However, when you open the main zip, you’ll find one large insulated compartment for all the best goodies. The cooler is large enough to hold a wine bottle inside or outside in the mesh pockets. With comfortable straps and plenty of storage, there’s not much you can’t do with this bag. Take all your favorite goodies to the lake, pack up for a barbeque, or carry a lunch to the zoo.
The brand recently launched the 28L TravelR 30 ($250), a tall-standing and oval-shaped soft cooler with generous space. 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.
We tried the 16-can size (which means it can fit up to 16 cans without ice) and were able to fit 13 cans plus enough ice to keep them chilled. Though wine bottles are likely too tall, you could also fill it with a picnic lunch, sandwiches, or snacks igloo water cooler and juice pouches for a kids’ sports game. There are spacious side pockets where you can stash your keys, phone, sunscreen, or a book as well, plus an external securing bungee. The best option we tested was undoubtedly the RTIC Soft Pack Cooler.
But as long as you don’t drop it off the south rim of the Grand Canyon, you’re likely to have this cooler for a very, very long time. We had no problem filling the cooler with 20 cans and plenty of ice. And not surprisingly, it had some of the best ice retention and coldest temperatures at the end of our 24-hour test. The Hopper Flip’s inside temperature only raised by about 6 degrees over 24 hours, thanks to Yeti’s closed-cell insulation, for which it’s become infamous. We love that this cooler has handles and backpack straps, making it ideal for different carrying methods.
Meanwhile, the Maelstrom and the Trail Split have a traditional backpack style that’s easy to get in and out of. The RTIC Backpack has a large internal capacity, igloo water cooler and as a result, makes the rest of the bag rather large. The footprint of the pack can feel rather bulky, especially if you’re packing only a few snacks.
Travel + Leisure contributor Theresa Holland is a commerce writer specializing in lifestyle, recreation, outdoor equipment, and luggage. For this story, she compiled insights from our long-term soft cooler tests, combed through product specs, and researched various types and styles of coolers. It has a large, slightly flared main compartment with lots of room for produce, prepared food, drinks, ice cream, milk, wine bottles, you name it.
Our huge lineup of bags comes in all shapes and sizes with multiple ways to carry, so take a dive into all our options to figure out which one/s will make your life so much cooler. We have long admired RovR for the intention that goes into its products, and this recent release is no different. The TravlR is designed so that you can drop the brand’s cleverly segmented KeepR cooler basket right in, upping the cold retention, transportability and ruggedness of an already handy product. While both of these types of coolers are designed, in concept, to do the same thing — i.e. keep their contents cold for an extended period — there are some pretty important differences between them.
Available in a range of sizes, these flexible, lightweight, easy-to-pack carriers can be filled with drinks, snacks, or even a full meal to enjoy on your outing. And unlike their hard-sided counterparts, they can often be slung over your shoulder or carried like a backpack. Some 24 hours after we put ice into the Titan, the inside temperature only raised 5 degrees—better than both Yeti coolers we tested. There’s no zipper on the lid—just a Velcro-like closure—so be sure the cooler stays upright in transportation. And while it claims to hold 30 cans with ice, we found it much easier to fit 20 cans with adequate ice.
We ran these temperature tests until there was no ice inside the cooler. We’d describe the Rtic Soft Pack Cooler as a great middle ground. Overall, we think this Arctic Zone cooler is a generalist crowd pleaser. You can easily roll it from the parking lot to the beach, or detach it and sling it over your shoulder. 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.
Whether it’s beer for game night or desserts for a follow up to pizza, the night will end with delicious meals. Soft coolers also come in handy for sporting events, whether the igloo trailmate user is a participant or a fan. In this case, Igloo’s Sportsman Waterproof Cooler Bag has the tough design and storage space needed to keep everything inside safe and cool.