Igloo IMX Hard Coolers

...and couldn't bring myself to even consider a Yeti. My old 50qt Igloo Marine Cooler was a champ and even kept food (meat/veg/dairy) safe to eat while camping over four days in 117 degree weather a few years ago (obviously with ice added on the second day). The friend I was camping with brought two coolers, a Coleman and a Rubbermaid, the Coleman held ice for about three hours, the Rubbermaid didn't even make it an hour and a half. After the old cooler just got too small for camping trips with friends, I decided I needed a bigger one and I looked at a bunch but I wanted to look at Igloo coolers. WOW. Things have changed and the new Igloo coolers are beasts! First I bought a 70qt Marine Cooler but I decided that I wanted something more rugged that would hold ice longer and that brought me to the IMX 70. I really like the rubber latching system. the steel braided carry handles and the general sturdiness of the IMX. I also camp in Bear Country and having a cooler that I can lock that looks every bit as sturdy as the coolers that promise to be bear proof is good insurance in case the available Bear Box is too small for the cooler. The insulation level on this one is much higher than my old cooler, the build quality is ridiculous and there was only one modification that I decided to make. Other than opening and closing (which, honestly, is going to happen) the main weakness in the insulation of any cooler is the seal of the lid to the main body of the cooler. I purchased a roll of adhesive foam weather stripping (1/4" W x 1/8" thick) and installed it around the lip on the main body of the cooler. This works well because the weather stripping is very water impermeable and creates a much tighter seal to keep the internal temperature cold. The last two photos show how I installed the weather stripping. This is a great cooler, well worth the money and 50-75% cheaper than equal capacity coolers from the "high end" brands. Highly recommend!

I absolutely love this ice chest! For just ice, it holds about 20 lbs. I use it for my lunch box at work. It keeps ice for 3-4 days. The handle is easy to carry, the rubber straps are tight. The blue color is more of a darker deep marine blue. It is not a royal blue. My only issue is the stainless retention wire for the cap can become tangled. Overall, this is an excellent icechest. Also, this is much heavier construction than the BMX series. The BMX is probably better for "normal use" the IMX is extreme duty.... Borderline silly.

Purchased as an alternative to the much more expensive, popular advertised brand. It seemed to perform well but even with ‘pre-cooling’, it didn’t live up to stated 48 hours of ice retention. I’m writing that off as having the cooler stored in the warmest portion of my vehicle. For most situations I think performance would meet most expectations.

Bang for the buck, this cooler in my opinion is the best and lightest. 24 quart volume is not enormous so keep that in mind. I believe Igloo has a bigger IMX cooler. This is Igloo's high performance IMX model. It keeps ice for days. I see some reviews that this cooler is too heavy and I'm not sure these people have picked up some other similar coolers because compared to other "high performance" coolers this one is very light. I'm thinking they compared the weight to economy coolers costing much less. I really like the handle design. Highly recommend if your looking for a modest sized 24 quart high performance cooler.

I was excited for this cooler as it did seem to have good reviews, but upon receiving it you can tell the quality just isn't there. The cooler came cracked in one corner and also has what looks like stress marks in the plastic that look like they are on the verge of cracking also. There was no damage to the box which leads me to think it is just a quality issue. You can also see the steel cable on one side of the handle is much longer, making the handle crooked. Only one side was like this. The other handle was level with the ground, so another quality control issue. The cooler does seem a bit less sturdy than I was expecting, something I would expect at a price closer to $200 than $300. The color is also a little lighter green than what the picture looked like. This didn't bother me, but just wanted to let you know. If on the fence between this or another high end cooler, I would spend the extra money and go with a different brand or just get something cheaper. I did return it, which Amazon does make pretty easy.

I highly recommend filling this cooler with ice blocks from your freezer (I use apple juice 1/2 gallon containers filled with frozen water) overnight before filling it with bags of ice. If you pre-chill this Igloo cooler you will find ice will last several days. If you fill it hot ice will last one day. Great cooler and built like a tank. It should last a lifetime. I'm so impressed I'll likely buy the 25 qt model next year.

I got this older model deeply discounted to $90. It came in great condition and has survived the back of my truck for almost two months now. The GA heat and humidity have been off the charts with heat index over 100 and the cooler kept ice for two days. I would not buy it at full price though as it’s not as well made as the YETI or RTIC.

Robust construction but not rotomolded. Filling the precooled cooler with half ice (including 2 2 pound blocks) and half groceries I got 4 days of useable cold on a camping trip in moderate temps (70s). Prechilling the cooler from room temp uses about 2 pounds of ice. Definitely satisfied.