Cooler Reviews: Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore Icebox 25 qt Hard Cooler

With summer’s arrival, we decided to upgrade some of our older coolers. We’ve been on the hunt for a portable hard cooler that we could take on trips, easily store in the back of our car, and keep our ice cold for long durations. There are some other coolers we have which will be reviewed. But to kick things off, we purchased the Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore Icebox 25 qt hard cooler.

The cooler retails for $129.99, but Academy Sports, who also owns Magellan, had it on sale for $103.99. We figured, why not save some money versus some of the bigger brands and give this one a shot.

Let’s go over some features of this Magellan Icebox 25 qt.

• There’s a built-in stainless-steel bottle opener on the cooler wall
• The cooler can be opened from both sides using a stainless-steel locking system found on either end
• A removable internal divider comes with the cooler and doubles as a cutting board
• One basket that sits inside the cooler at the top comes with the cooler
• Able to hold up to 24 cans
• The thick insulation helps ensure lasting ice retention.
• Drain plug located on the end to easily remove water
• The integrated pressure release valve and the refrigeration V-seal supply an airtight seal for freshness, while the dual opening lid with a stainless-steel locking system helps keep your items secure on the go.

The cooler came in weighing 21.4 lbs and was roughly 15 × 21 × 15.

There was a lot to like about the Magellan Icebox 25. The aesthetics alone were a big selling point, along with the price; not having to spend money on the accessories like shelves were also bonuses.

Unfortunately, when it came down to doing its job, it failed. We filled the cooler with ice and made a three-hour drive. By the time we reached our destination, half the ice was melted. It wasn’t an ice issue, either, because we used the same brand of ice in another cooler which was outside in hotter temps with no issue.

We checked to see if the cooler was closed properly and it was. The ice retention issue was something we read in some reviews, but decided to overlook it. We would fill it with more ice and noticed slightly better results, but still not comparable to other coolers.

In the end, we decided to return the cooler after one day and purchase a different brand.