There’s no doubt a YETI cooler is one of the more expensive coolers on the market, but the quality speaks for itself. Then, when you arrive at the store of your choice, use the Instacart app to notify us. Depending on the store, a shopper or store employee will bring the groceries to your car, or you can pick them up at the designated area.
Because soft-side coolers and cooler bags aren’t made of rigid plastic, they’re lightweight and easy to carry virtually anywhere, often weighing not much more than what’s stored inside. We also give kudos to the closed-cell foam insulation of the Hopper M30. Inevitably, we had to be strategic with how we packed things, due to the tall, slim shape. Polar Bear’s Original Nylon Soft Cooler was one of the most portable and best at cold-retention among all coolers we tested.
And more recently we tested most of our picks again throughout the year in Hawaii. Among the many tote and messenger style options we tested, we have our favorites. Models with flexible shapes, adjustable straps, and extra padding go a long way toward making these something you don’t mind carrying. 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. Whether picnicking, hiking, fishing or camping, a soft-side cooler is a must-have for keeping snacks and cool drinks at hand.
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. Capacities in a soft cooler are often stated in sheer storage capacity listed in various volume measures such as gallons, quarts, or liters.
Before we started timing how long our drinks stayed cold, this review began with market research into which soft coolers are worth trying out. Every year the number of impressive-looking soft coolers seems to grow, and we’ve been expanding our selection of test-worthy models igloo soft cooler for six years. Our in-depth insulation testing was developed in conjunction with Steven Tata, whose background in engineering helped us to design realistic and intensive testing of these coolers. Testing consists of a quantitative ice melt test and extensive field use.
The AO loses some points since its exterior and zipper are not waterproof, though the regular zipper is much easier to use than waterproof ones, which typically require a lot more tugging. And though its hull isn’t as stiff and impenetrable as some of the others we tested, it’s still pretty strong and well-constructed. We also wish the shoulder strap was longer for cross-body wear. Lastly, this model lacks the high-end look of the more premium models in our test, but that might not matter to you.
Most YETI owners simply won’t buy anything else, and SAVE UP for longer, rather than compromise on some other cooler brand. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Ace Rewards members are eligible to receive free delivery igloo soft cooler on orders of $50 or more. The price for this product is set by the individual retailers and varies among them. Each retailer has a pricing policy that can be found on that retailer’s page. Please click on each retailer to see that retailer’s price for this product.