So, when you grab one of the two handles to carry the cooler, it leaks all over the place. Our other grievance is we wish there was an exterior pocket on this soft cooler to help carry utensils and napkins or slide in trash. The Mountainsmith Sixer ($35) was a great cooler for lunch on the go. Our tester, a Colorado-based electrician and mountain biker, packed it with a canned drink, sandwich, fruit, and chocolate.
They’re also generally much smaller than hard-sided designs, typically offering around 30 liters of capacity at the high end. With this in mind, soft coolers have limited appeal for multi-day outings. Instead, they’re best-suited for weekend getaways or day trips igloo water cooler to the park or beach, tailgates, afternoons on the water, or quick errands like grocery store runs. They can also be a great supplement to a larger hard-sided model, providing additional space to store extra food or beverages when camping with a larger group.
From YETI and Kanga to Igloo and Orca, Ace carries a selection of soft-sided coolers from leading brands. Browse the inventory of coolers & insulated bags at Ace Hardware online, and find a large variety of cooler accessories like ice packs, latches and security cables to stay ready for wherever life takes you. Different types of insulation work in their own ways to minimize heat transfer into a cooler. If you’re wondering what kind of foam your cooler has, a good rule of thumb is to try to squeeze the foam with your fingers.
For multi-day trips, however, hard-sided models offer several added benefits over soft coolers. Namely, they retain ice for much longer (two to 10 days is standard), are inherently far more durable and hardwearing, and come in larger capacities. Many hard coolers also boast helpful features like drainage systems to help you empty out water once your ice has melted and lockable lids to bear-proof your cooler when camping in bear country. YETI’s Hopper M30 above is the crème de la crème of soft coolers, but it’s overbuilt and overpriced for many. Enter their Hopper Flip 12, which retains much of what we love about the M30 in a lighter, cheaper, and more approachable package.
The Tote Cooler Bag, Gripper 16, Backpack, and Hard Top Gripper 22 can be carried over the shoulder, and Cool Fusion 36 can be pulled on wheels with multiple items. The soft cooler options on the list below come in handy no matter what you have planned, putting Igloo ahead of the competition. If the cooler’s seams are not welded and leakproof, they can leak. Soft coolers can also leak through the lid closure if the zipper isn’t waterproof or the clasp isn’t leakproof.