The Eddie Bauer Recycled Bygone Convertible Cooler Tote ($80) surprised us with its ease of use, affordability, and sustainable design features. These elements made up for the zipper not being leakproof and for the cooler not staying as cold as other options in this guide. If you have limited storage space, consider the REI Co-op Pack-Away Soft Cooler ($50).
Though the Dolphin Mini is billed as leakproof, water seeped through the zippers once the ice had melted. But if you skip the ice and just fill it with food and a drink, this won’t be an issue. It has a lightly padded shoulder strap, but backpack-style straps would make lugging it around much easier. The Deep Freeze seems like it’s built to last, so you can expect to use it for years without needing to replace it.
The Hydro Flask Insulated 20 is one of our favorites thanks to its simple tote-style design and quick internal cleaning. Additionally, it packs down flat, not taking up much space when not in use. The REI Trail Pack is one of our favorites for fully loaded distance missions, offering all the comfort of a backpacking backpack with igloo trailmate cooler its perfectly padded weight-bearing waistbelt. We also looked at the features each came with and evaluated their actual usability. We discovered that just because a bottle opener is clipped onto the end doesn’t mean it will reliably open bottles. Finally, we wiped down the interior to see how easy it was to clean each cooler.
Testing consists of a quantitative ice melt test and extensive field use. The ice melt test was carried out in a controlled environment with the internal temperature of the coolers monitored and analyzed in accordance with the USDA’s Refrigeration and Food Safety Guidelines. Field use takes place in various environments, from hot desert hikes to road trips from muggy Minnesota to sunny California, for a well-rounded set of conditions. All this adds up to a comprehensive review, which will thoroughly equip you to make a well-suited soft cooler purchase. We’ve vetted, purchased, and tested over 30 soft coolers since 2017.
The two side handles aren’t the most comfortable to grab, and we wish they weren’t adjacent to the shoulder straps’ attachment points. But when the handgrip is detached into two separate pieces, they’re not comfortable to grasp. The insulation is a metal-coated igloo soft cooler plastic blend, which did a solid job of preserving the ice and goods. We loved the soft interior liner and the waterproof zipper that prevents any leaks from the top. The shape and weight feel easy to move around, and the handles are comfortable.
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.
RTIC claims the 20 Can can keep your drinks cool for 24 hours — a claim that our tests more than verified. The RTIC 20 can Soft Pack Cooler did indeed fit 20 cans, just as its name suggests. According to the ice retention test, the Mountainsmith Takeout can retain ice for 21 hours. To put the size in perspective, this cute cooler could fit six 12-ounce cans. 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.
Carhartt’s take on the soft cooler is this dual-compartment backpack. You could technically fit 24 cans if you put them in both compartments and didn’t add any ice. But we got about 10 cans in the insulated section, with enough ice to keep them cold. This soft cooler has a grab handle and an adjustable shoulder strap that won’t dig into your skin. It’s also handily collapsible, so you can pack it in a suitcase or stuff it in a backpack and easily store it when it’s not in use. After throwing it on the ground during our tests, there were no scuff marks or visible damage.