The material dried surprisingly fast after it got wet while paddling. This design is too small for an all-day adventure, igloo trailmate but for a lunchbox or outing, it’s great. And the wide shape allows easy access to the grub inside the cooler.
Still, we didn’t find a much better option for your picnic outings. 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. It’s a good choice if you need extra cold temperatures to keep ice cream or meat not just chilled but frozen. 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. We’ve tested several of these styles, and the RTIC Backpack 30 is hands down our favorite for sheer carrying comfort.
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. According to our ice retention test, this cooler is capable of holding ice for up to 78 hours, which is what the brand claims — and is also the strongest ice retention among the coolers on our list. 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.
Justin Park is a Breckenridge, Colorado-based writer and videographer covering action sports, health & fitness, and the outdoors. From multi-day backpacking and hunting trips to simple road trips to weeks on Lake Powell in 100+ degree temperatures, he’s dependent on quality coolers in the field. He currently likes the Hydro Flask Day Escape 20L for quick road-tripping and the Yeti BackFlip for more serious cooling on the go. High-performance coolers from brands such as Yeti have raised the bar for what consumers expect from coolers—and what they expect to pay. Yes, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting the best, but being realistic about using your soft cooler can help you choose one that works for your intended uses. Coolers have come a long way since glorified bags that offer a few hours of chilling, but that now-quaint level of performance may be all you need.
For coolers on the larger side (like the RoVR 30 versus the Fishpond Blizzard Soft Cooler) it’s key to have padding on the hand or shoulder straps for comfort while carrying a fully-loaded cooler. Soft coolers are ideal for shorter trips or when you don’t want to lug a heavy hard-sided cooler. Often much lighter, soft-sided coolers still promise to keep food and drinks cool for days, if needed.
Each soft cooler was rated for size, insulation, design, and value, and those with the highest overall scores are featured here. This carrier has a 30-can capacity, though when we filled it with 30 cans and ice, it was extremely heavy and a struggle to carry. If you’re using it for drinks only, we suggest 20 cans, maximum, especially if you’re walking more than a couple of blocks. You can also remove the straps to convert it into a tote-style cooler and carry it with the grab handles.
A super malleable product like the Snow Peak Soft Cooler might not be the best for carrying dozens of heavy cans compared to a more rigid design like the RovR TravelR 30. 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 igloo soft cooler test, this cooler can retain ice for 40 hours. Some of these designs are actually very rigid, stout, and stackable. Others are fully collapsible and pliable, and we celebrate the space-saving option for storage. We didn’t throw this backpack cooler off the side of a mountain (yet), but we probably could, and it’d be fine.