Despite not having a lid whatsoever, the RovR KeepR did exceptionally well holding its chilly temperatures. Staying cold by its center ice bucket, it lasted almost 70 hours, or about three days, below 40 degrees. Before investing in a soft cooler, it can be helpful and prudent to consider how long it’s covered under warranty.
The Booe 30L Waterproof Insulated Tote ($199) is more than just a cooler tote. This cooler doubles as a dry bag when you take the removable liner out. When the insulative liner is in the bag, there is room for extra storage in between the exterior igloo soft cooler shell and the liner for your dry goods. However, be cautious about any ice melt or liquid that could spill into the dry goods side if the cooler is tipped over. We brought this cooler car camping with us in Leadville, CO for three days.
The flip-top lid is an obvious plus, as it stays open easily while you load it on the kitchen counter and unload it at the picnic site. Three easy grab handles adorn its outside — two on opposite ends for heavy lifting and one on top for quickly grabbing it to go. It’s tough to understate how useful we find the inclusion of a top handle on soft coolers. Messenger bag models — like the Reactor, for it also has an adjustable shoulder strap with padding — very frequently end up sitting on top of their shoulder straps when set down.
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. After researching today’s best soft coolers, we selected several to try firsthand, including mini ice chests with soft-sided walls, insulated totes, foldable bags, lunch boxes, and cooler backpacks. After inspecting the coolers, we recorded our first impressions of the materials, capacity, quality, and appearance.
Some soft coolers even have a mesh pocket that may hold a water bottle nicely. 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.
We put one sensor at the bottom of the cooler, which was enclosed inside of a methylcellulose block. Designed to be taken while fishing, kayaking, or backpacking, everything about this Pelican soft cooler revolves around being lightweight. The Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze 60 proved to us that soft coolers can hang with their hard-shelled counterparts. Right off the bat, we liked the fact that the Titan Deep Freeze comes with a detachable rolling cart. The models that scored lower in our durability tests use light to mid-weight nylon or canvas with middle-of-the-road zippers and regular seam construction.
Their latest TravelR 30 takes aim at the soft-sided market but retains much of what we love about the RollR, including a sturdy build and high attention to detail. The two coolers also share key features like waterproof zippers and shoulder straps that are both nicely padded and removable. Added up, the TravelR is another premium and thoughtfully built design from the Boulder-based brand.
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. In stock expedited shipments will ship the same day, or the next business day for orders placed on a weekend, if the order is placed before 12 PM Central Time. Non-expedited orders are processed for shipment within two business days of payment verification, excluding holidays. You will receive a shipping confirmation e-mail once your order has shipped.