The is easy to open thanks to the rubber latches versus traditional plastic ones or buckles. The handle is oversized, and it can be operated with one hand or two; when it’s not extended and ready for use, it folds flat against the cooler. With soft-sided coolers, you’re likely not tailgating, but you do want more than just enough room for a beer and sandwich. They inhabit that middle ground between weekend warrior camping coolers and lunch bags. And because you don’t want to be caught with an absolute eye sore, we gauged presentation as well.
We periodically checked, making notes regarding melt rate, condensation, and leaks. Each reported time is based on when 100% of the ice is converted to water. We also tested the Orca Walker Tote ($197), which is equally well-made but in a slightly different style. There are two buckles that snap across the magnetic closure, and we wish those were more adjustable and easier to operate. If the cooler is really packed to the brim, we can’t close them. We took this cooler on a two-person, 3,400-mile road trip from Colorado to Washington for ski mountaineering followed by ocean surfing.
Our testers noticed a bit of a leak from the roll-top closure when inverting the cooler. RovR even sells small SnackR food containers that fit neatly into the IceR, which can keep food either hot or cold. Our testers liked how the ice consolidated in the center helped even out the weight and noted it was comfortable to carry by hand. Hard coolers are still the gold standard in cold-retention, but soft coolers provide distinct benefits, such as portability made possible by their lighter weights and flexibility. To find the right cooler for you, browse our tested recommendations and read our tips at the bottom of this article.
In contrast, open- foam is permeable to air and water like a sponge (which is why it frequently appears in foam pillows, as it’s squishier and it breathes). But open-cell foam’s ability to insulate greatly diminishes when it’s wet because water permeates all of the open space and acts as a conductor of heat. In open-cell foam, most bubbles (more than 50%) share walls with one another. These foams, which weigh around 0.5 pound per cubic foot, are light and easy to compress. Similar to any other true roto-molded cooler, the RTIC 65 is practically indestructible, which makes it great for tougher outdoor environments. In our testing, the RTIC 65 kept ice frozen for 10 days with some periodic draining.
If you would rather carry the cooler on your back, then you can opt for the backpack version with its comfortable adjustable straps. Backpack versions are available for both normal zippered top and cinch top Reactor coolers. The zipper itself is leak proof as well, as mentioned earlier, and fairly easy to operate. One thing we hate about many of the soft coolers we come across is that the zippers, even though they’re heavy-duty and do their job well, are pretty hard to operate. We’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.
That shift has spilled over into the soft cooler category and has pushed quality soft coolers’ performance . It has utility loops to secure towels, trash and recycle bags. One of our favorite features is the 360-degree battery-operated LED lights that illuminate the inside of the cooler to help find your items quickly, even at night. When ordering your new custom soft cooler, our usual turnaround time is 8-10 business days from checkout to shipping.
Clearance and Outlet items are sold as is and cannot be returned at any time. For retail purchases returned with a receipt, please return the unused and unopened item, with the original sales receipt, for a full refund or exchange. All returns with a gift receipt will receive a store credit for the amount of the item at the time of purchase. Alternate products may not be identical in style or function to original selection. When an item you want is out-of-stock at the store, your shopper will follow your replacement preferences. Using the Instacart app or website, select a store of your choice near you that offers pickup, select Pickup, and then select your preferred pickup location from which you’d like to place your order.
Some 24 igloo trailmate after we put ice into the Titan, the inside temperature only raised 5 degrees—better than both Yeti coolers we tested. There’s no zipper on the lid—just a Velcro-like closure—so be sure the cooler stays upright in transportation. And while it claims to hold 30 cans with ice, we found it much easier to fit 20 cans with adequate ice. Still, we didn’t find a much better option for your picnic outings. High-performance hard coolers from brands such as Yeti have raised the bar for what consumers expect from coolers.