By incorporating huge wheels and an intuitive glide handle, the Trailmate turns into a very easy-to-use ice chest that can go over some pretty rough terrain. In addition to this, you will find tons of great additional features and the styling isn’t bad, either. 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. Prices are constantly fluctuating, but normally the Trailmate can be picked up for under $250. Some may find this price point to be steep, but a comparison of a similar sized roto molded cooler will reveal the value.
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. Its combination of impressive ice performance, igloo water cooler great build quality, and helpful features make it a go-to for many outdoor enthusiasts. Our rugged Trailmate cooler has oversized, all-terrain wheels and a sturdy telescoping handle, so you can easily and smoothly roll it to your destination. We believe in offering the very best value, quality, and selection.
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 igloo trailmate Yeti. The combination of the aggressive wheels and the rigid exposed metal makes for a very tough and intimidating look. And the layout of this cooler is unique and is sure to stand out from the crowd.
That said, the Trailmate is 34.59″ x 19.7″ x 23.61″ (LxWxH) and that’s not small at all. Actually, you’ll usually end up needing a second hand to help you put the cooler in your car’s or van’s trunk when it’s fully loaded. One you get that covered, you’ll only have to drag it around since it’s wheeled. The Trailmate all-terrain cooler has been around since 2016 and in so many ways it has broken plenty of records being one of the coolest and most practical coolers.
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. 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. It has a variety of capacities with the smallest being the 20 qt and the most being the 55 qt.
Apart from the wheels, we have some stands for when your cooler is stationary. These stands are made of aluminum though they are wrapped in rubber grips for traction when you stand the cooler. They make the Igloo Trailmate Journey Cooler super stable when you want to lay it flat after hauling it around.
Seeing how the primary way to transport this cooler is by rolling it, having a handle that is designed to allow you to tow or push it is essential. This handle is a special Igloo Glide Design that allows you to pull your load up to 50% easier. This is accomplished by the added leverage that you get from the handle. Easily the most recognizable feature has to be the massive wheels. And they come with some aggressive tread that allows for great traction through dirt, sand, and grass.
I’ll use the umbrella attachment the most, as it’s never a bad idea to find some extra shade on a hot day. This was a cooler I had my eye on for years and finally snagged one to test out. The cooler caught my eye with the unique styling and the large wheels in the back. 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). It won’t be on the level of toughness as an IGBC-certified rotomolded cooler but it will still be more than capable in most settings.