The side has a mesh water bottle pocket and storage loops for napkins, magazines and so on. It’s complete with an adjustable shoulder strap for easily transporting from one outdoor event to the next. This rugged piece is manufactured from 420D diamond weave polyester material. On the other hand, the benefits of soft coolers are that they are more compact, store well, are more lightweight and easier to carry. Although they don’t preserve ice for as long as hard coolers, there are several neat design features, like extra pockets, hitchpoints, and additional carrying methods.
It really is ideal to have options to choose from depending on what adventure you’re planning. Having a hard cooler designated for food for the trip and having a soft cooler to get your drinks separated can be a helpful way to organize and keep your igloo soft cooler things cold and fresh. Between uses, you can clean the interior of a soft cooler with a sponge, lukewarm water, and standard dish soap. You can wipe down the exterior and zipper, too — don’t miss the feet and bottom, which touch ground surfaces.
While we liked the size, capacity, and shape of the RovR TravelR 30, the hand straps are not cushioned or wide enough to comfortably carry this cooler when it’s loaded with all the eats, drinks, and ice. The 1-inch closed-cell high-density foam worked well to keep our food and beverages chilled while baking under the sun during a mid-summer music festival. We’re not surprised, given RovR makes one of the best hard-side coolers, hands down. The robust zipper closure takes some effort and time to open, but the wide T-shaped pull makes the job comfortable. We’ll always have a spot in our gear closet for a hard cooler, but soft coolers have proven to be just as essential.
Traditional hard-sided coolers lead the charge in ice retention and durability, but for those who don’t need a week’s worth of cold food and drinks, a soft-sided cooler can be a viable alternative. Compared to hard models, soft coolers are considerably lighter, easier to carry, and often save you a good deal of cash. From burly waterproof options to packable designs that collapse down for easy storage, below we break down the top soft coolers of 2023. For more background information, check out our detailed comparison table and buying advice below the picks. If you’re less concerned about portability and instead prioritize cooling capabilities and durability, we’ve also compiled a list of the best hard-sided coolers.
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. But we wish the side mesh water bottle pockets were hardy like the rest of the cooler — they felt flimsy and easily snagged. Also, we loved that the top entry opened wide and had a two-way zipper, though the wide rim made drying out the cooler a challenge. However, our ice melted fast on hot days, and with minimal room in the cooler, the food can get wet. But, the seamless liner did hold the water and showed no sign of leaks.
They’re also generally much smaller than hard-sided designs, typically offering around 30 liters of capacity at the high end. With this in mind, soft coolers have limited appeal for multi-day outings. Instead, they’re best-suited for weekend getaways or day trips to the park or beach, tailgates, afternoons on the water, or quick errands like grocery store runs. They can also be a great supplement to a larger hard-sided model, providing additional space to store extra food or beverages when camping with a larger group. When you need cold food and drinks for a trip to the campsite, lake, or beach, look to the Igloo 40-Can Soft Cooler with Wheels. This compact cooler bag sports high-end quality and high-end style that’s made for anyone to use anywhere.
The soft coolers in our guide range from the Mountainsmith Takeout, which can fit six cans, to the 38L Snow Peak Soft Cooler. Most of our choice soft coolers are either larger (30 L to 38 L) for group multiday trips or more compact (12 L to 19 L). Durability varies considerably between soft coolers, and a good way to differentiate between models is to look at denier (D), which is a measurement of fabric thickness. Rigid designs like Yeti’s Hopper M30 and Engel’s HD30 (both 840D) sit at the top of the pack. These designs have tough exteriors that feel very confidence-inspiring around sharp gear and have stood up very well to regular use throughout testing with little wear to show for it. RovR’s TravelR 30 is another standout in terms of durability with a burly TPU base and welded seams that give it a very hardwearing feel.