Igloo Trailmate Journey 70 Qt Roller Cooler, Sportsman

Why it's worth it

The Trailmate Journey rolls on 10-inch never-flat wheels and holds up to 112 cans, so a full load moves with one hand instead of two people. It's big and heavy empty, but it's the Igloo to buy if the walk from the car is the hard part.

Sand is what separates real cooler wheels from decorations. The Trailmate's 10-inch never-flat wheels and raised body give it enough clearance to roll over soft ground instead of plowing a trench. Treeline Review's long-term look at the Trailmate Journey found the wheels showed no punctures after six months on gravel and rocky trails, which is the failure mode that kills most wheeled coolers.

The telescoping steel handle is the part that makes it work. It locks, it pulls horizontally rather than dragging at an angle, and Igloo rates the setup at half the pulling effort of a standard drag handle. The removable butler tray clips onto that handle so you have a surface to serve from, then stores under the lid. If you host at the beach or the campsite, that's genuinely useful.

From our review of 7 igloo coolers

What we like

• +Sand is what separates real cooler wheels from decorations
• +The telescoping steel handle is the part that makes it work
• +Seventy quarts covers a family trip or a group weekend without a second cooler
• +This one asks for space

What to know

• –Big wheels help on sand, but they aren't magic
• –A few owners have reported the axle cap working loose over time
• –At 35.8 pounds empty, this is the heaviest cooler here before you put anything in it