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Mar 16, 2024

Academy Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore Cooler Review

The Academy Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore was the winner of the best cooler overall award in my tested best coolers roundup. Here you can learn more about this superb cooler and why we recommend it so

The Academy Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore was the winner of the best cooler overall award in my tested best coolers roundup. Here you can learn more about this superb cooler and why we recommend it so strongly.

From retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors’ in-store brand, Magellan Outdoors, the Pro Explore presents an amazing value given its strong insulation, solid durability and simple ease of use. For this reason, it won my top pick for best cooler when I tested it against seven of the most popular mid-sized models. While other coolers excelled in one or two categories, the Academy was easily the most well-rounded model.

Academy's 45-quart Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore is an excellent value based on its strong ... [+] performance and great features.

Overall, this versatile cooler is ideal for most situations, such as tailgating, picnicking, barbecues and car camping. Its thoughtful design is reflected in both essential and nice-to-have features. For example, unlike many coolers today, it’s virtually effortless to open, but it also offers a removable lid and a built-in steel bottle opener. Plus, its $200 price tag hits a nice sweet spot that reflects its abilities and added features.

Academy Sports + Outdoors

Exterior Dimensions: 30 x 16.65 x 16.75 inches | Interior Height: 11.25 inches | Capacity: 45 quarts | Weight: 30 pounds | Wheels: Yes | Extras: Yes | Warranty: 1 year

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Personally, I find the rubber pull-down latches featured on many coolers to be unnecessarily tricky to operate. It’s not that I lack any strength or dexterity. It just seems like most fasteners require an excessive amount of focus and effort to engage and disengage, a task that becomes especially tricky when hands are preoccupied with drinks, foods and assorted equipment. By contrast, the Academy’s latches are a simple delight. Just press in with the thumbs, lift with the fingers and open.

The buckles make the Pro Explore very easy to open and steel-reinforced locking holes speak to its ... [+] durability.

It seems like such a basic thing to get right and yet, so many competitors get it wrong. Perhaps rubber latches have seemingly become the current standard because they appear more secure or rugged. But in my testing of literally tossing around this cooler, never did its design buckle under the pressure. So I judge this locking mechanism to be both simple and stable.

Even better, the Pro Explore features latches on both sides, meaning you can open the cooler on whichever side you prefer at that moment, or even completely remove the lid altogether. Knowing about this convenient capability, I went into the insulation test with lower expectations, but this cooler pleasantly surprised me in that regard too.

I assumed that because the lid was easy to open and fully remove (a unique capability amongst the coolers I tested), its ability to insulate would suffer as a consequence. But throughout the 60-hour insulation test, that’s not at all what I found. In fact, just the opposite occurred.

Of the eight coolers tested, only the Academy, ORCA and Yeti models posted above average internal surface temperature readings at all five check-ins. And the 45-quart Academy has the largest capacity of those three, putting it at an inherent disadvantage. (Extra air trapped inside a cooler is bad for performance.) Plus, it tied with the ORCA for having the most ice retained after the test.

The Pro Explore features a two-way drain that can release water slowly when partially removed.

Aside from boasting thick insulation similar to other coolers, a patent-pending automatic pressure relief valve deserves part of the credit here. One of the side effects that occurs inside a cooler when it cools down (given a proper seal) is a noticeable drop in air pressure. Without a valve to equalize that pressure, it can be quite difficult to physically pry open the lid, as I frustratingly experienced with the ORCA model I tested. So this Academy cooler’s unique pressure release valve and its aforementioned latches make it a winning combo of both an effective cooler and an easy to operate one.

Of course, portability is another big factor contributing to ease of use. And this may be the only area where the Pro Explore suffers a bit. At 30 pounds, it’s on the chunky side given its capacity. Although it does have wheels, they’re small, plasticky and nowhere near as all-terrain as the RovR RollR (shown below) or an Igloo Trailmate. Yet its handle is easier and more balanced to grip with either one or two hands. And its flexible rubber-gripped straps make two-person carries fairly easy. So on the whole for portability, the Academy gets mixed marks. Not bad, but perhaps just average overall.

Although the RollR RovR (shown in white, on right) features bigger tires that are much more capable ... [+] on all terrains, the Academy's simple U-shaped handle (left) makes it easier to tote.

Having said that, the Pro Explore still packs a bunch of noteworthy features. It comes with a handy divider that doubles as a cutting board. As opposed to the typical metal basket, this cooler comes with a solid plastic dry bin, a nice touch that actually prevents your sandwiches and other dry goods from getting soggy. And it’s nice that Academy designed the cooler to include a built-in steel bottle opener, chain leash for the drain plug and steel-reinforced locking holes for added security and durability.

One final nicety is that Academy offers this cooler in several other sizes and over a dozen colorways. With two smaller and two bigger models, the Pro Explore’s other capacities include 25, 35, 55 and 75 quarts, so you’ve got some good options for shorter and longer trips. And it comes in gray, green and all sorts of interesting combinations of purples, blues, oranges and reds, for whatever strikes your fancy.

The Pro Explore is such a strong performing, versatile cooler that it fits many scenarios. For roughly 60% of the cost of a Yeti, it cools almost as well. Based on its small wheels, it honestly wouldn’t be the first one I’d reach for if I were going to the beach or a distant campsite. But to the extent that one or two people can carry it relatively short distances over tricky terrain or roll it on fairly hard, flat surfaces, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better all-around cooler.

I tested eight of the best mid-sized coolers available and narrowed down my selections to four stand-out picks after rigorous testing. During and after the testing period, I compared the coolers by considering a few key features, including insulation, durability, ease of use and portability. I tested the coolers’ insulative properties in an isolated, temperature-controlled room in my house. Additionally, I used and examined them in my backyard, loaded them into (and out of) my SUV and brought them out and about. During the insulation testing, I kept track of each cooler’s ability to reach and maintain a cold internal temperature while keeping meat and beverages fresh. I also paid attention to how easy it was to open and close each lid, load up each cooler and clean/drain it.

I’m a journalist who currently covers outdoor gear for Forbes Vetted. You can read my comprehensive tested review of the best coolers (which includes the Academy Magellan Outdoors Pro Explore as my top pick).

In the past, I’ve written about essential gear and everyday carries for such nationally recognized sites as Maxim, Gear Patrol and Newsweek. Beyond that, I’ve covered consumer technology for the past 25 years, making public appearances on TV, radio and podcasts and private presentations at companies, retreats, libraries and schools.