The 10 Best Soft Coolers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

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. The 1-inch closed-cell high-density foam worked well to keep our food and beverages chilled while baking under the sun during a mid-summer music festival. We’re not surprised, given RovR makes one of the best hard-side coolers, hands down. The robust zipper closure takes some effort and time to open, but the wide T-shaped pull makes the job comfortable. The Hydro Flask Day Escape Tote ($150) offers a streamlined, lightweight, and durable design. We used this cooler for park BBQs and loved how comfortable it was to slip over our shoulders and carry.

If you’re looking for a collapsible and durable option at a more affordable cost, we highly recommend the Icemule Classic. And it didn’t hold the cold as well (the temperature inside the cooler rose about 18 degrees between two hours and 24 hours after putting ice in it compared to just 7 degrees for the Yeti). But our testers appreciated how comfortable the Classic is to carry on one shoulder, how light it was, and its durability. According to our ice retention test, the REI Co-op Cool Haul is capable of holding ice for up to 60 hours.

The soft internal material tends to get soggy and needs extra time to dry out. All things considered, the bag is fairly inexpensive, so if you’re only needing the occasional soft cooler, this will do the igloo water cooler trick. To be sure, these top-end designs have their appeal for those who want the easier portability of a soft cooler without compromising on build quality, but they’re not worth the investment for most.

When not at work, Greg’s an avid sportsman who enjoys running marathons, loves snowboarding, hiking and discovering new single tracks on his bike. In stock expedited shipments will ship the same day, or the next business day for orders placed on a weekend, if the order is placed before 12 PM Central Time. Non-expedited orders are processed for shipment within two business days of payment verification, excluding holidays. You will receive a shipping confirmation e-mail once your order has shipped. The e-mail will provide your tracking number and link to the shipping carriers tracking page. These insulated carriers will keep your drinks cold and your perishables fresh.

One exception is REI Co-op, which offers a full refund or replacement within one year of purchase for members (90 days for non-members). Finally, it’s worth noting that many companies provide different warranties for their hard-sided versus soft-sided offerings. For example, YETI’s hard-sided Tundra series is covered with a five-year warranty compared to three for the Hopper collection. External Attachment Points

Many soft coolers, including YETI’s Hopper Flip 12 and REI Co-op’s Cool Haul 24, have daisy chain webbing along the outside for securing extra gear.

Igloo’s Outdoor Pro Snapdown Backpack has a deep, wide main compartment with insulated walls, plus various pockets and even a handy built-in bottle opener. After a few hours, most of the ice was still intact, the cans were chilled, and the bag didn’t leak at all when we flipped it over. We then sent the coolers to field testers for additional insights. We packed the coolers with igloo trailmate the stated capacity of cans (when possible); we also filled the coolers with ice once the cans were packed. Once the coolers were full, we began testing for portability and durability by carrying the coolers around the lab and up and down steps and pushing them off tables onto a concrete floor. Yeti claims the Hopper BackFlip 24 can hold 20 cans at a two to one ice ratio.

Overall, this cooler bag measures measures 13.5 inches long, 12.75 inches wide, and 13.5 inches tall. This portable insulated cooler features advanced insulation that keeps drinks and food cold for a full day at the beach or lake. No need to worry about bringing this waterproof cooler close to the surf or onto your boat.