We also wish the shoulder strap was longer for cross-body wear. 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. Of course, large capacity always comes with a trade-off in how far you’re willing to carry it.
The cooler’s shape and size were easy to fit in a messy work truck. The exterior is made of a 600-denier polyester shell that’s waterproof. The zipper is completely watertight with welded seams, so leaking isn’t on the menu. We noticed the zipper is hard to pull one-handed, and we typically need to counter-pull the side handles to open or close it.
Insulation obsessives may want to fill those cup holders with Styrofoam, but considering how well this cooler performed in our tests, doing so doesn’t seem to be all that critical. Unlike most of the other models, the Coleman Xtreme has a channeled drain, which made draining much easier and required very little tilting on our part. The prices of soft coolers in our guide range from the $30 Mountainsmith Takeout, which is the smallest cooler, to the $350 YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler with top-shelf ice retention. According to our ice retention test, this cooler is capable of holding ice for up to 78 hours, which is what the brand claims. To put the size in perspective, this cooler could fit ounce cans.
It can retain ice for approximately eight hours and has the look of a nice bag you’d bring to the market. This is essentially a high-performance backpack, great for packing in lunch or dinner on a more involved route that might require you to be hands-free. There’s a wide-roll opening for amazing access, a dry compartment, and an insulated area large enough for a six-pack and ice. Hit the hills with a full meal (and liquid pairings) on your back. Here’s one of the more portable options, built extremely tough and ready for all kinds of mishandling while on the trail or in the boat. The mildew resistant outer layer is a nice touch if you’re like us and sometimes forget to fully clean the thing after each and every use.
According to the ice retention test, the Takeout can retain ice for 21 hours. To put the size in perspective, this cute cooler could fit six 12-ounce cans. Despite being left in the car for a full day following the river outing, the cooler still had ice and felt cold.
Recently, however, we’ve been let down by the lifespan of its soft coolers (though not this backpack in particular). But with care, you can extend the lifespan of any soft cooler—the number one rule seems to be not to leave it out in the sun. In our testing, the Coleman
Xtreme kept ice frozen for a full week (170 hours), 30 hours longer than the Igloo MaxCold (140 hours). It measures 28.4 by 15.8 by 17.5 inches, its design incorporates bevels and angles all over the place, and it has a ruler and cup holders molded into its lid.
It’s hard to gauge how stiff or user-friendly a soft cooler might be from a product description since few manufacturers list the thickness of their cooler’s walls in their specifications. Many longer-lasting soft coolers weigh between 5 and 10 pounds, which gets heavier as you add heavy liquids and ice. Consider how long
you need a cooler to retain cold and how far you might be carrying it on an average outing as you balance weight and performance concerns in your purchasing decision. Previously, we tested hard coolers in the summer in Baltimore through a week that saw highs of 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 64 to 72 degrees.
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The material dried surprisingly fast after it got wet while paddling. This design is too small for an all-day adventure, but for a lunchbox or outing, it’s great. And the wide shape allows
easy access to the grub inside the cooler. The exterior is made of synthetic plastic and nylon, so it’s not resilient for a rugged whitewater trip but is suitable for basecamp.
We also give kudos to the closed-cell foam insulation of the Hopper M30. Inevitably, we had to be strategic with how we packed things, due to the tall, slim shape. Polar Bear’s Original Nylon Soft Cooler was one of the most portable and best at cold-retention among all coolers we tested. Our testers loved the short handles on top of the bag and included shoulder strap. “It feels like a large tote bag and carries like one,” is how one tester put it. Additionally, soft insulated cooler bags are generally more affordable than hard coolers and are easy to clean and store after use.