Soft coolers also come in handy for sporting events, whether the user is a participant or a fan. In this case, Igloo’s Sportsman Waterproof Cooler Bag has the tough design and storage space needed to keep everything inside safe and cool. Users have three color options for this ice bag, which include charcoal and acid green, black and blaze red, and black and agama teal. When it comes to carrying different loads of items for family parties or barbeques, Igloo MaxCold is a reliable options. The Tote Cooler Bag, Gripper 16, Backpack, and Hard Top Gripper 22 can be carried over the shoulder, and Cool Fusion 36 can be pulled on wheels with multiple items.
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. If there’s one clear benefit to soft coolers over hard-sided models, it’s that they’re significantly lighter and therefore much easier to tote around. A quick glance at our comparison table above reveals that most options hover somewhere in the 2- to 4-pound range, with the largest and most robust designs clocking in at 7 pounds or more. On a related note, comfortable shoulder straps and/or grab handles can go a long way toward maximizing portability, which we outline more in depth below. Before diving into the finer details, it’s important to point out that soft coolers come with some inherent compromises.
Icemule’s Boss Backpack Cooler is incredibly rugged and has some serious insulation. “The design reminds me of a single big backpack that people use for backpack travel,” is how one of our testers put it. Icemule uses proprietary fabrics, welded seams, and extra-padded straps to make this one heavy-duty yet comfortable backpack.
Whether you depend on Playmate for backyard parties, BMX and Sportsman for athletic activities, or Yukon and Trailmate for outdoor adventures, Igloo’s ice chest will make your occasion much more enjoyable. Here are our reviews for igloo trailmates that combine convenience with fun. Many soft coolers do not have tiedown points, which would be a good feature for river or motorcycle trips. When you use a cooler outside, many factors influence a pack’s ice retention, including frequency of opening the cooler, direct sunlight, and ambient temperature. For instance, the REI Co-op Cool Haul Soft Cooler preserved ice for 60 hours during our test but only for 18 hours during one toasty car camp trip.
Plenty of soft coolers are fairly comfortable to use and reliable (as long as it’s not too sunny or scorching hot out) in the less-than-$100 category. Those choice designs include a range of designs such as the Mountainsmith Takeout ($30), REI Co-op Pack-Away Soft Cooler ($50), and Arctic Zone Titan Bucket Tote ($53). A soft cooler’s materials include the exterior, insulation, interior liner, and handles. The most common are waterproof and leakproof zippers or non-waterproof and leakproof zippers. Some of these designs are actually very rigid, stout, and stackable. Others are fully collapsible and pliable, and we celebrate the space-saving option for storage.