Some options are best suited for a day at work or the park on your own, while others are reliable for camping, hiking, fishing, or sporting occasions. The designs make them easy to carry and able to keep drinks and food in the best consuming condition once your activity is over. We also measured for cold and ice retention by taking the inside temperature of each cooler at two hours after filling them with cans and ice and then 24 hours after filling them with cans and ice. It has a large, slightly flared main compartment with lots of room for produce, prepared food, drinks, ice cream, milk, wine bottles, you name it. It’ll keep your perishables reliably cold, even on the hottest days. However, it’s not leakproof, so you’ll want to be careful not to drop it when transporting liquids.
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. Overall, we found the Pack-Away durable, given it’s made with a tough polyester shell and abrasion-resistant nylon bottom.
igloo water coolerSoft coolers can also leak through the lid closure if the zipper isn’t waterproof or the clasp isn’t leakproof. Even the heaviest soft cooler in our guide is lighter than a hard cooler. For comparison, the YETI Tundra 45 Cooler weighs 23 pounds, and the RovR Products RollR 45 weighs more than 37 pounds. We took the aesthetic Fishpond Blizzard Soft Cooler ($100) out fly fishing with two anglers. The compact cooler was full of brews, sparkling water, and lunch food. We really liked the touch of the side rope handles — they’re smooth, tough, and easy to grab and hold.
It’s also leakproof, letting no water drip through the zipper or moisture penetrate the sides. Since the heavy-duty zipper is extra-tight and water-sealed, it’s sometimes hard to unzip, but it comes with lubricant for this exact reason. There’s also a 20-liter version of the Carry Out, but even that one is on the smaller side. So it’s best for lunches, picnics, hanging out at the dock, and shorter day trips. This soft cooler was a breeze to carry, thanks to the grab handles and padded shoulder strap.
Even given its large size, it was still very comfortable to transport, due to the soft, malleable walls. With the simple, wide handles Velcroed together, we could sling the cooler over our shoulders when it was fully loaded. The flat backside wall alleviates bounce when we were using the shoulder strap. We also appreciated the water-resistant exterior pocket, which is easy to open and close.
igloo trailmateWe’ve talked about soft coolers and how they’re growing increasingly popular on the market these days. In our article on the best soft-sided coolers, we took a brief glance at each of the Yeti Hopper, Engel HD30, Otterbox Trooper, RTIC Soft Pack, and the Polar Bear Deluxe. All of these are great soft-sided coolers, each trying its best to outdo the others. Before investing in a soft cooler, it can be helpful and prudent to consider how long it’s covered under warranty.
Our most recent test compares 13 of the best models available today. Soft coolers offer portability and versatility that traditional hard coolers can’t. We fully loaded these coolers, walked with them for miles, and went through hundreds of pounds of ice. No matter your budget or needs, our exhaustive testing will help you identify the perfect cooler for you. Additional features on soft coolers include hard clip points, daisy chains, webbing straps, and bungee cords for carrying extra gear.
igloo soft coolerThe color and size options are also made clear so that you don’t end up getting a soft cooler bag that is either too big or too small for your needs. Whatever cooler brand you trust should be able to provide items that can satisfy you in any situation. While they’re not standardized measures, we have found that most cooler companies’ estimates of their cooling power are reasonably helpful for rough comparison.