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Outdoors · Igloo · 2018

Igloo BMX 52

Blow-molded but reinforced, and it lands squarely between disposable and rotomolded.

Rotomolded or not, the latches go before the shell — #4

Overall

8.0

out of 10

Axis scores

Outdoors is scored on these 4 axes. The total is their plain average — nothing is weighted.

Igloo BMX 52 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 4 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Igloo BMX 52: Performance 7.8, Value 8.6, Durability 8.0, Design 7.6.PerformanceIgloo BMX 52 — Performance 7.8 out of 107.8ValueIgloo BMX 52 — Value 8.6 out of 108.6DurabilityIgloo BMX 52 — Durability 8.0 out of 108.0DesignIgloo BMX 52 — Design 7.6 out of 107.6Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Construction
Blow-molded, stainless steel kick plates
Capacity
52 quart
Handles
Rubberized, fold-down

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want more than a supermarket cooler without rotomolded pricing
  • Weight matters — this is far lighter than rotomolded boxes
  • Tailgates and campsites rather than expeditions

Skip it if

  • Multi-day ice retention is the whole requirement
  • You need bear certification

Carrying it from the car to a campsite is where this earns its place. A rotomolded 45-quart cooler is a two-person carry when loaded; the BMX holds more and comes in several pounds lighter empty, and that gap matters far more in practice than spec sheets suggest.

Igloo aimed it between the disposable end of the market and rotomolded construction. The shell is blow-molded, so the walls are thinner and the insulation thinner with them, but stainless steel kick plates and stiffened corners let it survive handling that cracks conventional coolers.

Ice retention sits a clear step behind the rotomolded group — a day or two against several — so anything past a weekend needs a top-up.

The rubberized fold-down handles improve on rope handles twice over. They do not dig into hands, and they fold flat so the cooler stacks and stores.

Rubberized T-latches clamp the lid onto a friction-fit seal instead of a gasket. Most of the retention difference lives there.

For tailgates, day trips, and campsites with a shop nearby, this covers the requirement at a fraction of the outlay and weight of the premium options. It is not a multi-day cooler and does not claim to be. Over time, the drain plug is the component most likely to need attention.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.