Despite not being airtight or leakproof, it managed to hold ice for 40 hours during our testing. Other coolers have more traditional zippers that aren’t watertight yet still provide effective insulation, like the REI Cool Haul, REI Pack Away, and AO 24 Pack. When it comes to performance in soft coolers, you often get what you pay for in terms of durability and insulation value.
The most inexpensive cooler we generally recommend is the Arctic Zone Titan. It’s surprisingly easy to use and handy for infrequent use at a bargain price. Pockets and Organization
Soft coolers come in a range of shapes and designs, but many include at least one igloo water cooler exterior pocket for stashing small valuables like a phone, wallet, or keys. In use, we’ve found these to be incredibly useful and helpful for keeping track of our belongings whether we’re spending a day at a local state park or enjoying an afternoon at the beach.
On the outside, a large zippered pocket provides a good amount of dry storage, and its duffel-style handles can be joined together for easy transportation. Its flexible shape allows you to fold it flat for storage (a unique feature that most of the competition can’t claim) and easily accommodates tall objects, such as 750 ml wine bottles. Durability varies considerably between soft coolers, and a good way to differentiate between models is to look at denier (D), which is a measurement of fabric thickness. RovR’s TravelR 30 is another standout in terms of durability with a burly TPU base and welded seams that give it a very hardwearing feel. The third Hydro Flask design to make our list this season is the 20 L Carry Out Soft Cooler, which splits the difference between their Insulated Tote and backpack-style Day Escape above. For just $90, the Carry Out is the largest option of the bunch with a 38-can capacity (without ice), and the wraparound zipper makes access and cleaning quick and easy.
A removable plastic shelf adds functionality, keeping sensitive items out of melted ice, and numerous pockets adorn the outside for wine corkscrews, napkins, and silverware. Most cooler manufacturers provide a “claimed ice retention” spec in their product listings (YETI is one major brand who does not). From our list above, times range from just 4 hours at the low end for the Hydro Flask 20 L Insulated Tote to three or four days at the high end for Engel’s HD30 (24 hours is pretty standard).
Some of the most expensive products we tested offer some of the most impressive insulation powers and are made of impressively durable materials. However, this gear category continues to explode with innovations at competitive prices, and the correlation of price to performance is not a perfect linear relationship. Several models we tested challenge the idea that more money equals a better cooler, offering exceptional values and some impressive niche performances. It took some time for us to figure out the best way to use the inflatable sides to maximize both capacity and insulation, but once we got that down, we enjoyed the extra padding provided by the air-filled walls.
Storage is easy thanks to the collapsible setup, and being leak-resistant allows the right amount of water to stay inside. The backpack version of the cooler weighs 6 lbs., while the duffel bag version weighs 8 lbs., though that leaves room for a greater capacity. The tan, black and orange mix is the most popular color option, but there’s also blue or real tree and tan. Soft coolers also come in handy for sporting events, whether the user is a participant or a fan.
Although the exterior of the cooler is made of a durable, thickly coated nylon—waterproof and tough—the sun and heat will degrade the material and slowly wear it out. The most airtight, temperature-regulated, and waterproof soft coolers boast burly zippers that take hand grease to open and close. A handful of brands even send you home with zipper lubricant, like RTIC and YETI.
The smallest design in our guide is the Mountainsmith Takeout, which weighs less than a pound. The heaviest soft cooler is the 6.5-pound OtterBox Trooper 20 Cooler, which has a 19L capacity and the best ice retention. The soft coolers in our guide range from the Mountainsmith Takeout, which can fit six cans, to the 38 L Snow Peak Soft Cooler. Most of our choice soft coolers are either larger (30 L to 38 L) for group multiday trips or more compact (12 L to 19 L). Some of these designs are actually very rigid, stout, and stackable.
So we used a different shoulder strap to carry the cooler on our 15-minute walk to our picnic spot. With a unique spin, the cooler is compatible with a removable insert called the KeepR ($150), which organizes fare into different compartments like a golf bag. The dividers are secured via Velcro, so the compartments are adjustable. The center of the basket has a circular sleeve for the 3L Icer ($50), a double-wall vacuum-sealed ice holder with a 3.5-pound capacity. The cooler’s exterior is made with stout ripstop nylon that easily wipes down. The Igloo Pursuit Tote ($100) preserved our bubbly water, hummus, pepperoni, peppers, and arugula while car camping and crewing the Hardrock 100.