The Path Less Traveled #081: Moosejaw Icefort 25 – Better Than Expected
Andrew D 10.16.23
After five months – using the Icefort 25 cooler for 32 days – I’ve found the Moosejaw Icefort 25 cooler is better than I expected. Despite talking smack about Moosejaw being purchased by Dick’s a few months ago, they reached out and offered me a choice of their Icefort coolers to try. If you haven’t seen that post, check it out HERE. Seeing how much I travel for both of my jobs, I decided on the smallest rotomolded cooler they had to be able to bring drinks and my insulin wherever I went. Have you seen the cost of insulin lately, even with insurance? If you have, you’ll know why this icebox has been a genuine life saver.
The Path Less Traveled on AllOutdoor
- The Path Less Traveled #080 – NEW, Exclusive Limmer Boots Released!
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- The Path Less Traveled #77: Limmer Boot – Let’s Learn the Lively History
- The Path Less Traveled #076: Zpacks Duplex Zip Tent, Ultralight 2-Person
Other cool posts we’ve made about, er… Coolers:
- Triple Duty with EGO’s Fish and Weigh-In Cooler Bag
- Home on the Range #036: Yeti Tundra 75 Hard Cooler – AllOutdoor Review
- AllOutdoor Review: Engel 165 High Performance Hard Cooler
Company Info – Moosejaw
Moosejaw Mountaineering began in Madison Heights, Michigan and became one of the earliest outdoor retailers to embrace online retail and marketing. Walmart shook up the online outdoor retail market when they announced they’d be completing the purchase of Moosejaw in February 2017. Dick’s Sporting Goods acquired Moosejaw in February 2023, finalizing in March 2023.
Moosejaw carries popular brands such as Patagonia, The North Face, Marmot, Arc’teryx, and offers apparel, gear, and more for all kinds of activities from climbing and hiking to yoga and swimming. Moosejaw continues to operate as a standalone and complementary brand to Walmart/Dick’s Sporting Goods e-commerce sites, and their extensive product lineup and expertise remains.
Product Info – Moosejaw Ice Fort 25 Rotomolded Cooler – MSRP $129
It’s time to reward yourself with the Moosejaw 25 Quart Ice Fort Hard Cooler. Crafted from 30% post-consumer recycled materials, this durable cooler can hold up to 25 quarts of your favorite beverages and snacks.
But it’s not just any cooler- this bad boy is so cold, it could out-chill the Elsa from that Disney movie with its thick 2.5” high performance insulation that retains ice for up to three days (at a 50/50 ice-to-can ratio).
Talk about the perfect companion for road trips, picnics, and even a beach day with the gang. Who needs Biggie to fight for cold beer when you have a cooler with an antimicrobial Microban interior, an easy-open cam latch, and a handy stainless steel bottle opener?
You can even securely lock it in place with the padlock-compatible tie-downs and its SinchStrap for easy transportation. And if you get sand everywhere, no worries! There’s a drainage port with an interior tether so you can tell the mess to GTFO. So go ahead and show off your Ice Fort and get ready for a cool time with your crew.
Observations
My cooler of choice before the Icefort 25 was a Lifetime 28 quart that is similar in dimensions to the Icefort, but stouter and wider. It didn’t like to fit behind my driver’s seat on trips and usually sat in the trunk of my beater Impreza. The taller, slightly more svelte Moosejaw Icefort allowed this to sit in the footwell of my passenger side seat if the girlfriend wasn’t with me and was easy to put behind the seats due to the volume being a bit more vertical.
Despite being three quarts smaller than my OG cooler, the features and ice retention abilities have led me to having a new favorite.
Capacity and Versatility
Talking about capacity, the Icefort 25 quart can hold about 30 cans of soda or beer at max if not considering ice. When taking into consideration the recommended 50% contents, 50% ice ratio that most coolers recommend, you can fit about 15 cans. Being a curious fellow, I decided to see what all could fit in the cooler; take a look:
Insulation and Ice Retention
In order to test Moosejaw’s Icefort 25 for ice retention, I put it against the only two other coolers I own, the grey one you’ve seen in all the photos so far and a chintzy foam cooler I use when needing to transport a lot of cold stuff. I know the foam cooler isn’t even in the same ball field as the two others, but I was curious.
Each cooler got six water bottles and six cans of diet coke. A bottle of water and a can of soda will be removed at separate times each day. I think about twelve pounds of ice went in each of the coolers other then the styrofoam one. The cooler will be deemed out of the race once it hits 40* F. That’s 4.44444*C for you guys who haven’t stepped foot on the moon yet.
Day 0
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
You can see, after about three days, the foam cooler failed to keep the twelve bottles cool enough. While anything under 60*F would feel nice on a summer day reaching 85*, we’re trying to stay at or under refrigerator temperatures.
Day 4
The Lifetime cooler failed on Day four after 96 hours. (Probably closer to 102 hours.) How long will the Moosejaw Icefort 25 last?
Day 5
Day five, the Icefort 25 was nearing that 40*F Threshold! It was kind of stunning to see a cooler that was marketed to last three days lasting up to day five. Seeing how we hadn’t hit the threshold, I checked back at 08:00PM.
Durability and Build Quality
Build quality on the Moosejaw was as good as any other quality rotomolded cooler I’ve seen that didn’t have a name like HECTALKRE or other Amazon letter salad. While I’ve never had a Yeti cooler, biking and shooting friends have and I would place this cooler right at that rank, albeit with a five year warranty, it may not match up with those that have a lifetime, no questions asked warranty.
When looking at these coolers at my local Walmart, I noticed the Icefort 50 and 55 to also be made well, and considered all of these a good value when takimg advantage of Moosejaw’s never-ending plethora of sales and online coupon codes. heck, with Walmart online, you can get it for $109.oo (as of October 09, 2023) with 3% cashback if you use smart shopping apps like honey or rakuten. Even with Moosejaw’s MSRP of $129, which I have never seen it priced higher than $119, this still compares well in durability and build quality as RTIC, ORCA, Cabela’s, or Grizzly coolers. I mean, how many factories in china are producing rotomolded coolers; four or five?
Practical Features
Additional features on the cooler do make it more handy than other coolers I’ve messed with, The locking mechanism on this Icefort 25 can pop a bottle lid off, but it also has a removable bottle opener hidden on the side. I will say though, that after about four months of rough use of this cooler, I have noticed some corrosion on the bottle opener.
Microban will delay any gunk, muck or grossness if you don’t end up cleaning you cooler the day you return home:
The carry handle is a lot nicer than a metal bar despite me being super skeptical about it for about half the time. Hoisting it up on your shoulder allows you to carry something else in your free hand when heading over to the campfire.
I’ve never had a small cooler with a drain plug before. The day after a big tent party by the river is always reminiscent of sobering undergrad walks of shame back from the Alpha Delta Pi house. Lugging twenty pounds of water back if there’s anything that still needs to stay cold sucks. Being able to drain out the water without having to tilt the cooler over is a winner. I advocate all coolers should have one if they’re 20qt or larger.
Use Cases
Bringing this cooler on 17 days of hiking, six days of trade shows in various states, and seven days of visiting friends, family, and lovers, I’ve had the cooler in a lot of situations where it felt to be an ideal size and shape. Times where I’d want something bigger would be:
- Cross-country trips (or get a Dometic Cooler).
- Full-day fishing trips where I wanted to keep beer and fish in a big ice chest.
- Overnight trips where a lunchbox or pail full of ice could keep my insulin cool when not considering drinks or other perishable goods.
This 25 to 30 quart size is really the goldilocks for most events or trips that are going to be a weekend or so long. If you know you’re going to be out longer than that, consider the 55 quart that has quasi-offroad wheels on it!
Would I recommend you buying the Moosejaw Icefort 25? Enthusiastically, yes – especially if you match any of the following conditions:
- You already have a fishing cooler
- You take more weekend trips than anything else
- Tailgaiting is one of your recreational hobbies
- You own a hatchback or mid-sized truck and want to keep this inside the cabin.
Whatever you do, check prices and use coupons. Despite being grabbed up by Dick’s, Moosejaw has a great history of eclectic and great customer service. Even if there aren’t coupons – give them a call and ask for one…. I bet they’d give you 10% off. (Don’t hold me to this…)
Moosejaw Icefort 25 Specifications
As per Moosejaw.com:
| Manufacturer Warranty: | Limited 5 Year |
| Storage Capacity: | 36 Cans |
| Dimensions: | 17.38 x 18.61 x 13.88 in. |
| Weight: | 257.6 oz |
| Features: | Bottle Opener, Anti-slip, Drainage, Anti-microbial |
| Best Use: | Fishing, Tailgating, Car Camping, Family Camping, Overlanding |
As per Walmart.com:
The Moosejaw 25 Quart Ice Fort™ Hard Cooler (Snow) is a durable cooler for keeping all your food and drinks chilled. Flip open the ergonomic cam latches to load this 25-quart cooler with up to 36 12-oz. cans, 25 lbs. of ice, or all your favorite things to eat or drink. The 2.5” thick high-performance insulation will keep everything ice cold for up to 3 days (at a 50/50 ice-to-can ratio). Sling the SinchStrap™ over your shoulder to haul the cooler with ease, or sinch it down to hold blankets and more. Carry the Ice Fort™ by either the SinchStrap™ handle or the comfortable, molded side handles. The smallest of our hard cooler family, the 25 Quart Ice Fort™ is ready for road trips, picnics, and any other outdoor adventure you can dream up.
- Moosejaw 25 QT Ice Fort™ Hard Cooler – Snow
- Made from Recycled Materials: 30% of the exterior shell is made from post-consumer recycled plastic
- Holds up to 25 Quarts, big enough capacity to hold up to 36 12-oz. cans or 25 lbs. of ice
- High performance insulation up to 2.5” thick – retains ice for up to three days at a 50/50 ice-to-can ratio
- Roto-molded, rugged one-piece construction
- Microban® antimicrobial protection against bacterial odors and stains
- Easy-open cam latches and freezer grade gasket seals cold in and keeps heat out
- SinchStrap™ carrying system converts from shoulder strap to sinch handle
- Holds most wine bottles upright thanks to 13.4” interior height
- Corrosion resistant metal parts stand up to the toughest elements, even sea air
- Drainage port with interior tether for easy cleaning when emptying your cooler
- Stainless steel bottle opener included for all your capped beverages
- Padlock compatible with multiple tie-down positions
- Dual molded side handles make carrying more comfortable
- Anti-skid raised feet help keep the cooler in place in slippery conditions
- Dry ice compatible down to -109.3°F for deep freezing
- Limited 5 Year Warranty
Moosejaw Social Media
- Official Site: https://www.moosejaw.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moosejaw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moosejawmadness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MoosejawMadness
- Pinterest (but why?): https://www.pinterest.com/moosejawmadness/
The opinions expressed above are entirely from the author and weren’t subject to review by Moosejaw / Walmart / DKS, or any external entity.
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