The construction is first rate. Very durable. It does keep ice really well as advertised. The other reason I bought the Icemule is because I am able to travel on a plane and use it as a back-pack for my personal items and then upon landing on a beach vacation the Icemule then becomes my primary cooler on the beach, which is a must for most people. Some condos have coolers that you can use, but most are beat-up and not the best so having a dual purpose ice cooler/back-pack really is a great feature on getaway vacations where packing is limited.