The exterior high-density fabric shell feels tough and is resistant to punctures as well as mildew. It also doesn’t sweat, which sets it apart from other soft coolers. We didn’t throw this backpack cooler off the side of a mountain (yet), but we probably could, and it’d be fine. Icemule’s Boss Backpack Cooler is incredibly rugged and has some serious insulation. “The design reminds me of a single big backpack that people use for backpack travel,” is how one of our testers put it. Icemule uses proprietary fabrics, welded seams, and extra-padded straps to make this one heavy-duty yet comfortable backpack.
There’s added comfort with the rubberized handle and the whole thing can stand upright, like a proper cooler. It doesn’t insulate quite as well as others, but the durability compensates for that. This is a rugged option, made for the backcountry (or clumsy people, or both).
Once loaded with ice, drinks, and food, a 37-pound cooler can more than double in weight. When someone then tilts the cooler up, all that weight goes into the wheelbase or leans into the handle hinge. The Coleman Xtreme features replaceable hardware, whereas some of the company’s
cheaper models don’t. At the moment, you can buy Coleman’s replacement hinges and replacement handles for less than $10 each. 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.
No two coolers bags are the same — each one is creatively unique. But the flexible walls allowed us to flatten and fold the cooler for easy storage, saving us space in a tight apartment. We were surprised at how well
the cooler retained ice despite being out in the elements, due to the premium thermal insulation. The heavy-duty base also increased the chill factor while stabilizing the cooler during transport and beneath items.
The smallest design in our guide is the Mountainsmith Takeout, which weighs less than a pound. The heaviest soft cooler is the 7-pound YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler, which has a 30L capacity and the best ice retention. Overall, we found the Pack-Away durable, given it’s made with a tough polyester shell and abrasion-resistant nylon bottom.
We took the aesthetic fishpond Blizzard Soft Cooler ($100) out fly fishing with two anglers. The compact cooler was full of brews, sparkling water, and lunch food. We really liked the touch of the side rope handles — they’re smooth, tough, and easy to grab and hold. Our other grievance is the zipper only goes around halfway, stopping at an awkward spot that limits access and ability to clean the inside of the cooler.
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. If you’re going to spend your money on gear, you want it to last. This fact is just as true for coolers as anything else you own. Any gear’s durability comes down to a few simple factors—the quality of its materials and components, the method of construction, and the overall design.
The interior insulation also slides out of the cooler’s main body, making it even easier to load on the counter or clean in the sink after a spill. Both the Otterbox Trooper and Arctic Titan Zipperless also come with bottle openers on the outsides of the bag, though we struggled to effectively use the one on the Titan. The bottle opener on the Otterbox is actually a flat multi-tool, which we found useful occasionally but not enough to be a deal-breaker. The REI Trail Pack has several extra pockets around the outside and top of the bag, aiding in your long-distance adventure. Additionally, the entire cooler component can be removed, converting the entire thing into an uninsulated backpack when you need it.