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

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.

I bought this cooler mainly for the beach and the ballfield. It's been great so far at keeping things cold but we haven't used it for more than a few hours at a time. The plastic hard liner is nice but I took it out for more space. The only gripe I would have is that the padding on the handle could be a little thicker- it tends to dig into your shoulder when it's packed full. Other than that minor inconvenience, this is a great cooler.

Purchased this exactly one month ago (on August 25, 2017) and so far feel very satisfied with this cooler. I use it strictly for fishing - it keeps my bait, water, and food cold while fishing and keeps the fish cold on the way back. I put insect repellent, radio and small items into the front pocket, small fish basket and tackle box inside, and I am ready to go with just this cooler and the fishing rod to carry.The hard liner is what makes this a great fishing cooler - just pull it out, dump out the ice, and wash off the fish slime and dirt, while the bag itself stays dry and clean. But, in case you spill some melted ice water from the insert into the main insulated compartment, it is waterproof too, so the water does not drip out of the bag while carrying it. I used it about 15-20 times now (I go fishing almost every day, even if only for an hour or two) and it still looks like new! I only wish that instead of two side handles it had a single handle on top and instead of the shoulder strap it had a backpack-like straps - I'd marry this cooler then!

This cooler's awesome! It's really big so you can bet it'll fit a lot of food in it. I've used it once camping and it held up nice, and recently I've been taking it up on my roof to grill. I normally pack a few burgers, hot dogs, a large ice pack, buns, condiments, side dishes like pickles, salad, etc, a few drinks. On the side I strap in my grilling utensils, and any napkins, forks, knives, hand sanitizer. On the top I'll use the straps to hold in any plates I'm going to be using. All in all this was a wonderful purchase at ~$17. I can't say the inside plastic bin will hold up in the long run, but the bag definitely will. Very rugged.

Great quality, color was exactly as pictured. I do see what the other reviewers have mentioned in regards to the plastic liner that helps the cooler retain its shape. A future enhancement of this product I would like to see them put something into the actual contstruction of the cooler to help it keep its shape. Otherwise, I rated this 5 stars because the manufacturing is on par, great looking, and keeps everything cold! And for a 30 can cooler, it was surprisingly small!I recommend this cooler!

Love this! Bigger than a lunch box, smaller than a cooler. I use it to bring my lunch to work for the whole week, and it works well. I love the plastic liner inside. It's great for when something leaks. Very easy clean up. I've also used this as a cooler for drinks at outdoor festivals or on the boat, and it works well. Not as good at keeping the ice from melting as a regular, hard walled cooler, but good enough for a couple of hours. Very sturdy construction. Good quality.

Exactly what I wanted. It fits perfectly on the back of my motorcycle. The hard liner will prevent leaking even if the soft liner fails. It appears to be well made except for the zipper which is all plastic. It would be nice if the shoulder strap was removable but it is sewed on. It will hold 30 cans if you remove the hard liner and use almost no ice. Realistically, 20 cans will probably be the limit if you want ice and the hard liner installed. I looked at 100 coolers and this is by far the best for my needs.Even the cat likes it. Stupid cat has to sit on everything.

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.

I brought this cooler so I could have cold drinks waiting for me after I complete longer hikes or runs, so I load it up with ice, drinks and other things, and leave it in the trunk of my car. I think the longest I have taken it out it is about 6 hours or so. There is a bucket basically which comes inside the cooler, which has handles and that you can easily lift in and out of the cooler. The cooler itself looks to be made of good quality materials and the side handles work pretty well. Now for the cooling itself, if I have it half filled with ice and then also place 3-4 drinks in there and leave it in the California heat (about 70 degrees to 90 degrees) for 6 hours, I would say about 1/4 or so of the ice melts. I'm not sure how that matches up with other coolers in the market, but it works for me since I only use it for day use. I do like that it's very tall, and so it fix komchuba or larger beer bottles easily.

If there was 3.5 stars, I would give it (it is between "its OK" and "I like it!"). It is the right size and basically comfortable to carry (given the cost, I didn't expect a shoulder strap with better padding materials) which I liked. The negative was that the ice melted slightly faster than I expected. I was suffering "Cooler Envy" because when camping with a friend, his cooler's ice stayed frozen about 6 hours longer than mine (although this might be from a number of factors, like his ice started off colder, how much he had packed into his cooler or how often the lid was unzippered to remove items).

I bought this cooler to replace one from an inexpensive big box store. While the quality is better the form factor is worse. It is narrower and taller than the one it replaced and that makes it difficult to pack properly. The lack of a web on the top eliminates using the top as a portable storage area which, given that it is relatively tall in the first place, is probably a good thing. It does hold the cold pretty well which is a key factor.

This cooler is well made and the material seems strong and tough. I like the height to fit tall water bottles and or lots of food, beverages, etc. it is relatively light and keeps things cold well enough. I consider the removable hard plastic liner a must have for this kind of cooler and the one in this is pretty strong and not likely to crack any time soon. It is worth 5 stars for what it is but I feel that the mesh pockets on the sides are flimsy and and an extra pocket or two (especially on top because the bungees don't do much) would increase the usefulness greatly. I bring a lot of food to work for lunch and snacks and this holds it all.

Purchased on 3/17/2014 so this review is after about a year and a half of use.Please see posted photos to assist with your purchasing decision.Use this as a lunch box daily, it rarely leaves my truck other than to pack the next days beverages and lunch.Chose this Coleman cooler because of the hard liner feature, pockets and wanted a soft cooler.Adequate at insulating items from the heat, usually pack it with one or two frozen bottles of water.The issues with the hard liner as represented in the pictures are a bit of a surprise. The cooler has been treated with care, yet it began to crack after about 8 months of use. One handle has completely broke off from the hard liner (it has never been removed). There are a couple of splits on the top of the liner as well, so handles are not just a weak point. No cracks or splits lower than the liner handles causing any leaks.The liner is thick and visually seems of good quality.Aside from that, zippers work well and quality of materials and construction are very good. No tears or poor stitching to report.Am very careful when zipping the top. Felt from day one that the hard liner was a bit to tall making zipping more difficult. This is represented in one of the photos.In close,Really like this cooler. The front zippered pocket and mesh side pouches, serve my needs well.Hope this model stays around, based on price, its been a good purchase and one I would make again.Deducted one star for the issues with the hard liner since its seems to be a key feature to me. Not sure such deduction is fair based on overall design, materials, performance, price and time used.UPDATE 8/14/2016Have had this cooler now a month shy of 2 1/2 years.Continue to use it daily and aside from the removable plastic liner it still looks good and functions perfectly.The plastic liner has continued to chip off at the top and has a single split half way down on one side.I do not recall having a soft cooler last this long for me before needing to replace it. Speculate the insert is the main reason for its longevity.Guessing I will get another 6 months out of the liner and then will replace the cooler with this identical model.Continues to serve my needs well. Has kept my consumables cold while in the cab of my truck in the extreme Phoenix Az. temps.UPDATE 5/6/17Added a new photo (3rd pic) Pic. shows a new cooler I purchased along side of the cooler I am still using DAILY for over 3 years now!The new cooler was purchased as a gift. Recipient requested same style.Photo shows new cooler being shipped is a bit taller. Not certain that there isn't some slight fabric changes.Recipient is thrilled with his new cooler. I still have no good real good reason to replace mine yet. Short of hard liner issue, it remains fully functioning.Since slight design / material changes seem to have occurred, if this new one holds up for a year I think it would be unfair of me not to change the rating to 5 star. Only hesitate to do so now since there seems to be slight product changes. Think rating should reflect what is being currently shipped.

This cooler is working great so far. I bought it to strap on the back of my KLR 650. I was able to successfully tie it down with a couple bungees through the handles. The zippers work perfectly (smooth with no snags, even with the the handles being pulled down by the straps). Good Space inside and fits well on my bike. The plastic bucket keeps the form of the cooler even while strapped down by the handles. I would recommend this to others.

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.

it works fine as a cooler but the strap is not long enough. it is constantly popping off my shoulder! drives me nuts.

I received my cooler from Amazon within a few days as always, it was packaged well, the cooler itself could be more durable, the zippers are flimsy, im scared i am going to break the zippers every time i use them. The materal could be thicker as well. Just not what i expected out of coleman products. Especially for the money!!!

Great size and well put together but unfortunately packing it up for a 12-hour drive resulted in nothing but melted water upon arrival. Would have expected a bit better performance.

This really deserved 2.5 stars. Here's the thing, this cooler needs to do two things:1. Contain things while keeping them cool2. Be carried easily.It does Number 1 perfectly. It's big enough to fit at least five of my meal containers with some room to spare and it's kept them cool on some pretty hot days. The cooler is durable and useful with all its pockets. BUT, Number 2 is where it falls short. You see, the pad on the shoulder strap has no grip. I mean NONE. It's almost anti-gripping, like it was coated with Teflon. They could have just put a bit of rubber on one side of the pad or some grippy type material, but they didn't and now it is constantly slipping of my shoulder. Since I used this every day as my lunch box, the walk to and from the car is often maddening. Coleman - you could fix this SO easily! just do it!

Works well but will leak via top zipper. Need to secure it when driving.

I've had this a couple months. It works great. I picked up a couple ice packs to stick inside them. I had to knock off a couple stars, because the shoulder strap on the bag broke the second time I carried it around. That is a real bummer, because now I have to use both hands to carry the cooler, when my should was doing great carrying it before the strap broke.

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.

This is a definitely a short term cooler and it can't be moved around much. Though it's a Coleman, I had a 50/50 split of ice and drinks which was melted after 24 hours of being inside an air conditioned car then inside a hotel room which had a temperature of 70 degrees. The other problem is that since the ice melts so fast, the water can slosh out of the bucket area and get trapped between bucket and the exterior cooler, especially if you're carrying it around via shoulder strap which it was made to do. Though the inside seems to hold most of the water, some of the water is escaping somewhere and soaking the bottom of the cooler and anything it's sitting on. I like the idea of a soft cooler that I can sling over my shoulder, but not if it works this poorly. I would not buy this again.

We only used for a couple of days before one of the strap adjuster plastic pieces broke. We loved the hard container insert and that is why we ordered it (and for the trusted Coleman brand) but we are disappointed. It is still usable, but not the best quality cooler ever. It's OK for the money, but was hard to carry over our shoulder with a full load. Can't really recommend.

Used this on 2 occasions so far. Does not keep ice very long. Gone within a few hours. Disappointed! I bought this to have something smaller for day trips instead of one of our bigger coolers. Doesn't even compare.

Wow. This is really small. I can't imagine how you would get 30 cans in this thing. The inside is a piece of hard piece of plastic that is warped and looks like it would crack the first time it was used. The insulating case is very flimsy and thin and the zippers stick making it difficult to open. It's going back! Thankful for Amazon free returns.

30 can? Cans of tuna ? It sure won't fit 30 12oz drink cans. I just put 24 12 oz drink cans in and thats as far as it goes. Very little room for ice so I don't know where they marketers came up with that number. May have to go back if it does not do what we need.

Use it for lunch daily. The first day one of the elastic bands on the top broke. I use 5 ice packs to keep my lunch cold, 1 large rectangle on the bottom and 4 smaller on the sides and in the top mesh. My lunch is warm in 85 degree weather by noon. Will not buy again.

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.

The third time I used it, the top strap broke. Disappointing, I remember when Coleman represented quality

Do not buy this cooler if you expect to keep food cold. We had this cooler and a second similar sized hard sided Coleman cooler (Coleman 16-Quart Personal Wheeled Cooler) that we bought for the same price side by side in a hotel room. This cooler was filled with cool drinks and ice, the hard sided cooler was filled with warm drinks and ice. In the morning, the hard sided cooler was still filled with ice and the drinks were cold. This cooler had no ice and the drinks were barely cool.

nice lunch box....... not a cooler

Used once - 12 pack of cans and a 10 lb bag of icewent to put on shoulder - Strap busted

Zipper broke within first time using it. Seems sturdy, but if the zippers break then there is no seal to keep things cold.

The pockets are to shallow items fall out. Does not keep things cold on hot day. Sholder strap started popping threads the 1st week.