Smaller soft cooler bags come in backpack-style designs suitable for rigorous activities like hiking, jogging or lengthy outdoor outings. 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. We’ve tested several of this style, and the IceMule Pro is hands down our favorite for sheer carrying comfort. It has soft, wide shoulder straps, a longer torso for more even weight distribution, and a flexible shape that accommodates whatever you’ve filled it with. The walls of the cooler can also be inflated or deflated with a simple valve, adding both insulation and comfort against your back.
We also appreciated the comfortable cushion and traction of the shoulder strap on the YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler. In our testing, we found the side handles of the fishpond Blizzard Soft Cooler and OtterBox Trooper 20 Cooler were stalwart and comfortable to grab. We liked the wide, soft material of the two swing-up straps on the Snow Peak Soft Cooler. Boxier coolers can be easier to stack — as long as the walls and base are rigid — while sleeker coolers can more likely slip behind a seat in your car. Shorter, more compact coolers are easier to fit in tight spaces on a boat. Soft coolers that are wider or more bucket-style are easier to access, as far as finding a specific item.
Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing out there away from home, you’re going to need some grub and beverage and this is the cooler to have. It provides much-needed insulation in a convenient format, one you can tote along with you and sometimes even collapse to save space. For those who like to eat and drink outside, whether it’s an impromptu trip to the beach or a day on the trail, these coolers are for you. The AO and REI Pack Away are as easy to use as a simple duffel bag. The AO 24 features clips on the ends of the top zipper and a single long external pocket with plenty of space to bring along dry items and your favorite binoculars. The REI Co-op Cool Trail Pack outlasted it when it comes to refreshing beverage temps, holding below 50° F for 59 hours.
Most soft coolers are simple with a central insulated compartment for food and beverages. A handful have an interior zippered compartment inside the lid. According to our ice retention test, the REI Co-op Haul is capable of holding ice for up to 60 hours. To put the size in perspective, this cooler could fit one dozen 12-ounce cans.
That well-founded retention is thanks to the brand’s blend of proprietary insulation, interior radiant barrier, and thick base made of three layers of SuperFoam. We also found the water- and stain-resistant exterior very durable. Some of these designs are actually very rigid, stout, and stackable.
From multi-day backpacking and hunting trips to simple road trips to weeks on Lake Powell in 100+ degree temperatures, he’s dependent on quality coolers in the field. He currently likes the Hydro Flask Day Escape 20L for quick road-tripping and the Yeti BackFlip for more serious cooling on the go. 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.
However, the RovR KeepR focuses on mixology with an open-top bar cart soft cooler designed to mix drinks away from home, whether at camp on the beach or on a boat. Unlike most soft coolers, the KeepR is more of a cocktail caddy built around the IceR double-wall
stainless steel ice bucket. Adjustable pockets not meant for cold-retention encircle the IceR. However, we recommend buying the sold-separately ChillR ice pack inserts, which slide into the compartments to keep bottles cold for shorter periods.
Others are fully collapsible and pliable, and we celebrate the space-saving option for storage. We’ll always have a spot in our gear closet for a hard cooler, but soft coolers have proven to be just as essential. They weigh less and are easy for one person to grab and quickly transport from
the deck to the truck bed. Yeti claims the Hopper BackFlip 24 can hold 20 cans at a two to one ice ratio. The RTIC Soft Pack Cooler has a similar feel and look to a Yeti cooler but comes at a more accessible cost. A lot goes into making a cooler, and we’re committed every step of the way.