AO Cooler vs Igloo soft side

[RiverDave]

My igloo soft sided cooler showed up yesterday.

I bought the Igloo from Sports Chalet for 39.99 http://www.sportchalet.com/product/...nsole+cooler.do?sortby=ourPicks&carousel=true

Sports Chalet also sells the AO 36 pack for 69.99 http://www.sportchalet.com/product/...oler+-+royal.do?sortby=ourPicks&carousel=true

AO sells the coolers for 79.99 http://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/vinyl-series.html

These are both 36 pack coolers. As you can see the Igloo is a little smaller then the AO.

The AO has sewn on handles, the Igloo's handles are clipped on and removable if you want.









The igloo has a little velcro flip top door so you can grab beers out of the top of it without having to unzip it.





The interior lining is different between the two of them. The AO has a kind of textured lining that feels more rubbery, the Igloo has a smooth lining that feels more plastic like.

The igloo insulation feels "thicker" then the AO dimensionally.. I'm not sure what each company is using for insulation (pretty sure it's just a closed cell foam or something) so I have no way of saying if one is more efficient at keeping things cold then the other.


The AO is a true softsided cooler with no plastic on the bottom of it.



The igloo has these two small black plastic edges on the bottom of it. (that might be a deciding factor for some people..)



I really like the fact that the igloo holds a square shape. It will be easier to load and unload and not have to hunt for beers in the bottom..

 

[TrojanDan]

Throw a 7 lb bag in each and let us know how long it takes to melt. I am curious to know. I own 6 AO coolers. :cool

 

[SHEP]

We got one of those Igloo coolers last season and love it. The small door to grab a cold one out of it is genius and works better than the AO coolers. :thumbup:

SHEP

 

[RiverDave]

Throw a 7 lb bag in each and let us know how long it takes to melt. I am curious to know. I own 6 AO coolers. :cool

I will do that. This particular AO that I have leaks so I was hoping to grab one that didn't to make sure It was fair.

 

[Ryphraph]

I got the three pack from A/O a long time ago, maybe 10 years or so. They have been the greatest coolers ever for me until the middle one was stolen off our beach spot and the little one was destroyed by my dog. The largest one still rocks and has been through the war. I have overloaded that thing and it has never given me one issue. Every other soft cooler I had used previously leaked within 2 uses. I will buy more once I start spending more time out at the river.

Ryph

 

[RiverDave]

Shoulder strap on AO.



Padded shoulder strap on igloo



Almost a neoprene feeling fabric on bottom of padded area (NIce!).

 

[copterzach]

Yes it's expensive. But so is a Schiada!
I got mine as gift. Will have a report when I actually use it in the boat in the heat. So far it's been great, but it's not been cooking in the boat yet.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

I have the igloo cooler and it works very well. We use it to store our sandwiches, fruit and vegetables in. We use big ice packs on the bottom with a towel over them so that the food doesn't get soggy. Ice is usually melted by the end of the day, but it keeps everything cold and does its job. I still take my plastic cooler for drinks because I hate having to carry stuff to and from the boat to the car, I like the big roller wheels on the cooler! If they would make a soft cooler with some removable wheels, I would buy a couple.

 

[RiverDave]

So overall just looking at them SXS..

AO has positives because you can get it in vinyls that match your boat if you want. The Stitching on the AO looks much cleaner and higher quality then the stitching on the igloo. It is slightly bigger then the Igloo so you could put more ice in it, or maybe an extra beer or two.

It should be noted most the AO's have a side pocket on them (mine doesn't) on the 36 pack for dry storage. The igloo doesn't have that side pocket.. Having had leaky coolers though I'm not sure that I'd actually put anything in that pocket that I needed to keep dry (phones etc.) but it's still nice for carrying things in.

Igloo has positives because to start it's almost half the price of the AO. I love the fact that it holds a square shape which will make it easier to load, unload and grab beers out of. I like the flip top door on it quite a bit so you don't have to unzip the whole cooler to grab a beer. The padded shoulder strap is a nice touch for carrying it. I don't have any scientific proof of it, but I'm betting the Innerliner in the igloo is stronger then the AO (we will find out).

That's pretty much it until I get around to throwing some ice in them and leaving them outside for a day or two.

RD

 

[Bobby V]

Throw a 7 lb bag in each and let us know how long it takes to melt. I am curious to know. I own 6 AO coolers. :cool

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

 

[Ryphraph]

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

I leave my cooler outside on the porch and even on the hottest days it holds ice a full day.

Ryph

 

[Dettom]

I bought one of the AO coolers at the LA boat Show a few weeks back. Just used it yesterday for the first time. Seemed like it worked ok. Only thing that pissed me off was it had buckles for what appears to be a shoulder strap but it doesn't have one. I figured it would be inside when I got it. Nope. Other than that it seems a little easier than trying to muscle up a hard cooler into the boat.

 

[RiverDave]

View attachment 398215

Yes it's expensive. But so is a Schiada!
I got mine as gift. Will have a report when I actually use it in the boat in the heat. So far it's been great, but it's not been cooking in the boat yet.

I think it's safe to say nothing is remotely going to compete with a YETI. I checked them out at West Marine and they are bad ass.. I can pretty much garauntee whatever they are using on the inside of that deal is never gonna leak either. I'm not sure you could puncture it with nails.. LOL That being said 300+.00 for that little ass cooler isn't gonna fly in my house hold. I'm trying to save $$ not spend more of it.

I have the igloo cooler and it works very well. We use it to store our sandwiches, fruit and vegetables in. We use big ice packs on the bottom with a towel over them so that the food doesn't get soggy. Ice is usually melted by the end of the day, but it keeps everything cold and does its job. I still take my plastic cooler for drinks because I hate having to carry stuff to and from the boat to the car, I like the big roller wheels on the cooler! If they would make a soft cooler with some removable wheels, I would buy a couple.

Lots of rollers, but none that I know of with removable wheels.

RD

 

[Bobby V]

I bought one of the AO coolers at the LA boat Show a few weeks back. Just used it yesterday for the first time. Seemed like it worked ok. Only thing that pissed me off was it had buckles for what appears to be a shoulder strap but it doesn't have one. I figured it would be inside when I got it. Nope. Other than that it seems a little easier than trying to muscle up a hard cooler into the boat.

Call there office or go by if you are in Corona area. They will give you a buckle I bet. They gave me a new cooler when I told them I put empty beer cans in my cooler. :thumbup:

 

[Cole Trickle]

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

If you call and mention rdp I heard they give a 15% discount!!![emoji41][emoji12]

 

[gmnhra]

I will do that. This particular AO that I have leaks so I was hoping to grab one that didn't to make sure It was fair.

and there you have it....granted anything with a plastic liner is going to leak eventually...why not save the money and get the igloo...
I have at least three ao in the garage with torn liners and mildewed foam....

thanks for the review...the "ice test" will be interesting...

 

[McRib]

20 lbs of ice in my big AO will last all day. We make our drinks from the ice also. I've only ever had leak problems with a few and got them taken care of without issue. A bottle of vodka and some mixers don't take much room.

 

[RiverDave]

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

Call there office or go by if you are in Corona area. They will give you a buckle I bet. They gave me a new cooler when I told them I put empty beer cans in my cooler. :thumbup:

I'm not bangin on AO here.. I'm just exploring some other options. The AO is a much nicer looking cooler then the Igloo as said above. I'm just not sure that the innerliner is as tough as the Igloo's which would mean leaky or no leaky. If I can find a softsided cooler that I can use for more then two times that doesn't leak, then I'm all in.. If it's 1/2 the price then that's all the better.



RD

 

[Wheeler]

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

Igloo is union made.

[video=youtube;K0ad_is4XCY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ad_is4XCY[/video]

 

[HBCraig]

I sizeable Yeti cooler is north of $300. Whoa. That is one expensive cooler.

 

[Ryphraph]

I sizeable Yeti cooler is north of $300. Whoa. That is one expensive cooler.

Yeah it's tough to decide between that Yeti or an A/O and 4 spares...

Ryph

 

[BeerMaker]

X2 My AO coolers still has ice inside the next morning. :thumbup:


Support the little company. Brian supports the boaters and you can call him at the office anytime.

Same here, mine always has ice and cold beers a full 24 hours later. My only gripe is I wish it had a padded shoulder strap.

I was looking at the igloo unit a couple of days ago online. Im glad you showed the bottom Dave as I didnt realize it had plastic feet. Dont like that at all, as I regular set my cooler on the gel coat when I am loading or unloading.

 

[RiverDave]

Same here, mine always has ice and cold beers a full 24 hours later. My only gripe is I wish it had a padded shoulder strap.

I was looking at the igloo unit a couple of days ago online. Im glad you showed the bottom Dave as I didnt realize it had plastic feet. Dont like that at all, as I regular set my cooler on the gel coat when I am loading or unloading.

I didn't know it had plastic feet on it until after I got it either. To me it isn't a huge deal because my coolers are always either on the floor, engine hatch or swimstep.. But I recognize to some that the plastic isn't even an option (especially if you are setting it on gel). I'd lay a towel down putting the AO on gel as well though! I'm pretty persnickety about my shit though.

RD

 

[HavasuHank]

I have a cooler that is similar to the Igloo. Rectangular shape ... lid on top which makes getting beers easy. No plastic footings, but does have a removable liner. I have had it for a number of years and use it every once in a while when we have a party. The liner has torn edges from being removed and re-installed.

It holds ice well and folds flat when not in use. I really do like it, but the liner needs to be repaired.

It also does not have a shoulder strap which sucks ... but if you plan on staying put for the night then it works just fine.

 

[Timmmmmy]

Dave I have a AO that's 4 or 5 years old and doesn't leak if you want to use it to compare

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Yeti.........the fanny pack of soft sided coolers.

 

[obnoxious001]

If you call and mention rdp I heard they give a 15% discount!!![emoji41][emoji12]

Even after this RD review?

 

[El Rojo]

I use these.............. www.polarbearcoolers.com

 

[SoCalXFactor]

I use these.............. www.polarbearcoolers.com

Those look very similar to AO coolers. You can even have them logo'd, just like AO. Are they cheaper?

 

[Nord]

My AO has a thick shoulder strap. I purchased it at west marine. First use the strap broke. Took it back and they replaced the entire cooler. I love. Only complaint is that it sweats so when I put it in my truck it has to go on the back or on a thick towel. I hope they add that door at some point since grabbing beers is kind of hard.

 

[tb230razor]

I have an AO that's a year old or so. As soon as the ice melts inside, it leaks through the outside. Kind of a pain when it leaks in the boat or the truck. We only use it to store dry goods normally because of this. I haven't seen others with one until this weekend so I just figured that they all did that...but the ones that I saw this weekend didn't leak at all. So maybe mine just has a defect I guess. Maybe I'll try another one or give the igloo a shot.

 

[Havaduner]

My AO has a thick shoulder strap. I purchased it at west marine. First use the strap broke. Took it back and they replaced the entire cooler. I love. Only complaint is that it sweats so when I put it in my truck it has to go on the back or on a thick towel. I hope they add that door at some point since grabbing beers is kind of hard.

It's not sweating, it has a leak. The liner has a hole and its getting the insulation wet. Send it back, they'll take care of it.

I have an AO that's a year old or so. As soon as the ice melts inside, it leaks through the outside. Kind of a pain when it leaks in the boat or the truck. We only use it to store dry goods normally because of this. I haven't seen others with one until this weekend so I just figured that they all did that...but the ones that I saw this weekend didn't leak at all. So maybe mine just has a defect I guess. Maybe I'll try another one or give the igloo a shot.

Send it back, they'll take care of it.

 

[Nord]

It's not sweating, it has a leak. The liner has a hole and its getting the insulation wet. Send it back, they'll take care of it.



Send it back, they'll take care of it.

It's done this since day one. No leaks. I've filled it with water twice and tested. Only does it with ice inside. It's the light grey carbon fiber model.

 

[Havaduner]

It's done this since day one. No leaks. I've filled it with water twice and tested. Only does it with ice inside. It's the light grey carbon fiber model.

It shouldn't be doing that. Call Amber. Tell her your're the guy that hooks her up with a new pair of Ugg boots every Christmas.

 

[Nord]

It shouldn't be doing that. Call Amber. Tell her your're the guy that hooks her up with a new pair of Ugg boots every Christmas.

Lol.

 

[nowski]

I have an AO stow and go that works so so. I like supporting the little business but I'm also open to buying the competition (Igloo) and compare apples to apples. Competition is always good for the consumer if your the only game in town you dictate the $$$ end price...

 

[tb230razor]

It's not sweating, it has a leak. The liner has a hole and its getting the insulation wet. Send it back, they'll take care of it.



Send it back, they'll take care of it.

Even without a receipt? It was given to me when I bought my boat.

 

[Havaduner]

Even without a receipt? It was given to me when I bought my boat.

I don't know that they would swap out the entire cooler, but they can repair of replace the liner. Call Amber at AO, she'll get it taken care of for you.

 

[OutCole'd]

I've got 5 AO coolers and I'm a fan. Only one has ever leaked, sent it back and had them replace the liner. It's nice to wake up the next morning to an ice cold beer...

I was more of a fan in the past when they were all American made, now that they import most of the product, I'm no where near as loyal as I was. I never minded paying the extra few bucks for the American made cooler. Last time I ordered, on a few sizes there was an option for the American vs the Chinese. Not sure how it is now.

 

[Cole Trickle]

I think I have 5-6 coolers and they have all worked great. I made the mistake of putting empty beers cans in them back in the day and I got a couple tears. They replaced the liners for there small fee.

I have 1 that the main zipper started to rip away from the fabric and another where the strap holding the shoulder strap ripped.

Will they warranty these?

 

[tb230razor]

I don't know that they would swap out the entire cooler, but they can repair of replace the liner. Call Amber at AO, she'll get it taken care of for you.

I'll give it a shot. I don't want a new one, just want this one repaired. Has some embroidery on it that I'd like to keep. Appreciate the help. Thanks[emoji106]

 

[Meaney77]

Anyone know if the Igloo is tall enough to hold bottles?

 

[RIVERDAZE]

I bought the 3 pack from AO back when the LA boat show had boats. All of those coolers rocked!
5 years later 2 got leaks and they fixed them. 1 came back with a leak, sent back and they fixed it right. Since then its been a battle but it had also been 10 years. I think I am waaaaaay ahead on the value!

I finally gave up 2 years ago having them repaired and bought new ones from West Marine. Something changed in the MFG process, materials and the QC does not exist! I cannot get 2 trips out of a cooler before leaking. No bottles, no empty cans and I do not over fill or drop them from the hip when filled. I kid you not when I say I took back 8 coolers last year! 3 leaked 1 hour after I filled for the first time before they got in the boat. Sorry, I am done.

Went to Costco and they had a square soft side cooler with a flap lid for $24...so far so good. Wish I bought more of them becasuse I haven't seen them since.

 

[OutCole'd]

I bought the 3 pack from AO back when the LA boat show had boats. All of those coolers rocked!
5 years later 2 got leaks and they fixed them. 1 came back with a leak, sent back and they fixed it right. Since then its been a battle but it had also been 10 years. I think I am waaaaaay ahead on the value!

I finally gave up 2 years ago having them repaired and bought new ones from West Marine. Something changed in the MFG process, materials and the QC does not exist! I cannot get 2 trips out of a cooler before leaking. No bottles, no empty cans and I do not over fill or drop them from the hip when filled. I kid you not when I say I took back 8 coolers last year! 3 leaked 1 hour after I filled for the first time before they got in the boat. Sorry, I am done.

Went to Costco and they had a square soft side cooler with a flap lid for $24...so far so good. Wish I bought more of them becasuse I haven't seen them since.

That's probably when they began importing them instead of making them here. Buy one of their imports vs another brand of imports? What's the difference?

 

[mesquito_creek]

View attachment 398215

Yes it's expensive. But so is a Schiada!
I got mine as gift. Will have a report when I actually use it in the boat in the heat. So far it's been great, but it's not been cooking in the boat yet.

The Yedi Hard Shell coolers are absolutely crazy good in terms of how they hold cold/ice... The last cooler you may ever buy...

 

[RiverDave]

Even after this RD review?

Did I say something bad about AO coolers?

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Does anyone have a 36 pack AO cooler in lake Havasu that doesn't leak so that I can run an ice test between the AO and the igloo?

 

[warpt71]

My wife bought me one of these Coleman's a few years ago and I can pack an 18 pack on one side. Everything stays cold and it doesn't leak so far. Its too bad they discontinued this model, we have looked to grab another one because its such a good size. That Igloo you posted looks nice!

 

[RiverDave]

I use these.............. www.polarbearcoolers.com

I will check those out as well.

 

[thedan]

I bought the 3 pack from AO back when the LA boat show had boats. All of those coolers rocked!
5 years later 2 got leaks and they fixed them. 1 came back with a leak, sent back and they fixed it right. Since then its been a battle but it had also been 10 years. I think I am waaaaaay ahead on the value!

I finally gave up 2 years ago having them repaired and bought new ones from West Marine. Something changed in the MFG process, materials and the QC does not exist! I cannot get 2 trips out of a cooler before leaking. No bottles, no empty cans and I do not over fill or drop them from the hip when filled. I kid you not when I say I took back 8 coolers last year! 3 leaked 1 hour after I filled for the first time before they got in the boat. Sorry, I am done.

Went to Costco and they had a square soft side cooler with a flap lid for $24...so far so good. Wish I bought more of them becasuse I haven't seen them since.

Costco in Rancho Cucamonga has something like this in the seasonal section right now (today). Holds 50 cans, clear liner, and has the flip top for grabbing cans, along with a zipper to open the whole thing. Also has a hard platform on top to make it like a table.