Two additional streamlined buckles connect each strap end to the cooler body. The sensor at the top of the cooler was removed daily to record its findings and simulate the temperature gains that occur when a cooler is opened during normal use. We ran these temperature tests until there was no ice inside the cooler. During our cold retention igloo trailmate tests, the Yeti Hopper Flip 18 maintained an internal temperature of below 40°F for over 46 hours. For web orders returned in store, please take the item in original packaging, along with invoice to any
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Soft coolers that are wider or more bucket-style are easier to access, as far as finding a specific item. Coolers with a broad, flat surface that rests against you can help absorb that swing and bounce. The Igloo Pursuit Tote ($100) preserved our bubbly water, hummus, pepperoni, peppers, and arugula while car camping and crewing the Hardrock 100. Unfortunately, the shape and height of the cooler makes the storage space pretty narrow. Looking at it from the outside, the cooler looks like it will fit more than it actually can. The shape works well for canned drinks, but other than that, the narrowness of the storage space makes it difficult to organize.
The Arctic Zone Titan Bucket Tote ($53) is a great budget cooler that keeps our ice cold for long durations. A trio took the cooler fly fishing on Colorado’s Gunnison River, carrying along water and various canned beverages. Its material is supportive and soft, almost like a memory foam pad, and it made carrying the cooler along the trail a much better experience. After sitting in direct sun for a few hours with an ice pack inside, our bubbly waters and snacks were still refreshingly cold and chilled thanks to the closed cell technology.
This soft cooler is definitely on the pricier side, but the insulative effectiveness and other design features made it stand apart from the other coolers in this guide and as our top favorite. External Attachment Points
Many soft coolers, including Yeti’s Hopper M30 and REI Co-op’s Cool Haul 24, have daisy chain webbing along the outside for securing extra gear. In use, we’ve found this area useful for keeping valuables like keys close at hand (we use a carabiner to attach them). And we particularly like the stretchy bungee system on the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze, which makes it easy to secure a lightweight jacket or small towel on top. Yeti is the Cadillac of cooler manufacturers and credited with catalyzing the growth of the premium hard-sided market.
Igloo’s small Playmate coolers are also perfect for your everyday needs, keeping everyone’s lunch cold on the worksite for over 45 years. A soft sided cooler that accommodates 12 cans of your favorite drinks, ideal for picnics, family outings or tailgating. Packing the cooler is igloo trailmate simple and easy, just unzip by using the dual zippers located at the top. The main compartment is spacious, the interior is designed with an enhanced insulation and antimicrobial liner. On the front is a zippered pocket for holding your smartphone, keys or other essentials.
Brand new to the soft cooler scene, RovR just bridged their long-standing hard cooler craftsmanship into their sister category. The brand recently launched the 28L RovR TravelR 30 ($250), a tall-standing and oval-shape soft cooler with generous space. Our ice retention test demonstrated that the Eddie Bauer Recycled Bygone Convertible Cooler Tote remained cold and held some ice for 51 hours. Compared to the ice retention of all the coolers in this guide, this cooler seemed to be the least effective at staying cool and keeping ice.
The designs borrow heavily from hiking daypacks, sharing features like shoulder straps, padded backpanels, and exterior pockets for added gear storage. Additionally, backpack coolers are fairly expensive considering their modest storage capacity and all-around performance (the Day Escape is pretty average in this category at $200). But if the approach to your favorite picnic spot or fishing hole involves walking more than a half mile or so, it may be worth the investment. For more on the topic, check out our article on the best backpack coolers. Before diving into the finer details, it’s important to point out that soft coolers come with some inherent compromises. Unlike hard-sided models that can keep food and beverages cold for days (or even weeks) on end, soft models aren’t built to keep contents cold for more than a few days at maximum.
The smallest design in our guide is the Mountainsmith Takeout, which weighs less than a pound. The heaviest soft cooler is the 4-pound, 7-ounce RovR TravelR, which has a 28L capacity and the best ice retention. The two straps that attach the soft cooler to bike handlebars have reflective material, a touch we appreciate. Inside, there’s a sleeve that works great for a slender ice pack.
To keep the weight down, this Pelican soft cooler’s insulation measures only half-an-inch thick. It kept its interior below 40°F for 27 hours—one of the lowest of any of igloo water cooler the soft coolers we tested. Performance issues aside, this Coleman soft cooler is easy to store and easy to carry, and a fine soft cooler option for day trips or hikes.
We noticed that it was challenging to organize and see everything that was inside because the zipper doesn’t open very wide and the material around the zipper is stiff. This made cleaning the inside a bit troublesome, but removing the insulating liner helps with this problem. On the plus side, the zipper is leakproof and closing it is a piece of cake. For the cross-body tote, we like that the strap is thick and has a central buckle, so you can easily disconnect if needed — though, we didn’t totally find it necessary with how long the strap can extend.