The leak-resistant design keeps water from getting out and turning your drinks warm, and the waterproof exterior keeps excess water from getting in. The straps are adjustable so that carrying igloo trailmate the cooler is a piece of cake, and the grip handles are made of rubber to ensure that. Igloo also focuses on keeping nature lovers happy with options such as the Outdoorsman group.
Still, we didn’t find a much better option for your picnic outings. The weights of soft coolers are typically reflected by their size and capacity. The smallest design in our guide is the Mountainsmith Takeout, which weighs less than a pound. The heaviest soft cooler is the 6.5-pound OtterBox Trooper 20 Cooler, which has a 19L capacity and the best ice retention. The clear winners in this class are the backpack-style coolers, as the weight distribution across both shoulders and resting behind you will almost always beat out a unilateral carry.
Ultimately, due to the ice retention, the Pursuit Tote is a solid option for errands and small trips but be sure to cool the bag before use. According to the ice retention test, this cooler can retain ice for 40 hours. The design is super lightweight and felt comfortable to carry around. It was easy to sling over our shoulders with the removable strap. The material dried surprisingly fast after it got wet while paddling. This design is too small for an all-day adventure, but for a lunchbox or outing, it’s great.
Our ice retention test corroborated that experience, showing the cooler is capable of holding ice for nearly 2.5 days. One of our favorite products overall was the Snow Peak Soft Cooler 38 ($170). Even given its 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.
Carefully designed with premium details and longer ice retention for extended adventures, our high-quality cooler bags are still more affordable than others out there with similar performance. Finally, we filled each of the soft coolers with soda cans to compare against the claimed carrying capacity. When compared to other soft coolers in our guide, a few design choices—like placement of the side handles under the hook point for the strap making it feel very cramped—knocked a few points off. When we lugged this Yeti around, we liked the feel of the handles and shoulder straps. The hitch points on the front allows for you to secure all sorts of gear within easy reach.
The higher-end models feature heavy rubber or treated nylon, have heavy-duty zippers and components, reinforced and welded seams, and more robust designs and construction. All of these aspects affect the overall durability and lasting power. To preserve food for more than 24 hours, you will need to use a combination of ice chunks and ice chips.