All things considered, the bag is fairly inexpensive, so if you’re only needing the occasional soft cooler, this will do the trick. 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.
To test the portability of each soft cooler, the team walked around with each of the coolers to see how comfortable they were to carry. The coolers were all tipped upside down to see if they were, in fact, leakproof. Performance wise, this Igloo soft cooler proved itself to be below average—keeping the interior cool for about 38 hours, about 60% behind the Yeti Flip.
All three handles and the shoulder strap are fairly comfortable to use, even when we’re fully loaded with refreshments for the party. The handles are made of thick, folded-over webbing that offers a smooth but strong grip for even sweaty hands. The shoulder strap is adjustable and is long enough for some of our testers to comfortably wear cross-body, though we most often found ourselves with it on just one side. It has a section of padding on it that does a solid job of cushioning our shoulders. Igloo’s small cooler bags are a stylish choice for work or travel.
When fully loaded with a whopping 39 cans, we wish we had a waist belt to take some weight off our shoulders. But for lighter loads, wearing the IceMule is like carrying a small backpack. Yeti is the Cadillac of cooler manufacturers and credited with catalyzing the growth of the premium hard-sided market. 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.
Our ice retention test concluded that the YETI Hopper Flip 12 Soft Cooler can hold ice for about 3 days. These results were similar to the RTIC 20 Can Soft Pack Cooler, and both of these coolers were among our best performers. Yeti doesn’t claim a specific number of hours for ice retention due to the myriad environmental factors you may encounter.
With a lightly padded back panel, breathable mesh, and a more flexible structure, we had no trouble transporting this cooler around. However, if you’re wearing a swimsuit, it tends to rub against bare skin. That said, the more you roll, the less internal capacity available.
Hard coolers are more durable and stout and have a larger size range, given they can hold more weight without collapsing. The compact sizes are great for picnics, day trips, overnight camping, and grocery shopping. 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 igloo water cooler 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 2024. For more background information, check out our detailed comparison table and buying advice below the picks.
Hard-sided ice boxes are typically designed to be carried short distances, lifted by two people, or potentially wheeled around. However, soft coolers are often smaller and meant to be carried by one person — potentially for longer distances. With this in mind, you’ll want to think carefully about portability. We tried the 12-liter size and filled it with six cans, three sandwiches, string cheese, and a bag of ice. Then we packed it again with drinks only, fitting 12 cans plus ice. After several hours at the beach on an 80-degree day, only about a third of the ice had melted, and everything inside was still perfectly cold.