Based on the information you’ve provided, we’ve recommended the igloo trailmates below. The cheaper Igloo, however, will not disappoint, and the money saved can be put to good use. Of course, if you’re a die-hard Yeti fan, nothing will make you happier than a Hopper, so that’s what we would advise you to get. Yeti always has 5 different colors available at any given time. The Igloo Reactor series also comes with a warranty of 1 year.
The mildew resistant outer layer is a nigloo trailmate touch if you’re like us and sometimes forget to fully clean the thing after each and every use. Beautiful color great size but the lining is kinda cumbersome because it is not attached to the inside of a cooler. I wish there was a piece of plastic to stabilize the bottom of the cooler.
When we picked up the cooler with the detachable shoulder strap — which is padded — the attachment point completely broke within 20 seconds — thankfully, the cooler didn’t land on our toes. So we used a different shoulder strap to carry the cooler on our 15-minute walk to our picnic spot. But even with a pad, the strap was not comfortable for the weight-to-weight ratio of this tall cooler.
This cooler is constructed with a durable, UV-resistant outer shell and thick, closed-cell foam insulation that allows you to keep ice for up to two days. The leak-resistant, antimicrobial liner is stain and odor-resistant and is 0.35mm thick for added durability. But after using and testing 15 backpack coolers over the past seven years, we’ve found that the extra attention to detail becomes increasingly important the more straps and layers a soft cooler has. Fully loaded, this Yeti backpack cooler is still remarkably easy to carry. The waterproofing both within and without protects your body from any leaks or moisture sweating through from your load of ice. The clear winners in this category are the backpack-style coolers, as this distribution of weight across both shoulders and resting behind you will almost always beat out a unilateral carry.
A lifelong user of coolers, he appreciates the innovation of soft backpack coolers. For a few years now, Nathan has loved his Yeti Hopper BackFlip and Yeti Hopper Flip, but the Icemule cooler packs mentioned in this roundup are quickly becoming his new go-to’s in certain situations. While the can measurement standard is helpful, keep in mind you’ll need to devote at least some of that volume to ice. The amount of ice you put in a cooler is totally subjective and depends on how cold you want the cooler’s contents and the conditions and temperatures in which you’ll be taking the cooler. Just make sure to read the specs carefully and assume that max can carrying capacity listed is for only cans in most cases. 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.
However, taller igloo soft coolers get trickier with access to buried items, so you have to be mindful when packing the cooler. The cooler’s multilayer insulation didn’t keep the ice very well, and the waxed canvas is stylish and soft but soaks up water and gets heavy. According to our ice retention test, this cooler is capable of holding ice for close to 45 hours. 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.