteed to elevate any outdoor adventure and make you the hero of your next tailgate.

igloo trailmateBut 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.

Another brand that offers quality coolers with standards that are as high as we’d like them to be is the Vibe. Their wheeled cooler is pretty basic without a lot details to it which personally speaking reminded us of Yeti’s cooler. 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. Pelican is a name that weighs a lot in the coolers industry; it’s a name that’s directly linked to pride and strength. All of Pelican’s coolers are proven to be extremely durable with some of the best rates ever recorded of ice retention.