With Igloo’s soft coolers, you have plenty of choices, depending on the situation. While all of these soft coolers have a touch of black on the outside, the three main choices for colors are agama teal, blaze red and acid green. Each bag weighs less than 1 lb., and storage space ranges from six to 36 cans.
On a related note, comfortable shoulder straps and/or grab handles can go a long way toward maximizing portability, which we outline more in depth below. The IceMule Pro doesn’t deliver multiple days of extreme ice retention, but it’s enough to get you through a hot day. When emptied, igloo soft cooler it’s much more collapsible than stiffer softer coolers meant to retain ice for multiple days—an important feature when conserving space in a boat or on a pack. Stiffer soft coolers are not collapsible and take up the same amount of space regardless of whether they’re in use.
Besides its ability to hold cold temps and ice for days, our testers liked the size and shape of the cooler. They also liked how leak-proof it is and the two handles on each side of the cooler’s body. However, they were not impressed with the lack igloo soft cooler of padding on the Hopper Flip’s shoulder strap and how heavy it was (it’s about 1.5 pounds heavier than the similar Orca Walker 20-Can). We love that this cooler has handles and backpack straps, making it ideal for different carrying methods.
The competition for the Trailmate consists of rotomolded coolers with superior ice retention. When shopping for a soft cooler, always look for leak-resistant or waterproof closure. But the lack of the rigid bottom means it flops around when you’re not pulling it. However, if you’re looking to spend up on a luxury soft cooler, the Yeti Hopper Flip 18 is a heavy-duty choice for holding ice. We also wanted to pick a diverse list is prices, functions, and specialties.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). Note that RTIC coolers are not IGBC (International Grizzly Bear Committee) certified. igloo trailmate If that’s necessary for you, here’s IGBC’s list of certified bear-resistant products (PDF). This roto-molded cooler costs far less than the Yeti Tundra 65 but performs just as well in nearly every way. It’s almost indestructible, it has two drainage ports and replaceable parts, and it kept our ice frozen for 10 days.