One exception is the Icemule Classic, which has a dry bag-like shape and exterior with a roll-top closure that can be fully submerged in water. This makes it particularly great for igloo soft cooler activities like kayaking or paddle boarding when it might be exposed to a lot of water. It also floats, which provides added assurance should conditions get rougher than expected.
The exterior is buttery smooth, easy to wipe down, and is just as durable as all the other touchpoints from top to bottom. Overall, despite being large, this Yeti tote is simply comfortable to carry. One of our favorite details of this tote is the lengthy shoulder strap, which is removable but has a lean yet cushy, grippy, and soft pad right where you need it most. There are two additional hand straps as an alternative loop to grab, which can slide over your shoulder, too for a close-to-torso carry. Those straps are convenient but barebones and not as comfortable as the longer body strap.
Other Features
A few other notable features to be on the lookout for include integrated bottle openers and vacuum ports for adding or releasing air. Icemule’s Classic has a similar valve system, although in this case, the process involves adding air to boost cooling capabilities and buoyancy and removing it to compress the cooler down for storage. Two final features worth calling out are the Arctic Zone Titan’s shelf for separating hard and soft items and the REI Cool Haul 24’s removable inner liner that allows you to use the shell separately as a tote.
The cooler’s exterior is made with stout ripstop nylon that easily wipes down. 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. The cooler’s shape and size were easy to fit in a messy work truck. The Mountainsmith Takeout ($30) accompanied us on a standup paddleboard session down Colorado’s Slate River, a mellow run sans whitewater.
We still think it’d put up impressive numbers during a day at the beach since it has a secondary opening on the top secured by Velcro for quick access. 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 second Hydro Flask design to make our list this season is the 20 L Carry Out Soft Cooler, which splits the difference between their 20 L Insulated Tote ($65) and backpack-style Day Escape above. For just $90, the Carry Out is the largest option of the bunch with a 38-can capacity (without ice), and the wraparound zipper makes access and cleaning quick and easy. And like the premium Day Escape, the Carry Out boasts a thick (600D) exterior that’s highly durable and water-resistant, along with welded seams to keep spills and splashes at bay. Tack on a handy stash pocket at the front and webbing loops to attach Hydro Flask’s Dry Storage accessories, and the Carry Out stands out as an excellent value for what you get.
But their soft-sided offerings are nothing to scoff at and retain much of what’s made the brand so popular over the years, including excellent attention to detail, good ice retention, and decidedly sleek looks. Their top-end M30 is case in point, combining thick, closed-cell foam insulation with a burly and hardwearing shell that’s confidence-inspiring and highly resistant to snags and tears. In testing the Hopper M30, we were also struck by the robust feel of the opening, which uses strong magnets to igloo water cooler close shut with quick-release buckles to prevent it from leaking during travel. A final highlight is the accessory-ready exterior, which allows you to easily connect add-ons like their Rambler Bottle Sling or SideKick Dry Gear Case (sold separately). Igloo hard lined coolers are built to give you the light weight construction of a bag and the rigidness of a hard cooler. With excellent cold insulation and maximum portability, these coolers are a great choice for your day-to-day food and drink needs.
The designs borrow heavily from hiking daypacks, sharing features like shoulder straps, padded backpanels, and exterior pockets for added gear storage. Additionally, backpack coolers are fairly expensive considering their modest storage capacity and all-around performance (the Day Escape is pretty average in this category at $200). But if the approach to your favorite picnic spot or fishing hole involves walking more than a half mile or so, it may be worth the investment. For more on the topic, check out our article on the best backpack coolers. Before diving into the finer details, it’s important to point out that soft coolers come with some inherent compromises. Unlike hard-sided models that can keep food and beverages cold for days (or even weeks) on end, soft models aren’t built to keep contents cold for more than a few days at maximum.
The Icemule Impulse is a cool triple-bargain and well-executed design. Despite being left in the car for a full day following the river outing, the cooler still had ice and felt cold. That well-founded retention is thanks to the brand’s blend of proprietary insulation, interior radiant barrier, and thick base made of three layers of SuperFoam. We also found the water- and stain-resistant exterior very durable. The Yeti Hopper Flip 12 can fit 24 cans only or solely 16 pounds, to give you an idea of the capacity.
Our food stayed nice and cool for the first couple days before the ice started to melt faster and the air inside the cooler warmed. Considering it was sitting in the sun for most of the day, this RTIC pack was reliable and effective at its job thanks to the thick walls composed of closed-cell foam. We igloo water cooler were surprised to see the cooler’s exterior sweat quite a bit during the ice retention test. The ice melted at a faster rate compared to other coolers, lasting for about 60 hours, but well above the brand’s 36-hour stamp. The 18-liter Hydro Flask Day Escape Tote could fit two dozen 12-ounce cans.