Finally, we love the smooth-operating zipper that requires minimal force to open (not always the case with watertight designs), provides a reliable seal, and is easy to realign if it separates. All told, the Day Escape’s sleek but well-rounded design was quick to win us over, earning it our endorsement as the best backpack cooler of the year. And we always focus on providing you with long-lasting cold retention, the whole point of a cooler! Our affordable soft cooler designs are thoughtful, intuitive and reliable because we think of YOU and the ways you’ll use your cooler every day or on extended adventures. In our experience, the sweet spot is often right in the middle, with many of our most frequently used soft coolers offering space for around cans with ice.
A handful of brands even send you home with zipper lubricant, like RTIC and YETI. Soft cooler totes are long, slender, and streamlined against your side. However, taller coolers get trickier with access to buried items, so you have to be mindful when packing the cooler. Other than the main storage pocket, which typically has an insulated liner inside, there are plenty of other pocket and storage features to consider when choosing a soft cooler to fit your needs. Choose a soft cooler based on the storage capacity and type of support you need for the load.
Those choice designs include a range of designs such as the Mountainsmith Takeout ($30), REI Co-op Pack-Away Soft Cooler ($50), and Arctic Zone Titan Bucket Tote ($53). Most soft coolers have side or top handles, two straps that swing up to secure together above the cooler, or a removable shoulder strap. A bunch of designs have a combination of handles and straps, too.
The eco-friendly design features a recycled polyester upper and recycled nylon bottom. However you’re getting in on the action — playing in the game/match, hitting the gym or tailgating to the stadium lot — we’ve got the coolers for staying hydrated while having fun. Beckett Dubay is a product tester at Reviewed, regularly using science-based protocol to test refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry large appliances, and photographing the process in the lab from start to finish. Edibles that only need to be chilled should be placed closer to the top of the cooler. We’re the testing team at Reviewed, which means we designed and implemented the experiments involved in this article.
The material dried surprisingly fast after it got wet while paddling. This design is too small for an all-day adventure, but for a lunchbox or outing, it’s great. And the wide shape allows easy access to the grub inside the cooler.
The handles on the Hydro Flask Day Escape Tote were a great length and easy to slide over one shoulder. We periodically checked, making notes regarding melt rate, condensation, and leaks. igloo soft cooler Each reported time is based on when 100% of the ice was converted to water. But when traveling outdoors, these controlled variables disappear and the ice will likely melt faster.
You get a durable, weather-resistant exterior and wildly impressive ice retention thanks to its MaxCold Ultra™ insulated interior — plus, a whole crew of handy adventure-friendly features. Most soft coolers work best when cooled by ice packs or ice cubes. However, dry ice reaches lower temperatures than regular ice and can be used in most soft coolers.
These elements made up for the zipper not being leakproof and for the cooler not staying as cold as other options in this guide. The Snow Peak Soft Cooler 38 did well on a weekend road trip to climb in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains and camp out, but wouldn’t be able to retain ice for longer durations. Our ice retention test corroborated that experience, showing the cooler is capable of holding ice for nearly 2.5 days. But the flexible walls allowed us to flatten and fold the cooler for easy storage, saving us space in a tight apartment.
RTIC’s Soft Pack also falls into this category, and although it’s technically not fully waterproof, the tough shell and leakproof design should stand up well if it ends up taking a dip. Carefully designed with premium details igloo trailmate and longer ice retention for extended adventures, our high-quality cooler bags are still more affordable than others out there with similar performance. We have a huge variety of insulated bags all at different prices.
We used this cooler for park BBQs and loved how comfortable it was to slip over our shoulders and carry. Our other grievance is we wish there was an exterior pocket on this soft cooler to help carry utensils and napkins or slide in trash. We tested all of the accessories, and most enjoyed pulling clean, super-cold ice out of the Icer to put directly into our lemonade while boogying to music all day outside. The SnackR containers were also great for pouring in fresh, chilled salsa and carrying sliced cheese. They were easy to slide in and stack on top of items inside the cooler.