The shape and weight feel easy to move around, and the handles are comfortable. We appreciate all of the pockets to help us keep igloo soft cooler odds and ends organized. There are two zippered pockets, including one that fits a phone, and two huge, broad mesh pockets.
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.
Based on its size, we wouldn’t want to carry the TravelR for long distances. However, its overall durability and insulation performance make it an option that can be relied igloo trailmate on for years. 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.
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 igloo soft cooler 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.
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. We miss the top handle, but the two side grab handles are robust and ergonomic. The wide opening is great for quick, easy access, and the leakproof seal prevented melted ice from dripping out (and also prevented rain from seeping in during storms). The cooler didn’t take up too much space in the backseat, either.
Next, we packed them with drinks, food, and ice and brought them along to multiple outings to see how they performed in real-life settings. 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. These designs are sufficiently sized for day trips or weekend road trips, manageable in terms of weight and portability, and won’t take up a ton of space in your vehicle or garage. The benefits of a soft cooler are flexibility, lighter weight, and portability compared to hard coolers. Still, as you add insulation thickness and rigidity to improve performance, those benefits start to diminish.
After packing it in a checked suitcase, swimming with it in the ocean (it floats, by the way), and throwing it on rocks, the quality wasn’t compromised whatsoever. What’s more, the impenetrable design passed our leakproof test with flying colors. But it’s backed by a three-year warranty and will likely last much longer. Before investing in a soft cooler, it can be helpful and prudent to consider how long it’s covered under warranty.
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. Durability varies considerably between soft coolers, and a good way to differentiate between models is to look at denier (D), which is a measurement of fabric thickness. RovR’s TravelR 30 is another standout in terms of durability with a burly TPU base and welded seams that give it a very hardwearing feel.
We took it to the beach on a sunny day that hit the upper 80s, and all the ice was still intact when the sun went down. Though it’s relatively compact, the interior is surprisingly spacious. There’s just one big main compartment, but it has the brand’s HitchPoint Grid, allowing you to attach other things to the outside. The quality of materials influences the waterproofness, durability, insulation value, and whether or not the face fabric produces condensation. The materials also determine the comfort, breathability, support, and overall cost.
The only thing to note is that the water-sealed zipper sometimes gets finicky, but we figured out how to reposition it and got it to continue working. The opening style and closure system of a soft-sided cooler may not seem all that important, but we can tell you firsthand that it will have a sizable impact on both convenience and overall performance. Engel’s HD30, for instance, has a fairly narrow opening that’s stiff and requires considerable effort to keep open while loading and unloading food and drinks (the welded zipper doesn’t help). From YETI and Kanga to Igloo and Orca, Ace carries a selection of soft-sided coolers from leading brands. Soft side coolers come in multiple sizes and are usually measured by how many cans they can hold for convenient visualization.