Expensive coolers are all the rage these days, and Igloo has gotten into the game with their Sportsman line of roto-molded coolers. Of course, Yeti started it all with their Tundra coolers that come in at $349 a pop for the 45-quart model. Now Igloo is offering their own similar style of cooler, but at a much lower price point (the Sportsman 40 retails for $259). I’ve been able to test the Igloo Sportsman 40 against the Yeti Tundra 45 in a side-by-side comparison. So the question is: does the Igloo perform as well as the Yeti for much less money? First the details:
The Igloo Sportsman 40 features
- Raised Work Surface
- Aluminum Hinges
- Fish Ruler
- Pro-Tek™ Lock Slot
- Tie Down Slot
- T-Grip Latches
- Molded-in Scoop Handles
- StableGrip™ Handles
- RapidFlo™ Drain System
- Non-skid Feet
- Cool Riser Technology™
Here’s my problem – how on earth can I test out a cooler in the dead of winter? Well, I solved that issue by borrowing a Yeti 45 from my boss, and doing a side-by-side comparison inside my house. I filled both coolers with two bags of ice, and put four bottles of beer in each one. I then placed them in the basement at room temperature, and checked on them every day until the ice melted.
I started my test on a Saturday afternoon. The photos above are what the coolers look like right after I poured in the ice and snuggled the bottles of beer inside.
On Monday, I checked the coolers, and found that the ice retention seemed comparable. Both coolers had tons of ice left and the beer was mighty cold. I was impressed with both so far as my cheap cooler probably wouldn’t not have much ice left after two days.
On Wednesday evening, five days after the coolers were filled with ice, the results were in. The Yeti still had ice left (thought it had melted considerably) but the Igloo was down to just water. Score a point to Yeti on ice retention. It’s interesting to note that the Yeti, at a capacity of 45 quarts, kept ice longer than the Igloo at 40 quarts. Both coolers had the same amount of ice and beer, but even though the Yeti had more air inside, the ice still stayed longer.
Bottom line: the Igloo Sportsman 40 kept ice for 3-4 days, while the Yeti kept ice for 5. But considering that the Igloo costs nearly $100 less than the Yeti, I’d say that’s a fair trade-off.
Despite the lower price point, the Igloo Sportsman had a bunch of improved features that the Yeti lacks. These include an integrated fish ruler on the lid, 1.75 inch drain with tethered plug, textured and raised work surface, and rigid carrying handles. Of these features, I like the fish ruler, textured lid surface, and rigid handles the most.
The handles make the cooler much easier to carry when it’s fully loaded compared to the floppy rope handles on the Yeti. The fish ruler is pretty much awesome to have when your cooler is on a boat or shore and there’s a slot limit where you’re tossing a line. Finally, the textured surface is nice so you can stand on it and have more traction.
What I don’t like is the large plug and drain. The first time I used it, the plug leaked. I had to tighten it really hard to get it to stop, but I made it so tight it was nearly impossible to unscrew later. Also, the drain is so huge, that if you want to pour out some water when your ice starts to melt, the rest of your ice starts to flow out too! Personally, I’d like to keep my ice in the cooler and just let the water out… Perhaps some sort of mesh strainer would be a good addition to such a large drain.
Other pluses of the Igloo Sportsman is that the chest is roto-molded with very thick, insulated walls. The cooler seems very well built and durable, but then again, I haven’t taken it out on a camping trip yet. More testing must be done in that regard. Finally, the Sportsman is made in the USA and is backed by a 5-year limited warranty.
The Good: The Igloo Sportsman 40 keeps ice for 4 days according to our test, seemingly durable, rigid handles, fish ruler, textured lid surface, at $259 it is much less expensive than Yeti.
The Bad: 4 days of ice retention is not as long as Yeti according to our test, 1.75-inch drain is so big that ice cubes escape.
Final Word: If you’re looking for an outdoorsman-style cooler like the Yeti, but don’t want to spend $350, give the Igloo Sportsman a look. It has all the same advantages, but at a much lower price.
A Yeti 45 does not have 45 quarts of storage space, it’s more in the mid to low 30’s i believe. This is a common knock on Yeti, their sizes do not reflect amount of storage space. How does that affect your test?
Yeti 45 actually has 37quarts. And when both ice chest are filled to capacity the igloo sportsman actually last longer.
Igloo 40 can be bought at igloo.com with their 15% discount for less than 200.00