A drink cooler is one item that a lot of people think of more as a job site item or a sports team. However, what you need to realize is if you are going camping in a spot that is not going to move and not require hiking the Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler is a great option as well. Well, that is why I decided it was time to do a review of the Igloo cooler here at Today’s Camping Gear to let you know more about our thoughts of what is a great option to bring drinks with you while you are camping.
Trusted By The Construction Industry
I know that I am talking about this from the aspect of using the Igloo cooler for camping, but you need to realize the cooler was originally designed for the construction industry. Well, that tends to be an industry that abuses and uses the coolers to their fullest extent. Now, that is the good news, though, because it means that you are going to have a drink cooler that has been tried and tested over several different years. This means that if you drop it while camping off of the picnic table it will most likely be able to withstand the fall and not break.
Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler
Heavy Duty Construction Leads To Longer Use
The construction of the Igloo cooler is going to be one that is made from heavy duty construction. This is going to make the cooler last you for a longer period of time. The lid is a pressure fit lid which means it will hold the liquid in longer and keep it cooler for you. The spigot is positioned just right so you can easily access it with your hands as they are or if you are camping in colder weather can use the cooler with gloves easily.
Valve Issues Can Be Problematic
One issue that I have found with the Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Coolers is the fact that the valves tend to be a weak point. I know most of you have used a cooler like this before that have a spigot at the bottom or even a sweet tea pitcher in your refrigerator you know the valves start to leak or drip. This makes it difficult to keep the cooler completely full of water all the time or whatever drink you have decided to put inside of the cooler.
Cleaning The Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler Can Be A Challenge
Okay, I have to admit that I like to have everything cleaned up after each use. I mean I will use a spoon to stir soup and if I forget to put it in the spoon holder I will wash that spoon before using it again! Well, the shear size of the Igloo cooler here is large enough that it does not really fit under the sink to wash it properly. This makes cleaning the drink cooler a very difficult thing to do. What else makes it very difficult to do is the fact that valve is hard to clean and often to get it properly cleaned requires a scrubbing brush or running water into the valve multiple times to get it cleaned and rinsed out.
May Not Suit Everyone’s Needs
Just like a sleeping bag or a tent the Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler is not going to suit everyone’s needs. For example, the commonly used item in the cool is ice and water. Well, if you are camping and plan on drinking a bunch of sweet tea, well then this may not work for what you need to have. Remember the surgery drinks, even the Gatorade type of drinks tend to gum up the valves and that leads to my point earlier about being difficult to clean and the valve being nearly impossible to clean!
Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler
- The size is large enough to keep quite a bit of water.
- The cooler when filled with ice and water has been rated to keep the water ice cold for 3 days in 90 degree weather.
- The valve is nice and can be used with gloves on your hands even.
- Handles make it easy to carry the cooler.
- The construction is durable and often helps keep the Igloo Cooler stable and functional even if dropped.
- The valve can start to leak or even get stuck open over time.
- The cooler when loaded down fully is very heavy and may require two people to move.
- With the Igloo Cooler it can be very difficult to clean at times.
Dimensions Of The Igloo Beverage Cooler
Normally you would not think about the dimensions of a cooler, but for one that is going to hold 5 gallons of water it is important to know so you have an idea where to store it or place it. To that end the weight when full will be a little bit over 40 pounds as water weighs in at 8 pounds per gallons. The overall size, though, is listed here.
14.50 L x 13.00 W x 19.50 H All measurements are in Inches.
Our Final Thoughts On The Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler
The cooler is one that is durable and going to last you for a long period of time. However, it is not going to suit everyone’s needs. For example, if you are drinking a lot of drinks outside of the water then the valves can start to stick. It also will not work if you are hiking in between campsites on a regular basis as the weight would not work for hikers. If you are planning on staying in a single spot and camping with a picnic table, then I would highly recommend considering this for 5 gallons of cold water at your disposal from your Igloo 5-Gallon Heavy-Duty Beverage Cooler.
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