Soft Sided Cooler That Doesnt Leak Water Reviews
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Best Overall Soft Cooler
Engel HD30
Closure Type: Leakproof attachment | Weight: 5.9 lb
Extremely durable
Acme-notch insulation
Handy handles and features
Comfortable shoulder bear
Outside pocket not waterproof
Quite big
We are continually impressed by the Engel HD30. It provides tiptop-notch insulation, keeping raw foods appropriately cold (below forty degrees Fahrenheit) for just over three days in our insulation tests. While many soft coolers take bulky zippers that are hard to use or narrow openings that hinder access, the Engel stands out as remarkably easy to employ. With corners that unclip, the summit conveniently opens further to let quick loading and locating of contents. On top of that, this is i of the largest coolers we tested, fitting an impressive 48 cans, making it a solid contender to baby-sit your food and drink for a long weekend of camping. Despite its bulky size, the Engel is more portable than nosotros expected, featuring an easy two-person deport using the end handles. Even subsequently several years of regular utilise, its durable construction has proven itself worth the investment, with consequent performance, unchanged over time, and even looking pretty much the same every bit the 24-hour interval we first bought it.
Of course, large capacity always comes with a trade-off in how far you're willing to behave information technology. Fifty-fifty with a friend to aid, this fully-loaded cool bag isn't the platonic cooler to cart a mile down the beach. But with all sorts of boosted helpful features like extra handles, a removable bottle opener, and an additional pocket, the Engel continues to outcompete even the newest models for notwithstanding another year, remaining our favorite soft cooler. It may not exist cheap, but it is impressive.
Read review: Engel Coolers HD30
All-time Bang for Your Buck
Igloo Reactor Portable 30-Can
Closure Type: Leakproof zipper | Weight: 3.ane lb
Zipper and fabric are leak-resistant
Quality insulation
Nifty capacity to size ratio
Convenient peak handle
No zipper lubricant included
No pockets
If yous're a deal hunter, we think yous'll love the splendid value of the Igloo Reactor 30. This cooler has the expect, feel, and nearly the operation of the high-end soft coolers we've tested yet costs significantly less. It outcompeted most others in this lineup in our rigorous insulation testing with thick walls and a leakproof zipper, which lends extra conviction to an already waterproof interior and exterior. An extra tough layer effectually the bottom and wrapping upward the sides adds abrasion resistance where you lot need it most. Fitting 30 cans (without whatever ice), the Reactor maximizes internal capacity. Rounded corners and edges help maintain a fairly comfortable conveying experience while the acme handle is very handy—a feature nosotros love to see on coolers of this shape and size.
The only knock against the Reactor's straightforward, easy-to-utilise pattern is that its waterproof zipper is uncommonly difficult to operate. It eases up some with the awarding of zipper lubricant, which doesn't come with this cooler. While nosotros capeesh the simplicity of this model, its lack of external pockets can be a downside. And though it doesn't seem to pose a usability effect, the D-rings on either end of the shoulder strap flip sideways readily, a small-scale annoyance. Still, the issues we have with the Reactor are pocket-size, and we constitute the pros far outweigh the cons — specially for this relatively low price.
Read review: Igloo Reactor Portable thirty-Can
Best for a Tight Budget
AO Coolers 24 Pack Sheet Cooler
Closure Blazon: Attachment | Weight: ii.7 lb
Simple design that's easy to use
Decent insulation
Duffel style handles
Folds apartment for storage
Zipper and exterior not waterproof
Shoulder strap on the short side
At first glance, this cooler may not look similar much. Information technology doesn't have the laminated outside and waterproof zipper that so many others boast. Nonetheless underneath this unassuming exterior, the AO Coolers 24 Pack is a solid cooler that's uncomplicated to use and easy to dearest. Thick foam surrounding the entirety of your contents provides reliable insulation for an above-average corporeality of time. A single opening that'southward longer than the interior of the bag makes information technology uncomplicated to load and later locate what yous're seeking. On the outside, at that place is a large zippered pocket that provides a well-above-average corporeality of dry out storage, and its duffel-style handles tin can be joined together for easy transportation. Its flexible shape allows you to fold it flat for storage (a unique characteristic that most of the contest can't claim) and easily accommodates tall objects, such as 750 ml wine bottles.
The AO does lose some points since its outside and zipper are not waterproof, though the regular zipper is much easier to use than waterproof ones, which typically require a lot more tugging. And though its hull isn't as strong and bulletproof as some of the others nosotros tested, it'south still pretty strong and well-synthetic. We also wish the shoulder strap was longer for cross-body wear. Lastly, this model doesn't expect the office of the loftier-end models we've tested, but that might non affair to you. These drawbacks are small. All in all, this cooler performs well above its price tag, offering strong value.
Read review: AO Coolers 24 Pack Sheet Cooler
Best Portability
IceMule Pro
Closure Type: Whorl-top | Weight: 2.9 lb
Ease of transport
Surprisingly good capacity
Stiff blueprint
Non leakproof
Not as insulative as some
Usage learning bend
With many heady backpack coolers at present on the scene, we retested this pack next to several new models, and the IceMule Pro handily holds its own amongst the backpack-style coolers. Though this cooler requires a fleck of a learning curve, it proves itself incredibly easy to use and comfortable to carry. The large roll-pinnacle design allows easy admission to its contents without having to remove everything on top to reach that last cold soda at the lesser. Soft, broad shoulder straps, a longer body length, and sides easily inflated or deflated by mitt make this pack much more comfortable to carry than its many rigid competitors. With a lightly padded back panel, breathable mesh, and a more flexible structure, we found ourselves much less sweaty hiking this model downward the trail than any other backpack cooler. Information technology also performs quite well among haversack models in our insulation testing and is solidly durable.
It took some fourth dimension for u.s.a. to figure out the best way to use the inflatable sides to maximize both capacity and insulation, but in one case nosotros got that down, we enjoyed the extra padding provided by the air-filled walls. All the same, nosotros can't quite go the summit rolled tight enough to exist waterproof, though it only leaks little drips when completely inverted. When fully loaded with a whopping 39 cans, we wish we had a waist belt to take some of the weight off our shoulders. Just for lighter loads, wearing the IceMule is like carrying a grade schoolhouse haversack. While we wish it had more pockets on the outside for extra items, we enjoy using the IceMule Pro, and it is our get-to choice for bringing a few refreshments along for a multi-mile hike or for any destination a piffling further from the parking lot.
Read review: IceMule Pro
Best Personal Cooler
YETI Hopper Flip 12
Closure Blazon: Leakproof zipper | Weight: iii.6 lb
Durability
Nifty insulation
Nice size for personal utilize
User-friendly handles
No extra pockets
Flips upside down rather hands
Toll
Year afterward yr, the Yeti Hopper Flip 12 continues to impress us. This tried and true design boasts impressive insulation for a small-scale cooler. Its shape and size are convenient and easy to utilize with a simple blueprint that merely works. Like Yeti products have come to be known for, this cooler is strong and primed to tackle all your wild adventures. The latest rendition of this oversupply favorite includes a superlative handle (in addition to the two side handles from previous iterations) to make grabbing and going fifty-fifty more than effortless. Yeti also includes a tube of attachment lubricant and helpful directions for caring for and making the about out of your investment.
While the Flip can have other Yeti accessories (similar bottle openers and extra pockets) attached, it doesn't come with whatever boosted pockets or features, while many other coolers exercise. Those extras, well, cost extra on top of an already expensive cooler. Though this latest version costs marginally less than its predecessor, it's withal among the more than expensive coolers out in that location. Just if y'all want a personal libation that simply won't quit, the Flip should exist on your shortlist.
Read review: Yeti Hopper Flip 12
Great Value for Coincidental Use
Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Zipperless
Closure Type: Zipperless hat | Weight: 3.iv lb
Adequately lightweight
Tons of features
Inexpensive
Not spillproof
Not the most durable
The Arctic Titan Zipperless offers bang-up utility for a steal. Despite having some of the thinnest insulation of any model we tested, information technology still managed to maintain recommended food temperatures for a little under two days, which was right around the group average. The zipperless design for the main compartment makes it completely painless to use, and the hard plastic interior makes information technology unproblematic to pack. A removable plastic shelf adds functionality, keeping sensitive items out of melted ice, and numerous pockets beautify the outside for wine corkscrews, napkins, and silverware. It even comes with a canteen opener clipped to one end.
The low price tag does come at the toll of some immovability, though. This is not the model we would expect to concluding the longest, as its materials and craftmanship are not top-tier. Many of the features added on seemingly everywhere also ride the line between existence handy and superfluous. The shelf is like shooting fish in a barrel to knock loose and fall into the main chamber, and the bottle opener is not the all-time. This isn't the model we recommend for hardcore employ, but if y'all need a minor libation for occasional apply and desire to spend the least, this model offers a lot of value.
Read review: Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Zipperless
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Testing coolers on hot lakeside beaches in the high desert.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Why You Should Trust Us
Our expert panel consists of Senior Review Editor, Maggie Brandenburg, and her crew of take chances-loving friends. Maggie has spent over 15 years every bit an outdoor and backcountry guide, from backpacking the Sierras and Andes to rafting Due south Africa and Utah. She spent a summer living out of her teardrop trailer and isn't one to surrender on the comforts of a fresh repast while she'due south out. Her groundwork in scientific enquiry helps bring structure and scrutiny to our intensive cooler testing process. Maggie is the GearLab cooler guru and has been testing coolers and other gear for GearLab since 2017, personally having tested over threescore different coolers, from traditional ice boxes to the latest in portable powered technology.
Before we started timing how long our drinks stayed cold, this review began with market research into which soft coolers are worth trying out. Every year the number of impressive-looking soft coolers seems to grow, and we've been expanding our selection of test-worthy models for five years. Our in-depth insulation testing was developed in conjunction with Steven Tata, whose background in engineering helped us to pattern realistic and intensive testing of these coolers. Testing consists of a quantitative ice melt test and extensive field utilize. The ice cook exam 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 Nutrient Rubber Guidelines. Field apply takes identify in various environments, from hot desert hikes to road trips from muggy Minnesota to sunny California, for a well-rounded set of weather condition. All this adds up to a comprehensive review, which volition thoroughly equip y'all to make a well-suited soft cooler purchase.
Related: How We Tested Soft Coolers
Maggie and her canis familiaris, Madeline, hard at work testing coolers in the summer sun.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Analysis and Test Results
Each contender's overall score is carefully calculated through a myriad of tests spanning four crucial, mutually exclusive metrics. We bankrupt downward our testing into specific individual and comparative assessments of every model's Insulation Value, Ease of Use, Portability, and Immovability. All four of these metrics include numerous tests and evaluations that inform each cooler's score in that metric. We weighted each metric according to its overall importance to the general experience of using a soft cooler. When the metrics' scores are totaled up, each libation ends up with a score between 1 and 100. Here nosotros break downwardly those metrics individually and discuss the best performers across individual tests and total metric scores
Related: Buying Advice for Soft Coolers
All coolers packed full of ice and cans, heading into our hot room insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Value
When it comes to operation in soft coolers, you lot often get what you pay for in terms of durability and insulation value. Some of the most expensive products we tested offer some of the near impressive insulation powers and are made of impressively durable materials. Notwithstanding, this gear category continues to explode with innovations at competitive prices, and the correlation of price to functioning is not a perfect linear human relationship. Several models we tested claiming the idea that more than money equals a better cooler, offering exceptional values and some impressive niche performances.
The Igloo Reactor 30 is our platonic combination of performance and cost for those looking for a great product at a reduced price. It offers up higher up-boilerplate functionality, durability, and insulation for a price far below like-scoring models, making it ane of the best value options we've seen yet. The AO 24 Pack is another functional and well-priced cooler. Though not equally rugged or waterproof as many options, we still find ourselves reaching for its straightforward functionality and above-average insulation time and fourth dimension again. The almost inexpensive cooler we generally recommend is the Arctic Zone Titan. It's surprisingly easy to use and can come up in handy for exceptional use at a deal price.
Insulation Value
The FDA recommends keeping perishable foods that require refrigeration at or below 40º Fahrenheit; this helps prolong their freshness by slowing down the bacteria and other such nasties from growing inside. Keeping a larger libation cold volition require putting more than ice or ice packs inside versus keeping a smaller libation cold, as most coolers recommend at to the lowest degree a 1:i ice to food ratio, if not even more ice. Making sure your items are common cold earlier they become into the cooler is some other way to add insulation value to any cooler. Keeping your food or beverages cold is the number i reason to purchase a cooler; thus, it is the most rigorous metric in our testing. Our caput-to-head hot room insulation tests highlight which coolers provide the greatest insulation value.
Nosotros noted two critical temperature thresholds during our testing: 40º F and 50º F. While 40º Fahrenheit is the food-safe threshold recommended by the FDA, 50º F represents the average maximum platonic temperature for serving beer. Of course, the ideal beer-drinking temperature depends on the type of beer you're enjoying and your personal preference. The American Homebrewers Association breaks down the optimal serving temperature for many different types of beer. We chose 50º F in part as an average maximum ideal temperature for serving beer and also as a 2nd benchmark temperature to hands grasp the rate of temperature increase every bit ice melts in each cooler.
The functioning of large models (over 20L) in our insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Leading the pack is the Yeti Hopper M30, which in our almost recent round of testing managed an impressive 78 hours of sub xl° internal temps, even when the external temperatures in our hot room reached over 95° F. After years of testing and retesting, the Engel HD30 besides performed admirably in our intensive hot-room testing, lasting a full 73 hours below xl° F internally. The Yeti Hopper M30 and Engel HD30 then continued to maintain internal temperatures at refreshing, sub 50° F for 88 and 79 hours, respectively. These coolers are on the large cease of possible volumes among models in this category and accept very thick insulation and waterproof fabric and closure systems. The Engel's watertight zipper effectively seals insulated sides that are virtually 2 inches thick. The Yeti M30 has done abroad with the zipper, instead sporting a leakproof magnetic strip that seals itself with a snap whenever your manus isn't in it. This helps to go on beverages colder even when you're hanging out with that one friend who likes to leave things hanging open.
Comparing results during insulation testing of models 20L and smaller. The REI Pack Abroad 24 fits in this group because nosotros tested it in its about convenient configuration -- a cube -- which we measured just nether 20L.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Amongst smaller coolers, those with volumes 20L or less, the REI Co-op Cool Haul eighteen is a top performer. Despite lacking a waterproof exterior or leakproof zipper, the Cool Haul kept temperatures beneath 40° F for a whopping 61 hours, which is merely over 2.five days. It maintained sub 50° F temps for 75 hours, offering over 3 days of refreshing beverages. The OtterBox Trooper 20 and AO 24 are as well noteworthy here, offering food-rubber temps below 40° F for 61 and 57 hours, respectively.
Amongst backpack models, the IceMule and its whorl-top lid continue to reign supreme, even after several years of testing, regular utilise, and retesting, maintaining temperatures below twoscore° F for 52 hours and beneath 50° F for 55 hours. The REI Co-op Cool Trail Pack outlasted it when information technology comes to refreshing beverage temps, holding beneath 50° F for 59 hours. Nevertheless, the Cool Trail Pack failed to stay beneath forty° F after just nine hours, making us not excited to entrust it to keep whatever sensitive food items fresh.
The performance of backpack models in our insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Equally soft-sided coolers have become increasingly popular, the market has become increasingly innovative. Once, the presence of an airtight attachment and waterproof outside was an indicator of solid insulation. Now, a wide variety of closure solutions continue to print us with their power to keep things chilled. Models with the now old-school approach of having a water/airproof zipper include the Engel, RTIC SoftPak, Igloo Reactor, and Yeti Hopper Flip and BackFlip. The Yeti M30 has replaced its waterproof zipper with an equally effective magnetic seal, the IceMule Pro has a (more often than not sealed) roll-top (like a dry handbag), and the OtterBox Trooper features a fully sealed, plastic flip-meridian lid.
Results from our rigorous insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
In an interesting twist, the Arctic Titan Zipperless has neither a zipper nor a ringlet-pinnacle and isn't even fully sealed. It closes like an former-school hard libation, with a plastic lid that nestles snugly into the top of its plastic torso. Information technology's lined on the exterior by a thinly insulated textile pocketbook. Despite not being airtight or leakproof, information technology managed to hold water ice for 40 hours during our testing. All the same, other coolers accept more traditional zippers that aren't watertight, still they manage to provide effective insulation, including the REI Cool Haul, REI Pack Away, and AO 24 Pack.
The OtterBox Trooper ditches the frequently cumbersome waterproof attachment for a flip-top plastic lid with an accompanying latch and rubber gasket lining the opening to keep it fully sealed.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
It'southward likewise worth mentioning that of the coolers we tested, three of the six that managed above-boilerplate insulation testing results (keeping temperatures below 40º F for 44+ hours) are non watertight and are significantly more than budget-friendly than the top 2 performers in this metric. Notably, the REI Cool Haul (61 hours below 40º F), AO 24 Pack (55 hours), and IceMule Pro (52 hours) are all impressive insulators for weekend uses and price a lot less than y'all might expect. The Arctic Titan Zipperless comes shut besides (40 hours), making it another promising option. If your needs are modest, and so is your budget, these coolers offer good insulation at a fraction of the cost.
The REI Cool Haul still manages well-higher up-average insulation, despite a lack of a watertight attachment or a waterproof exterior.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Ease of Utilise
Ease of use is of import. Some designs make using a cooler more enjoyable. We also found some options that proved frustrating to apply.
To evaluate this metric, we focused on how easy the coolers are to load and unload—how they open and how challenging the attachment or closing machinery is to utilize, and if they stay open up while you pack them full or if they require a second pair of hands. We considered how adaptable each libation is to dissimilar sizes and shapes of contents: can information technology fit a carton of eggs for a breakfast cookout or a bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio for that fancy picnic? We likewise looked at the features each came with and evaluated their actual usability. Every bit we discovered, just considering a bottle opener is clipped onto the end, unfortunately, doesn't mean it volition reliably open up bottles.
Zipper lubricant included with many models helps those thick, beefy waterproof zippers to slide a fleck more easily. However, many of them still crave a meaning amount of force to operate and tin collect greasy-looking lubricant over time.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Ane of the most frustrating qualities of many of the models we tested is their challenging zippers. Then far, manufacturers haven't been able to produce a attachment that's waterproof and truly easy to use. Many soft cooler zippers not only require 2 hands to open and close only likewise quite a bit of straining and muttering through clenched teeth. The watertight attachment that performed the best is that of the Engel HD30.
The Yeti M30 cuts out the cumbersome zipper for an easy magnetic strip closure instead. While we like the innovation, nosotros aren't convinced the M30 design nailed information technology. It's the only soft cooler we tested that really snaps airtight around your hand while yous attempt to grab a potable, making information technology frustrating to load and unload without using something to prop it open—similar a wooden spoon or a friend.
Though robust and watertight, its zipper is much easier to use and comes with zipper lubricant included, helping information technology to remain explicative-free. Both zippered Yeti models (the Flip and BackFlip) and the RTIC SoftPak besides come standard with zipper lubricant that helps their zippers glide more easily, though they aren't every bit smooth every bit the Engel. The Igloo Reactor doesn't come with zipper lubricant, but when nosotros put some on, equally we expected, it helped massively in the operation of this tough zipper. Lubricant needs to be reapplied to zippers frequently, specially in dry, hot, outdoor environments. All of these coolers feature extra handles for additional carrying options, necktie-downs to attach them to your ATV or truck bed, and even some actress features like daisy-chain webbing to prune on your canteen opener or car keys.
The Igloo Reactor has a fine-toothed zipper covered past a condom seal that finer keeps it from leaking. Still, information technology's one of the few models nosotros tested with a waterproof zipper that doesn't come with whatsoever lubricant to brand unzipping information technology smoother.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Another models are easy to use because of the excellent pattern or features they take. The IceMule Pro is one of our favorites once you go used to it because of its simple roll-height blueprint and comfortable straps that brand carrying this purse a breeze. The REI Trail Pack is 1 of our favorites for fully loaded altitude missions, offering all the comfort of a backpacking backpack with its perfectly padded weight-bearing waistbelt. If you're ready to ditch the null for a model that's both user-friendly and seals, the plastic latch and flip-open up lid of the OtterBox Trooper are where it'due south at.
The roll-elevation design of the IceMule is pretty easy to use - no zipper lubricant is always required.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The REI Cool Haul, Trail Pack, and Pack Away, and the AO 24 Pack all have traditional zippers that are easy to use and just the right corporeality of additional design elements or features that make them quite handy. The AO and REI Pack Away are as easy to employ as a unproblematic duffel pocketbook. The AO 24 features clips on the ends of the tiptop zipper and a single long external pocket with plenty of space to bring along dry items. The Pack Away adds onto this design with four three-loop daisy chains located effectually the trunk of the bag and the ability to fold flat — adding capacity (albeit in an awkward shape without a good, structured bottom) and making information technology easier to store when not in use.
Reminding united states of america of a gym duffel pocketbook, the REI Pack Away has a canvas-like exterior and a user-friendly 2-mode attachment.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The REI Cool Haul features several webbing loops, two outside pockets, and an internal zippered pocket to continue you lot organized. Information technology has a canteen opener (that works) attached to it, and so you'll never take to worry about forgetting 1 again. The interior insulation besides slides out of the cooler's primary body, making it even easier to load on the counter or clean in the sink after a spill. Both the Otterbox Trooper and Arctic Titan Zipperless also come with bottle openers on the outsides of the purse, though nosotros struggled to effectively utilise the one on the Titan. The bottle opener on the Otterbox is really a flat multi-tool, which nosotros found useful occasionally but not enough to be a bargain-billow. The REI Trail Pack has several actress pockets around the outside and top of the bag, aiding in your long-distance adventure. Additionally, the unabridged libation component can be removed, converting the unabridged affair into an uninsulated backpack when you demand it.
The REI Cool Haul is full of useful features from its flip-peak lid and removable liner to numerous pockets inside and out and a bottle opener that actually works.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Portability
If you wanted to stay dwelling house, you'd employ your fridge. For an adventure, you need a cooler. But where do you want to get with your cooler, and how do y'all want to go at that place? Depending on the size and type you're planning to take with you, you may have already put some limitations on your adventures. Are yous heading from the parking lot to the beach nearby? Are you carting around lunch all day at the zoo? Are y'all hiking five miles to your secret fishing hole? Without considering overall chapters, the well-nigh portable coolers volition be more comfy to behave for longer distances and amounts of time.
The clear winners in this category are the backpack-style coolers, equally this distribution of weight across both shoulders and resting behind you lot will near e'er beat out out a unilateral carry. However, not all backpack coolers are equally comfortable. We've tested several of this style, and the IceMule Pro is hands down our favorite for sheer carrying condolement. Information technology has soft, broad shoulder straps, a longer torso for more even weight distribution, and a flexible shape that accommodates whatever you've filled it with. The walls of the libation can likewise exist inflated or deflated with a simple valve, adding both insulation and comfort against your back. In the confront of some innovative competition, for years now, the IceMule remains the most comfy model nosotros've tested for carrying moderate provisions on a multi-mile hike.
Where volition you become with your new libation?
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The REI Trail Pack is another noteworthy competitor here. By adding a fully supportive, weight-begetting waist belt, this cooler is ideal for relieving your shoulders when you lot need your cooler filled to the brim with delicious picnic provisions. While the IceMule is our favorite for smaller and medium loads because of its comfortable straps and flexible torso, the Trail Pack is our go-to choice for heavy cargo. It's comfy like a daypack and really saves your shoulders over the long haul. If yous're planning to bring a handful of snacks and beverages for you and a few buddies, the condolement of the IceMule is top-notch. If you're scheming to supply a total picnic and afternoon full of refreshments for anybody in your party, that extra weight is meliorate handled by the Trail Pack.
If you're hit the trails with a fully-loaded cooler, the REI Pack Away is the only model we tested with a fully padded, weight-bearing waist belt that helps salve your shoulders no matter how far you roam.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Amid the many tote and messenger manner options we tested, nosotros have our favorites. Models with flexible shapes, adjustable straps, and extra padding go a long mode toward making these something you don't mind carrying. Some of the other reasonably portable bags similar the Yeti Flip 12 scored well thank you to their well-padded shoulder straps and additional options to hand carry or partner deport them when they're loaded down. The REI Cool Booty is too a favorite, with its soft, malleable torso and long padded shoulder strap that makes it far more pleasant across your body when weighed down. The softer canvas exteriors and flexible insulated walls of the AO 24 Pack and REI Pack Away are both much more comfy bouncing confronting our sides and wear like an old favorite duffel handbag.
The AO 24 Pack has a padded shoulder strap and malleable exterior that make information technology more comfortable to comport.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Durability
If y'all're going to spend your money on gear, you want it to last. This fact is just equally true for coolers equally anything else you own. Whatsoever gear's durability comes downwardly to a few simple factors—the quality of its materials and components, the method of construction, and the overall blueprint. The coolers nosotros tested feature a broad diversity and quality of materials. We assessed immovability over months of use, paying attention to how they handle daily rigors. We threw them effectually, dropped them on the ground, and filled them to the skirt with heavy drinks. We also packed, emptied, repacked, and bounced them around in dorsum seats and truck beds, left them out in the dominicus for hours, strapped them into h2o-logged boats, and annihilation else we could remember of.
The models that scored lower in our immovability tests employ light to mid-weight nylon or sail with middle-of-the-road zippers and regular seam construction. The college-stop models feature heavy rubber or treated nylon, have heavy-duty zippers and components, reinforced and welded seams, and more than robust designs and structure. All of these aspects bear upon the overall durability and lasting power.
Some seriously sturdy construction means that soft coolers can be just equally durable as their harder counterparts.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The most durable coolers we tested are the Engel HD30, Yeti M30, and Yeti Flip 12. All of these coolers feature incredibly tough, wear-resistant outer cloth, durable components, sturdy zippers, reinforced stitching, and a design fabricated to be used and abused. Even later on several years of regular use, all three of these models work merely too equally when they were new and still look nearly as squeamish. The Yeti BackFlip is similarly constructed from ultra-thick, durable material with a reinforced lesser and sturdy zipper but has extra strap attachment points for the backpack harness prone to additional article of clothing and tear from supporting the libation over fourth dimension.
The Yeti Flip 12 is i of several coolers we've been using regularly for years now. Aside from a few minor cosmetic complaints, it's holding upwards uncommonly well.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The OtterBox Trooper and Igloo Reactor are durable contenders too. Both have thick, waterproof exteriors and fully sealed openings — the Trooper with its rubber gasket around a plastic flip-peak chapeau and the Reactor'south waterproof zipper. Both of these models also feature protective layers on their undersides to assistance protect against abrasion.
The Igloo Reactor has an extra layer helping to protect its bottom side from the inevitable abrasion of regular utilize.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The IceMule Pro is relatively durable and resistant to our abuse, though the straps' attachment points seemed perhaps not quite as reliable or as robust as we'd like them to be. Not surprisingly, some of the coolers that performed the lowest in this category as well have the weakest material. Nonetheless, these coolers (the Coleman 16-Tin can and Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze) are also some of the to the lowest degree expensive nosotros tested, so you lot might not be so upset almost replacing them when they bite the grit.
The Coleman 16-Tin may not be a "beast fashion" libation that tin can withstand a beating, only it'south likewise relatively inexpensive, making it less painful to replace if and when information technology does finally surrender.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Conclusion
While reviewing these products, we went out of our fashion to imagine the many means in which they may be used. So we put them to the test, toting them along for summer trips into the desert, long hikes on hot days, picnics in the park, sunny beach days, rainy camping ground weekends, and impromptu BBQs and dinner parties. We hauled these coolers effectually, putting them through plenty of utilize and abuse, and we've compiled what nosotros believe is the most comprehensive review of soft coolers available. Nosotros promise that the information presented here helps yous find the right cooler to fit your lifestyle.
There are tons of interesting, unique, and impressive soft coolers bachelor today. We can aid yous swim through the sea of options and pick your perfect picnic partner or hazard buddy.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-soft-cooler
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