$29.99 - $44.99. If you care about the way your cooler "feels," well, this one felt the most premium to me. This cooler from Cabela's was another rotomolded option that tested well, essentially finishing in a dead heat with the Orca. Add to cart. Stain and odor resistant. Yeti has never knocked it out of the park when it came to built-in features on their coolers. This can make it helpful for quickly cleaning out after a fishing trip or camping trip. Just keep in mind that Yeti's coolers aren't as big as the names suggest -- the Tundra 45 here holds just 33 quarts, which isn't great considering how much you'll have to pay for it. Performance is important, but design matters, too -- and sometimes, it's a deal-breaker. Your needs will probably lie somewhere between those extremes. This Boulder-based wheeled-cooler specialist offers its signature RollR in four capacities ranging from 45 to 85 quarts. Why elevated? To that end, I carefully filled each cooler with water to the point that closing the lid would cause some water overflow. The backpack has lots of straps and hitching points, too -- I imagine the target demographic is more hiking-oriented than day-at-the-beach, but in either case, you'll be able to secure extra stuff. They combine durability with quality insulation, they usually have a drain to keep your food from getting soggy, and (an extremely important consideration) they can double as a camp seat. RTIC bills its cooler as bear-resistant, but it isnt certified bear-resistant by the IGBC as of this writing. Igloo sportsman coolers are almost 2X cheaper than Yeti. Others have a channeled bilge type, so youll need to tilt the cooler more for those final drops. Then I measured out the exact number of quarts each cooler could hold -- important information to have when you're dealing with large quantities of melted ice. Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore IceBox 75qt Cooler, Magellan Outdoors Pro 24-can Square Cooler, Magellan Outdoors IceBox Dual Open Hard Sided 20qt Cooler. This is pretty normal for coolers of this size. Extremely durable yet lightweight with proven 4-5 day ice retention Check on Amazon Sale Bestseller No. It isn't anything special to look at, but it. Its worth a close look if the Yeti is out of your price range. Igloo Flip and Tow 90qt Roller Cooler - White. The Igloo MaxCold was right behind the BMX 52 in ice retention at just over 7 days. Here's everything I learned, starting with the coolers I think you should rush out and buy before your next camping trip or big family gathering. Handles: every cooler we tested has handles, but we liked some designs more than others. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler with Cool Riser Technology, Fish Ruler, and Tie-Down Points - 16.34 Pounds - Carbonite Gray and Blue at Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate 99Boulders LLC earns from qualifying purchases. Coolers are an essential component of any barbecue or camping trip. I mean, come on -- the literal last thing you want from your cooler is to get burned by it. GIVE FEEDBACK The extent of maintenance should entail cleaning out the cooler from time to time and also applying some oil to the gasket to keep it from drying out. Whether you are trekking gear to the beachfront or headed out for a hiking day, having free hands is always a bonus. The Xtreme will do the trick for backyard cookouts, or for someone who doesnt store much perishable food at camp. Product Specs Size Tested: BMX 25 Available Sizes: 25, 52 Empty Weight (BMX 25): 11.29 lbs Features: Fish ruler Reviews of the 2 Other Camping Coolers We Tested Coleman Steel Belted Cooler We loved the sleek, retro look of the Coleman Steel Belted Cooler. Performance Comparison Take it easy with the BMX 25. Credit: Maggie Brandenburg Insulation $3.99. That meant putting those manufacturer capacity claims to the test, and I wanted a better, more universal metric than just counting how many cans I could cram into each one. If Igloo hopes to compete with the likes of the other heavy hitters in the premium cooler world, then they need to have many of the same features that people expect when they are spending this kind of money on a cooler. Extra-thick foam walls and insulated lid for the best cooling performance proven to hold ice for 5 days at 90 Degrees. Cooler divider: Dividers help keep your food and drinks organized in your cooler. Read on for our full reviews and our tips on choosing the right camping cooler for your needs. That's why we decided to take a quick break from the gadgets and gizmos of the CNET Smart Home to test out 18 hard-bodied coolers that range from $4 to $400 in price. ORCA coolers also come with a lifetime guarantee and cargo nets for extra storage space. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of high performance camping coolers, including Xspec, Columbia . Be sure to check out our full cooler roundup for all of our top picks and buying recommendations, with reviews for everything to help you pick the perfect one. If you are after a great bang for your buck cooler, then look no further than the Igloo BMX Cooler. Its good to see that Igloo has carried a lot of the features over from the BMX 72 to its smaller and cheaper cousin. . Even though the 52 is a lower-priced model it is still a great specified cooler. Last update on 2023-02-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. The Bison Gen 2 Cooler is another heavy-duty, rotomolded option with lots of room for your beer. In our insulation test, the Steel Belted Cooler held onto ice for nearly as long as the pricier and burlier RTIC 45. I recommend keeping an eye on other brands we've come to respect that have a more palatable price tag. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Now let's compare that to most of the newer cooler designs on models like Yeti, RTIC, Orca, Cabela's or Frosted Frog that have rubber T-shaped handles you have to stretch to secure the lid. The 28 and 55 quart coolers can almost always be picked up for under $100. When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The Igloo BMX series takes it up another notch by designing these risers to have aggressive grips similar to what you would see on some off-road tires. The result is an incredibly durable and high-performing cooler. However, these latches are quite soft and can be damaged if pulled too hard or exposed to the sun for long. But it still has some redeemable qualities. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Essentially, the coolers body is molded in a one-piece design. Those with larger cars and trucks will have no issues with loading. The list of options has grown steadily in recent years. Available in a variety of sizes and configurations. Thats because rotomolded coolers tend to be substantially larger than a more basic hard-sided cooler of the same capacity. As far as we can tell, this is very similar (if not the same) as roto-molding. We attribute some of its better performance to it being the smallest cooler in our test, but we were still impressed. 4.5 liters of water drained out after leaving 20 pounds of ice inside for 48 hours. Meanwhile, for almost half the price, the 55-quart Lifetime High Performance Cooler came in well above spec at 62.4 quarts measured -- and while it didn't hold its ice as long as the RTIC did, it still finished an excellent performer. But this is to be expected considering that you are getting superior build quality, features, durability, and ice retention. We came away from our testing of the Igloo BMX Coolers very impressed. Brand expert. Locking mechanism: A locking mechanism for the lid is important, not just to prevent spills but also to ensure a good seal and insulation. Sure, some coolers would probably keep the ice frozen for a lot longer than others, but using the melting point as your metric seems to disregard everything that comes before. RTIC makes dividers and baskets that you can purchase separately. The rope handles made carrying this cooler with two people a breeze, although the hard rubber could be a little uncomfortable when the cooler was fully loaded. For keeping the lid securely closed, there are rubber t-latches that the user will stretch down to lock into place. Cnoc Outdoors Trekking Poles Review: Are They Any Good. If you are looking for a great cooler on a budget, Igloo is the obvious choice. The RTIC is marketed as bear-resistant but not IGBC-certified as of this writing. The insulation is impressive, too. Capacity: 132.4 liters Weight: 64 pounds Can capacity, with ice: 68 Price at time of publish: $580 FOOD AND WINE /. Still, it's worth it if you just want the best performance for the price. RTIC coolers are by no means cheap. The Igloo BMX Coolers come with pretty standard features. 3 It's all more than enough for me to recommend the healthiest possible dose of skepticism if you ever find yourself tempted to back a campaign like that with your cold hard cash. It will typically be carried by only one person, so the carrying handle allows you to do so while still having a free hand for other items. They held the lid securely, but we could pry it open a few millimeters, which wasnt the case with the Yeti. At 52 quarts, this BMX model has a generous capacity that is equivalent to 83 12oz cans. It isn't as spacious or durable as the Yeti or RTIC, but it's a great drink cooler that kept our beer ice cold during our weekend camping trips. We suspect that this is just a fancy name for roto molding but we must admit that the name did catch our attention. My only qualm -- that T-shaped handlebar includes comfy rubber grips on the sides, but not in the middle, the spot you'll actually want to hold as you lug it around one-handed. Click through to see a quick rundown of all of them, complete with links to handy reviews that'll help you figure out which one is worth the cold, hard cash. But our one major complaint with the styling is the lack of color options. The previous title holder for this category was one of the cheapest coolers we've tested to date, the Coleman Stacker. So how does the Igloo BMX 52 cooler compare? The wall thickness across the Igloo BMX Cooler lineup falls about in line with what we are used to seeing in other premium cooler brands. As of 7/2022, the bmx 52 now runs from $120 on sale to $150. 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