Hard coolers are more durable and stout and have a larger size range, given they can hold more weight without collapsing. The compact sizes are great for picnics, day trips, overnight camping, and grocery shopping. Before diving into the finer details, it’s important to point out that soft coolers come with some inherent compromises. Unlike hard-sided models that can keep food and beverages cold for days (or even weeks) on end, soft models aren’t built to keep contents cold for more than a few days at maximum.
We were surprised to see the cooler’s exterior sweat quite a bit during the ice retention test. The ice melted at a faster rate compared to other coolers, lasting for about 60 hours, but well above the brand’s 36-hour stamp. Despite being left in the car for a full day following the river outing, the cooler still had ice and felt cold. 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.
Air bubbles that do not share cell walls and in effect stay insulated from one another are better at reducing the overall transfer of heat through the foam. Closed-cell foam is also much more expensive to produce than open-cell foam. The resulting product is strong and especially rigid feeling, and typically it weighs more than 1.7 pounds per cubic foot with more than 90% of its air cells closed to one another. Closed-cell foam is also water-impermeable—so it’s an ideal material for, say, surfers’ wetsuits. Similar to any other true roto-molded cooler, the RTIC 65 is practically indestructible, which makes it great for tougher outdoor environments. In our testing, the RTIC 65 kept ice frozen for 10 days with some periodic draining.
With better insulation, a cooler can maintain lower temperatures for longer, thus consuming less ice. That’s important, especially if you, like most people, don’t have a freezer that can produce enough ice to fill a cooler and you tend to resort to buying bags of ice from the grocery store or liquor store. External Attachment Points
Many soft coolers, including YETI’s Hopper M30 igloo trailmate and REI Co-op’s Cool Haul 24, have daisy chain webbing along the outside for securing extra gear. In use, we’ve found this area useful for keeping valuables like keys close at hand (we use a carabiner to attach them). And we particularly like the stretchy bungee system on the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze, which makes it easy to secure a lightweight jacket or small towel on top.
Though this latest version costs marginally less than its predecessor, it’s still among the more expensive coolers out there. But if you want a personal igloo trailmate cooler that just won’t quit, the Flip should be on your shortlist. Need one of the best coolers for keeping ice for days on your next camping trip?
At the brand’s partner factory in the Philippines, the designers and sewers choose mixed-and-matched fabric for each pack. One of our favorite products overall was the Snow Peak Soft Cooler 38 ($170). Even given its igloo soft cooler large size, it was still very comfortable to transport, due to the soft, malleable walls. With the simple, wide handles Velcroed together, we could sling the cooler over our shoulders when it was fully loaded.
Models with flexible shapes, adjustable straps, and extra padding go a long way toward making these something you don’t mind carrying. Some of the other reasonably portable bags, like the Yeti Flip 12 scored well thanks to their well-padded shoulder straps and additional options to hand carry or partner carry them when they’re loaded down. The REI Cool Haul is also a favorite, with its soft, malleable body and long padded shoulder strap that makes it far more pleasant across your body when weighed down. The softer canvas exteriors and flexible insulated walls of the AO 24 Pack and REI Pack Away are both much more comfortable bouncing against our sides and wear like an old favorite duffel bag.
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