According to our research and experiments, ideally, a cooler, by volume, should have twice as much ice or ice packs inside of it as it does food. However, this Orca soft cooler is a direct and more affordable alternative to our best upgrade pick. During our cold retention tests, the Yeti Hopper Flip 18 maintained an internal temperature of below 40°F for over 46 hours. And, with the variety of storage compartments, you’ll be able to carry everything you need. When you’re ready to store the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze, the interior is treated with Microban, so it will resist mildew and odor-causing bacteria. For retail purchases returned without a receipt, the refund will be issued as a store merchandise
credit at the lowest price within the last 90 days.
Even with a friend to help, this fully-loaded bag isn’t the ideal cooler to cart a mile down the beach. Most soft coolers work best when cooled by ice packs or ice cubes. However, dry ice reaches lower temperatures than regular ice and can be used in most soft coolers.
Waterproof Soft Coolers
Many of the coolers above utilize highly water-resistant zippers or openings, but very few have fully waterproof constructions. One exception is the ICEMULE Classic, which has a dry bag-like shape and exterior with a roll-top closure that can be fully submerged in water. This makes it particularly great for activities like kayaking or paddle boarding when it might be exposed to a lot of water. It also floats, which provides added assurance should conditions get rougher than expected.
This simple lunch-box-style cooler is insulated with thick closed-cell foam and made from a durable coated nylon. The grip handle comes with an ergonomic and rubberized design to ensure the user’s hands don’t feel pressure or annoyance. The shoulder strap is adjustable in case you’re bringing plates of food or other items to a party, and the front slip pocket has space for extra food. Color options for this cooler include slate blue and tan, sandstone and red, and tank green and black, which should blend in depending on what environment you’re exploring.
It’s the perfect companion and size for a group of three or four to have a few cans each throughout the day. The IceMule Pro is relatively durable and resistant to our abuse, though the straps’ attachment points seemed perhaps not quite as reliable or as robust as we’d like them to be. Not surprisingly, some of the coolers that performed the lowest in this category also have the igloo trailmate weakest material. However, these coolers (the Coleman 16-Can and Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze) are also some of the least expensive we tested, so you might not be so upset about replacing them when they bite the dust. The models that scored lower in our durability tests use light to mid-weight nylon or canvas with middle-of-the-road zippers and regular seam construction.
That shift has spilled over into the soft cooler category and has pushed quality soft coolers’ performance (and price). It took some time for us to figure out the best way to use the inflatable sides to maximize both capacity and insulation, but once we got that down, we enjoyed the extra padding provided by the air-filled walls. However, we can’t quite get the top rolled tight enough to be waterproof, though it only leaks little drips when completely inverted. When fully loaded with a whopping 39 cans, we wish we had a waist belt to take some of the weight off our shoulders. But for lighter loads, wearing the IceMule is like carrying a grade school backpack. Of course, large capacity always comes with a trade-off in how far you’re willing to carry it.
Refunds are issued to the original form of payment, unless returned in store where some exclusions may apply. This roto-molded cooler costs far less than the Yeti Tundra igloo water cooler 65 but performs just as well in nearly every way. It’s almost indestructible, it has two drainage ports and replaceable parts, and it kept our ice frozen for 10 days.