In our testing we had it going up trails, sitting out in the 90+ degree heat and opened and closed the door to keep grabbing beers. It kept some ice up to the 4 days even with all of these conditions! As always the ambient temperature and how often you open the cooler will dictate how long the ice will stay. Up against some pretty intense competition, the igloo trailmate didn’t turn any heads in our torturous insulation testing.
For example, the Yeti 75 is nearly $200 more expensive and does not have wheels nor the added features as outlined above. It goes without saying that the Trailmate is the perfect beach, tailgating or surf fishing cooler capable of handling rugged terrain at a reasonable price. The igloo trailmate, due to its many additional features, large size, and decent ice life, does fetch a higher asking price than most other Igloo products. But for someone who is after a truly unique, mobile, and well-performing ice chest, the asking price is more than fair.
At the front, the Trailmate has two more storage compartments, one of which is a waterproof storage compartment for your phone or wallet, for example. The lid contains four cup holders and a stand for your phone or tablet. In the cooler igloo water cooler there is a basket to keep things cold that should not get wet. With the included tray, you turn the pull-up bar into an additional workspace. At the bottom you will find two more holders for a beach umbrella or fishing rods.
The Liddup comes in a gray/red combo and the Marine comes in white (similar to all of Igloo’s other marine-inspired products). 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. We’ve discussed many of the Igloo Trailmate’s features related to convenience and usability.
Igloo makes a lot of products, many of which we think are excellent values for what they bring to the table. Unfortunately, we don’t feel the same way about the Trailmate Marine. We found its performance and overall quality to be less than what we had hoped, though its price is not much less than many of the seriously impressive coolers we tested.
They include a lack of rotomolded insulation, a lack of thick rubber gasket, and lack of a more advanced latch system that creates a tighter seal. Igloo states that their Trailmate Line has up to 4 days of ice retention. Compared to premium rotomolded coolers with huge gaskets and aggressive latches, 4 days would not be anything amazing. For most people, having enough ice to last for a long weekend is more than enough. To help with body toughness and ice life, Igloo has installed a thick layer of Ultratherm insulation in addition to its patented Cool Riser Technology.