While it’s easy to get caught up in wanting the best, being realistic about using your soft cooler can help you choose one that works for your intended uses. Coolers have come a long way since glorified bags that offer a few hours of chilling, but that now-quaint level of performance may be all you need. And we have a huge selection of cooler bags for the beach, perfect for keeping you and your crew refreshed all day long. To test this batch of 15 coolers, we filled each with a comparable ice-to-can ratio of one-third cans to two-thirds ice.
With better igloo trailmate, a cooler can maintain lower temperatures for longer, thus consuming less ice. The Original is made with an exterior of 840-denier UV-resistant nylon wrapped around open-cell foam. Technically less insulating than closed-cell foam, open-cell foam performs fairly well for most applications as long as the cooler isn’t left in the open sun.
We periodically checked, making notes regarding melt rate, condensation, and leaks. Each reported igloo trailmate 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.
The Original can do exactly what you need it to do, which is to keep things cold for the day while you focus on the fun at hand. This simple lunch-box-style cooler is insulated with thick closed-cell foam and made from a durable coated nylon. The RTIC 65 has rope handles with a plastic tube for gripping and two rubber latches for holding the lid closed, mimicking the design of most other, comparable coolers. The most durable coolers we tested are the Engel HD30, Yeti M30, and Yeti Flip 12. All of these coolers feature incredibly tough, wear-resistant outer fabric, durable components, sturdy zippers, reinforced stitching, and a design made to be used and abused. Even after several years of regular use, all three of these models work just as well as when they were new and still look nearly as nice.
Icemule uses proprietary fabrics, welded seams, and extra-padded straps to make this one heavy-duty yet comfortable backpack. Our testers loved this pack’s comfort compared to other large backpack coolers, thanks mainly to the extra padding and chest and waist straps. Dry bags are a staple of river trips, as are heavy, bulky hard-sided coolers. The Icemule Pro essentially combines the two into an insulated, durable dry bag perfect for a day on the water. Like a good dry bag, the Icemule Pro has a roll-top closure that it claims will not let water in or out and allows you to trap air inside for extra insulation.
Lastly, this model lacks the high-end look of the more premium models in our test, but that might not matter to you. All in all, this cooler performs well above its price tag, offering a strong value. In our side-by-side ice retention test, the soft cooler that retained ice the longest was the YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler at a whopping 98 hours. The next chilliest soft coolers were the OtterBox Trooper 20 Cooler, which reached 78 hours. Plenty of soft coolers are fairly comfortable to use and reliable (as long as it’s not too sunny or scorching hot out) in the less-than-$100 category. Those choice designs include a range of designs such as the Mountainsmith Takeout ($25),REI Co-op Pack-Away Soft Cooler ($50), and Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Bucket Tote ($45).
Clearance and Outlet igloo water cooler 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.
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.
A lot of soft-sided coolers ruin it when they leak out the melting ice and get everything soggy. With this cooler, you shouldn’t be able to tell just how wet the inside is by looking at the outside. Today we’re excited to the whole Igloo’s latest cooler series – the Reactor. Is the best option, but for most scenarios we still recommend a hard or soft cooler. Many companies have spent an astronomical amount of money and time to convince people that they need to spend ridiculous sums just to keep a drink cold.