Then we packed it again with drinks only, fitting 12 cans plus ice. After several hours at the beach on an 80-degree day, only about a third of the ice had melted, and everything inside was still perfectly cold. Not only that, but it proved to be leakproof, showing no signs of drips when we flipped it upside down with melted ice inside. 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. In use, we’ve found this area useful for keeping valuables like keys close at hand (we use a carabiner to attach them).
Boxier coolers can be easier to stack — as long as the walls and base are rigid — while sleeker coolers can more likely slip behind a seat in your car. Shorter, more compact coolers are easier to fit in tight spaces on a boat. We also tested the Orca Walker Tote ($225), which is equally well-made but in a slightly different style.
This isn’t the model we recommend for hardcore use, but if you simply need a small cooler for occasional use and want to spend the least, this model offers a lot of value. Another small model that is great for special occasions is the caddy-style RovR KeepR cooler, which is great for parties and picnics. Hard-sided ice boxes are typically designed to be carried short distances, lifted by two people, or potentially wheeled around.
For day-long roams, weekend adventures, road trips, or running errands, these soft coolers kept our provisions chilled without weighing us down. For more information about soft coolers, check out igloo soft cooler our buyer’s guide, comparison chart, and FAQ at the end of this article. We’ll always have a spot in our gear closet for a hard cooler, but soft coolers have proven to be just as essential.
Carefully designed with premium details and longer ice retention for extended adventures, our high-quality cooler bags are still more affordable than others out there with similar performance. We offer top quality soft coolers with premium anti-microbial insulation from your favorite brands because your drinking and snacking experience is our priority. When you create your custom soft cooler, we not only want your design to shine but your last soda and snack to be as satisfying as the first.
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 leakproof it is and the two handles on each side of the cooler’s body. However, they were not impressed with the lack 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). Coleman is probably one of the—if not the most—popular budget outdoor gear brands.
When testing soft coolers, we focused on performance, capacity, and how comfortable each is to carry. If you want a soft cooler for under $25, check out the Ozark Trail Soft Sided Cooler. When it comes to cold storage, the Ozark Trail did decently, keeping its interior cool for 38 hours. However, the quality of its webbing feels on the thin side and the straps are less comfortable than others on this list. 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. In terms of keeping things cold, this Coleman soft cooler fell to the back of the pack of the soft coolers we tested.
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. While we like the large size, igloo trailmate the bulky design can be somewhat awkward to carry in that you might accidentally knock into someone if you bring it inside a store. It’s not necessarily difficult or uncomfortable, though, thanks to the cushioned shoulder strap.