Side by Side Comparison of: Coleman vs Igloo Products Corp.

I am an exclusively pumping mom of a 3 month old. I purchased this to keep my pumping supplies fresh overnight for my middle of the night pumping sessions. I also purchased it in anticipation of returning to work in a couple of weeks and it fits in my car behind the seat nicely. Keeps my supplies cold for over 12 hours (all I've tested so far). Very happy & would recommend the product. I only wish it had an alternative handle to carry.

Bought this mainly because I'm too lazy to carry a handheld ice chest for festivals, concerts and misc day trips with the family. However, this has wheels! And it's a real cooler! Not the flimsy bags that end up spilling water all over your car at the end of the day once the Capri suns aren't holding the coolers shape anymore. Plus it's a seat if you need one. This is one of the best purchases I've made in awhile. Small, easily portable, cold stuff. So much yes.

I used this for a three day event that required us to pack lunches. We were able to pack sandwiches, 2 bottled waters, bagged cut up fruit, like watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas, cheese and three ice packs to keep it cool. It was quite roomy for such a small container and small enough where it did not take up a lot of room. Great buy.

I love the size and portability of this cooler. It is perfect for toting snacks to my quilt group meetings. My husband also uses it to take snacks to work. It fits very nicely in the back of my little SUV, and is small enough that I can lift it out even when full. Love it!

I bought this cooler for an upcoming trip. I was looking for a smaller-than-average size cooler with wheels and a handle. I cannot handle the larger coolers because I have limited upper body strength to hoist them up into a car, but, this one is perfect. I did confirm that you can put 22 cans in it easily. If you're looking for a small, easy to lift cooler, this one is for you.

bought this a while ago, and used it for a softball tournament to store drinks in. I got really lazy when I got home and didn't unload the drinks or ice. It was left in my garage which gets really hot (90's). Over the next three days I was able to see how well it insulated the drinks--and they were COLD for at least three days (including the first one), and cool for a fourth. Pretty good test, and passed well. Can't speak to how cold it'd keep food--but did really really well for drinks.

I just bought my third Igloo MaxCold 60 Roller Cooler. I bought the first one about 10 years ago. The second one I have is about 8 years old. We beat them up pretty good with Nascar trips, camping trips and hunting trips. I don't always remember to dump the water out of them and bring them in. Sometimes they will sit out on our back deck for weeks at a time. One of them has small cracks in the lid and top side of the cooler. That is nothing against these coolers that is because of the abuse we put them through. I have left them out threw snow storms too. These things hold ice great. I have had them out where they get beat on by the sun for part of the day and they will still keep drinks cold for 4-5 days easily. The latches will break due to lots of use, good thing is they are easy to purchase and replace. Reason I bought a third one is because I was looking for new hinges and latches on the Igloo site and they don't have this cooler listed any more. I am thinking they are done making this exact model and I wanted to make sure I have another one ready to go.

Great cooler. Came shipped with good protection and undamaged. The handle is very sturdy and well designed to tilt an roll the cooler when loaded. The wheels are small in diameter but wide so they roll well. The side handles are large and very easy to grip for lifting in and out of a vehicle which is one of the characteristics I was specifically looking for. This is especially important when the need arises to carry the cooler up and down steps such as around a lake front condo or down to the boat dock. (this was a specific experience) Coolers with just an indentation on the sides for lifting can be very difficult to maintain a grip on when they are fully loaded. I have not had a chance yet to test the hot weather performance of the insulation. So far I have only used the cooler for a hunting trip this past fall during which the temperatures stayed below 50 degrees F.

Our last cooler finally died. So I bought this one with rollers. I have a bad back and wanted to be able to move it myself some. We spent a week at a cabin with it either on the porch or behind the cabin, wherever the shade was. It was during a heat wave of mostly 90's. We started with 3 milk cartons of frozen ice and a couple of bags of loose ice cubes. We did replenish the ice daily. We were not so thrilled with the heat wave but we were pleased that our food did not spoil and it held everything we needed it to. I was able to roll it on the dirt by myself. A big win! Oh and it also survived an hour hail storm in the back of our pickup on the way to the cabin.

This is the best cooler I ever purchased, used it on two camping trips so far, and it keeps contents colder better than anything I ever used before.
The 40Q size is perfect for a two person camping trip and I wouldn't want anything any bigger.
When I was reading reviews, I noticed other people complain about two things. 1 lid not snapping shut and no drain.
The cooler I purchased has a double snapping lid and it works very well.
The other complaint of no drain is true, but I prefer not to have a drain because of issues of having people forget to reinstall them, especially after the cooler is moved into a trunk or worst, a tent'
Last trip was four days, only used ice supply from our fridges ice maker, filled bottom fourth of cooler. cooler was stored in trunk of car during daytime and outside at campsite the rest of the time, temps averaging low to high eighties.
After returning from trip, there was still around 3-4 lbs of ice left.

Purchased this to keep wine bottles cold. It works perfectly for that. Easy to handle, not too heavy. One issue with the cooler is when you are wheeling down a ramp or decline, the handle goes in making it almost impossible to continue rolling it. If Coleman could redesign the handle so that it locks, it would be perfect. Even with that issue, I would still recommend this cooler.

The size is perfect. We bought this to take to the Indianapolis 500 and the dimensions were fine. Our son also uses it for daily sports camps in the summer. It's a good size for his lunch and a few water/sports drink bottles. The handle is SHORT. It doesn't always lock into place. My son is 5'2" and I'm 5'4" and the handle doesn't pull up high enough for us to roll it comfortably...the handle needs to be about 4-6 inches longer, but it serves the purpose ok.

I've been using this cooler for over a month and it's nearly perfect. I wish it had a strap to pick it up, but there is a review that talks about how to make one, so I guess if I really want it, I can fix it. Otherwise, it's a great size; fits behind the front seats on the floor, holds plenty of drinks and a sandwich for a day at the craft fair, rolls along behind, and I usually use a bungee cord to to fasten a bag of stuff to the top.

Small gut keeps a dozen 20 oz bottles cool for 36 hours

It's a very good cooler, my husband use the cooler for work. He's a delivery driver and the cooler sit very well behind his seat and holds enough drinks and lunch. I would recommend this cooler.

The first time I used this cooler, the ice SO did not last! Maybe 2 1/2 days. HOWEVER there were 7 people going into it a lot on the first day! There is a bit of a gap on the hinge side-- easy to "stuff" to block what little warm air might seep in. No drainage spout, though. It did a very good job of retaining the cold overall. If you never opened it, the ice would probably last [20 lbs] for 4 days. Mine lasted over 3. When not using it with ice, I put my bread in it (in plastic) and this 90° F + doesn't touch it, so my bread lasts longer. The handles are easy to use, including the pull handle (my 6'3" son would have to do some bending) & the wheels are wide enough & strong enough to maneuver it easily. For the quality the price was EXCELLENT! Would I recommend this to my family & friends? Absolutely. It got 4 stars (would actually be 4.5) because of the lack of drainage spout.

Was a bit worried pending delivery after reading others' various reviews. Cooler arrived promply & appears sturdy except for the plastic hinnges. The drain outlet is NOT in the very bottom so may completely not dump all melted water. Compared this to the similar Coleman & Igloo seems more compact & sturdier AND although it too is plastic, there's a small latch on the lid which is much easier to open than the Coleman pry-open lid. Also: the comparable Coleman I looked at has plastic hinges as well which don't look very durable either.

Good cooler - I use mine for car camping. So far the big wheels and sturdy handle have been able to handle the rocks/bumpy terrain with ease. The drain on the bottom is great to get rid of water as the ice melts.

it is wide enough to make fitting through doorways a pain though and 50 quarts is VERY heavy to lift. So if you don't have help this may be too much to haul by yourself. Also, my first trip out I learned that you really need to fill this up with ice from the get go. If you only partially fill it (I think i used an 8 lb bag) the ice melts a bunch just getting the chest cool and the rest is not enough for the next day. So fill it to the brim and then you are all set for multi-day trips!

This is a fine cooler for a day trip, but would not work well for a lengthy camping outing. The size is perfect to pack beverages, snacks, and a couple meals for our family of 4. The longest a 20 lb bag of ice has lasted in the cooler is 30 hours during 85 degree weather. Blocks of ice would probably last longer, but I don't think they would last for more than 2 days. I also suggest making sure all the items you're putting in the cooler are very cold when you pack them.

The two carrying handles seem sturdy, although we've mostly used the long handle for pulling the cooler, which also performed well. The wheels are pretty small, which makes pulling it over rougher terrain a little tricky, but certainly not impossible.

Overall, we're very happy with this cooler and are looking forward to using it for many more adventures.

I have been checking out coolers at local stores (Target, Walmart, Kmart, Sears, etc.) and also online. I prefer personal-sized coolers but decided to look for a mid-sized, wheeled cooler that can keep its contents ice cold the longest and which have excellent build quality. This is my introduction to "5 day" coolers.

The Igloo MaxCold 40 qt Wheeled Cooler was purchased on sale for $35 at Target. The size was the draw, not too big to drag along to the beach, barbecues, sporting events, and carry in the car. At the same time, it was big enough to carry drinks and items for an entire day out with the family. Plus the wheels work well and are an appreciated convenience when having to walk a distance with the cooler.

So far, this cooler has kept contents ice cold significantly longer, about 1.5 days longer, than an older Coleman 50 qt cooler. The walls of the cooler and lid are noticeably thicker, which adds more insulation. Average time period that contents remain ice cold is just under 3 days. I pack the cooler using cubed ice and pre-chilled drinks, and was not expecting a full 5 day duration without larger blocks of ice in the cooler. In addition, family members are always going in and out of the cooler, which allows the cold to escape.

The major drawback to this cooler is the absence of a drainage outlet. The drain would help on extended trips, especially when adding new cans and ice to the cooler. Allowing some water to drain would greatly reduce the weight.

Overall, the Igloo MaxCold 40 qt Wheeled Cooler is a good cooler missing one key feature found on most full-sized coolers, a drainage outlet. 4.0 out of 5.0 score, which would be 4.9 with a drainage outlet.

UPDATE August 29, 2015:
Still using this cooler quite a bit, twice a month on average. Still works great, though there are a bunch of stains now. I purchased this for around $32, so the recent prices seem pretty high.

UPDATE June 30, 2016:
Cooler is still going strong. It is now being used about once a month. It is my most useful cooler; not too big as my Coleman Xtreme 50 Quart and not too small as my Igloo Maxcold 16 Quart. This cooler is by far my most used cooler.

UPDATE July 15, 2016:
Attached are some pictures of the Igloo Maxcold 40 Qt Wheeled Cooler that I bought in 2008. Still in great condition, but with a few scratches and stains.

Convenient little cooler only problem is when you want to carry it for the sides the handles have no grip or indentation to slip your fingers in I think that is faulty design. But this cooler does get the job done.

This is ok and have used it once.

This would be fine for hard or firm surfaces, and the compact size could be convenient, but the wheels are small and likely wouldn't work on beach sand, which is how I wanted to use it. I returned it via Amazon, which was super easy as we have an Amazon drop off location nearby.

Wheels fell off in the first thee weeks

It's a great size, but one wheel fell off after only a single use. The metal cap that holds the wheel on broke off and disappeared. Luckily my son was able to put some epoxy glue (?) on the end of the metal rod to keep the wheel from falling off. I wouldn't trust it on rough terrain, or beach sand, because the wheels are also small.

The cheap plastic wheels are not up to the standard of the rest of the cooler. They are light weight, don't look very durable, and make a lot of noise when they roll. Other than that I'm happy with the cooler. I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could.

Great size, wheels have functioned well, holds lots of ice and beers/sodas. Drain plug works well but does leave a small amount of water in the cooler. Biggest issue was the handle. These dang telescopic handles always seem to fail. Why can't someone come up with a better way of doing this that doesn't fail so quickly? I have some pretty quality luggage (maybe not so quality?) that have performed well other than the handle failing just like this.

I can get it to eventually open and close but it takes a lot of jerking it around, shaking, manual pressing in the little buttons into the holes on the poles, etc... frustrating at time. But, it kept my stuff cold, and did a good job of that. A wider cooler also gives you wider access to what you have stored in it, but allows more surface area to be susceptible to melting when repeatedly opening and closing it.

Arrived on time. Keeps stuff cold for a day at least with ice. Seems sturdy and it is great that it has wheels. Miss not having an outlet though when you need to drain liquid.

It keeps ice for 2 days not for 5 days. But it is reasonable for me and I will keep it.

There are many coolers on the market and after looking at quite a few I felt this cooler met my needs and the price and free shippoing via prime were nice. NOTE: There is no drainage spout, the lid is not attached but fits quite snug. The cooler keeps drinks food cold and holds ice a few days at a time (approx. 2). Wheels and pull handle make it easy to transport,(the handle could have been a few inches longer). I gave it 3 stars cause its a good size, sturdy and we use it for occasional weekend camping or day beach trips and it works for what we need it for.

Wheels are super cheep plastic and the area around the bar that connects them always breaks and it becomes useless. Went through 3 of them in one year. Total waste.

It's fine if you're going to "drag" it behind or push it in front of you. It does not have provision to carry with one hand

I like the cooler , however I couldn't give it a high score because the handle doesn't lock in place when you extend it out. It's frustrating that the handle keeps sliding back down.

Sad that Coleman coolers seem to be getting worse with every design iteration. They used to have a small 6-12 can cooler with no wheels, no silly extendable handle, and a LOCKING LID!!!! I don't know who's idea it was to release a cooler that can't be secured to prevent spilling but that person/team should be fired. No wonder they're losing the market to yeti. It does a decent job of insulating and keeping things cold but the usability problems negate that. I just want my old Coleman back :-(

1) You cant keep the lid shut 2) Wheels fall off (this disappointed me the most) 3) The handle doesn't lock 4) Bottom isn't flat 5) you cant carry it with one hand.
good stuff= 1) cheap 2) wheels don't get locked up, and you can take them out. but if they get snagged they fall off easily.

I have had this cooler for less than 3 months and the snap broke off the lid and one of the hinges broke. Extremely disappointed.

The cooler keeps items cold for 3+ days in 80 degree ambient outside temperature. Drain is badly designed and breaks easily. The drain on my cooler broke within the first fifty feet of wheeling it to the beach! I ended up going to a hardware store the fist day of use and made my own LEAKPROOK drain.

Added pre-cooled drinks and ice at 8am...took on a camping trip. By 9:30pm (13.5 hr later) about 75% of ice gone. So obviously not a 5 day ice retention cooler as advertised. Added more ice every day of 3 day trip. Later at home it did hold ice for a couple of days, indoors, in the A/C. When I went to drain out the water...discovered it has NO DRAIN! Managed to spill some of the drink cans out. Couldn't imagine a heavy 40 qt cooler without a drain. I've owned lots of coolers...I used to think highly of Igloo, but conclude Coleman makes a better low cost wheeled cooler. (I'm not going to spend $400 on a Yeti). I'd return it if I could but I waited too long before first use.
On the plus side it is well built...sturdy handle and strong lid. Lid pops off and on easily. Would be OK for a day trip.

Kept contents cold for 72 hours, adding ice every 24. A water drain would have also been handy. Unfortunately, one of the handles broke the first time it was lifted while full. Upon inspection, the handle screws were only about 3/8 inch long. Disappointing.

This cooler DOES NOT keep ice for more than a day! This past week we were in southern TN, average mid 80's temps. Cooler was kept in shade under the camper We added 10lbs of ice every morning. to maintain chilled beverages and produce. It was 90% gone the next morning. Certainly not enough ice to last another day. The lack of a drain is annoying although its not hard to tip the cooler to drain excess water.

I would rate this useful for day trips only. Not what we though we were buying.

Just got the cooler.out to use and the handle will not stay up guess i.should of check it.out when I got it

The handle does not lock in the upright position. We missed the date we could return this by or it would be gone! Ps.. today was the first and last time we use it!

This is the worst cooler I have ever bought! The ice starts melting as soon as you put it in. Total waste of money!!

Handle did not go all the way up. Wheels did not roll

the cooler itself it's good but the handle its terrible it doesn't stay locked .i hate it

Used cooler about 10 times. Latch broke from plastic fatigue at hinged part

I ordered these cooler because it advertized as '5 day cooler' but it is NOT. I tested on my week long trip and it kept ice just for 2 days, then I did the same test in my apartment with room temperature 70-75F and same result, ice melted in two days. So i requested replacement thinking one i received might be the ONLY defective one. Even for replacement cooler same issue. Ice wont last long both in the trip or in my apartment, these time ice melted in less than two days. So finally I gave up and returned it.

It broke the second time I used it. I had ordered one before and it only lasted three uses. I wish they could make an ice chest that would last. $120 later and no ice chest. Horrible!!!

Took this camping with us for the first time over the holiday weekend. While pulling it up to the campsite from the car up a very small incline, the handle just came out and a bunch of our food fell out all over. I could have cried. Very disappointing, especially considering how costly it was. I thought Igloo made quality products and this would last for years. Very unhappy with this purchase.

DON'T BUY THIS COOLER unless you purchase hinge replacements at the same time. The second time I used it was for camping during the July 4th Holiday 2014. Both hinges that keep the lid attached to the base broke. This was very frustrating! I previously had 2 Igloo coolers exactly like this that lasted for years. Igloo has chosen to use cheap, thin plastic for the hinges and they are worthless.