Importantly, not all coolers measure interior capacity in the same way. Some use cans as a unit of measure, while others use liters, quarts, or gallons. That said, “cans” is the most commonly used measurement for soft coolers (hard-sided models are generally listed in quarts), and we’ve utilized that spec throughout this article whenever available.
The thick extruded closed cell foam in the Marine Ultra will keep whatever sodas, water bottles, beer, or snacks you keep inside cold for the entire day. This also makes the cooler reliable for days at the office when you want to have your lunch outside when the sun is out. Whatever cooler brand you trust should be able to provide items that can satisfy you in any situation. We’ve tested Polar Bear coolers for seven years now, buying them or receiving test units from Polar Bear. Recently, however, we’ve been let down by the lifespan of its soft coolers (though not this backpack in particular). But with care, you can extend the lifespan of any soft cooler—the number one rule seems to be not to leave it out in the sun.
Unlike most of the other models, the Coleman Xtreme has a channeled drain, which made draining much easier and required very little tilting on our part. While they’re not standardized measures, we have found that most cooler companies’ estimates of their cooling power are reasonably helpful for rough comparison. A soft cooler that claims 24-hour ice retention is usually lighter duty than one that claims three days or more. You should never consider these numbers as performance guarantees, but as a crude spec to gauge where a cooler stands within the category, I find the estimates useful. High-performance hard coolers from brands such as Yeti have raised the bar for what consumers expect (and what they expect to pay) from coolers. That shift has spilled over into the soft cooler category and has pushed quality soft coolers’ performance (and price).
To test the best soft coolers, we filled each one with ice to see how long it took for the ice to melt. Additionally, give priority to coolers with closed-cell foam insulation over ones that employ other cooling methods. Designed to be taken while fishing, kayaking, or backpacking, everything about this Pelican soft cooler revolves around being lightweight.
This ice chest is designed to be easy to carry over your shoulders or under your arm. It has taken us a few years to recommend a wheeled cooler simply because none have seemed built to last longer than a season or two—especially in the handle. Once loaded with ice, drinks, and food, a 37-pound cooler can more igloo trailmate than double in weight. When someone then tilts the cooler up, all that weight goes into the wheelbase or leans into the handle hinge. The RTIC 65 has rope handles with a plastic tube for gripping and two rubber latches for holding the lid closed, mimicking the design of most other, comparable coolers.
Finally, we love the smooth-operating zipper that requires minimal force to open (not always the case with watertight designs), provides a reliable seal, and is easy to realign if it separates. All told, the Day Escape’s sleek but well-rounded design was quick to win us over, earning it our endorsement as the best backpack cooler of the year. As we’ve covered above, soft coolers are far easier to haul around than their hard-sided counterparts. In addition to weighing less, most come with padded straps and thick grab handles for carrying solo over your shoulder or by hand. Premium models tend to have great cushioning along the straps, as evidenced by RovR’s TravelR 30, RTIC’s Soft Pack Cooler, and Engel’s HD30.
For web orders returned in store, please take the item in original packaging, along with invoice to any
Camping World retail locations for a refund or exchange. Refunds
are issued to the original form of payment; some exclusions may apply. The RTIC 65 weighs 36.5 pounds and measures 32 by 17 by 18 inches on the outside.
We’re the testing team at Reviewed, which means we designed and implemented the experiments involved in this article. Carrying it around was comfortable, thanks to the padded straps and chest and hip straps, and the weight was evenly distributed. Greg’s a co-founder of bestcooler.reviews and author of 100+ product reviews and comparisons on this website. When not at work, Greg’s an avid sportsman who enjoys running marathons, loves snowboarding, hiking and discovering new single tracks on his bike. Prices at both websites range from $10 to $200, depending on what type and size you choose. For retail purchases returned with a receipt, please return the unused and unopened item, with the
original sales receipt, for a full refund or exchange.
External Attachment Points
Many soft coolers, including YETI’s Hopper Flip 12 and REI Co-op’s Cool Haul 24, have daisy chain webbing along the outside for securing extra gear. In use, we’ve found this area useful for keeping valuables like keys close at hand (we use a carabiner to attach them). And we particularly like the stretchy bungee system on the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze, which makes it easy to secure a lightweight jacket or small towel on top.