We periodically checked, making notes regarding melt rate, condensation, and leaks. Each reported time is based on when 100% of the ice is converted to water. We also tested the Orca Walker Tote ($197), which is equally well-made but in a slightly different style. There are two buckles that snap across the magnetic closure, and we wish those were more adjustable and easier to operate. If the cooler is really packed to the brim, we can’t close them. We took this cooler on a two-person, 3,400-mile road trip from Colorado to Washington for ski mountaineering followed by ocean surfing.
Lastly, this model lacks the high-end look of the more premium models in our test, but that might not matter to you. All in all, this cooler performs well above its price tag, offering a strong value. In our side-by-side ice retention test, the soft cooler that retained ice the longest was the YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler at a whopping 98 hours. The next chilliest soft coolers were the OtterBox Trooper 20 Cooler, which reached 78 hours. Plenty of soft coolers are fairly comfortable to use and reliable (as long as it’s not too sunny or scorching hot out) in the less-than-$100 category. Those choice designs include a range of designs such as the Mountainsmith Takeout ($25),REI Co-op Pack-Away Soft Cooler ($50), and Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Bucket Tote ($45).
I also like how spacious each one of them is, with a large main compartment where you can keep everything. Your lunch and beer will easily fit, as even the smallest of these bags have a capacity of oz beer cans. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times.
The exterior high-density fabric shell feels tough and is resistant to punctures as well as mildew. It also doesn’t sweat, which sets it apart from other soft coolers. According to our ice retention test, this cooler is capable of holding ice for up to 78 hours, which is what the brand claims. To put the size in perspective, this cooler could fit ounce cans. While the Trooper 20 ($250) is a bit expensive, it stands out as the best soft cooler on the market, and should last for many seasons of use. But what impressed us most was the cold retention of the Titan.
The Tundra Haul is easy to open thanks to the rubber latches versus traditional plastic ones or buckles. The handle is oversized, and it can be operated with one hand or two; when it’s not extended and ready for use, it folds flat against the cooler. With soft-sided coolers, you’re likely not tailgating, but you do want more than just enough room for a beer and sandwich. They inhabit that middle ground between weekend warrior camping coolers and lunch bags. And because you don’t want to be caught with an absolute eye sore, we gauged presentation as well.
We most appreciated the light design and malleable fabric. The cooler did well on a weekend road trip to climb in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains and camp out, but wouldn’t be able to retain ice for longer durations. Our ice retention test corroborated that experience, showing the cooler is capable of holding ice for nearly 2.5 days.
The Tourit igloo soft cooler cooler has the same premium materials and sleek design as the Igloo Reactor series and even comes at a very similar price level. With the Igloo Reactor, I really can just zip my soft cooler up and get going. In fact, if you don’t like zips at all, you can just opt for the cinch top and call it a day! It has a T-bar zipper pull, which gives a superior grip and a lot more leverage when zipping your cooler open or closed. Each one has a large main compartment where you can put your food and drinks, with a waterproof liner to make sure none of the wet stuff makes it to the outside. The insulation is also pretty solid, and the airtight zipper on top ensures no heat escapes.
Even the heaviest soft cooler in our guide is lighter than a hard cooler. For comparison, the YETI Tundra 45 Cooler weighs 23 pounds, and the RovR Products RollR 45 weighs more than 37 pounds. We also performed a controlled in-house ice retention test to verify brand claims. For the experiment, we filled each pre-cooled cooler approximately 70% with fresh, frozen cubed ice and set them in a shaded, dry indoor space at a steady average of 65 degrees. The Igloo Pursuit Tote ($120) preserved our bubbly water, hummus, pepperoni, peppers, and arugula while car camping and crewing the Hardrock 100.
A lot of igloo water cooler-sided coolers ruin it when they leak out the melting ice and get everything soggy. With this cooler, you shouldn’t be able to tell just how wet the inside is by looking at the outside. Today we’re excited to the whole Igloo’s latest cooler series – the Reactor. Is the best option, but for most scenarios we still recommend a hard or soft cooler. Many companies have spent an astronomical amount of money and time to convince people that they need to spend ridiculous sums just to keep a drink cold.
The shelf is easy to knock loose and fall into the main chamber, and the bottle opener is not the best. This isn’t the model we recommend for hardcore use, but if you simply need a small cooler for occasional use and want to spend the least, this model offers a lot of value. Many soft coolers do not have tiedown points, which would be a good feature for river or motorcycle trips.