We Found the 4 Best Soft Coolers By Going Through 45 Pounds of Ice

If you’ve ever tried to schlep a full-size hard cooler across a beach or even a parking lot, you know it ain’t happening…at least not by yourself. (They often weigh 25-plus pounds, empty!) For day trips, overnight campouts, picnics, and other low-key jaunts, the answer to your cold beverage prayers is, then, a soft cooler. 

Instead of a hard outer shell that (ideally) is packed with lots of insulation, soft coolers are (as their name implies) soft, lightweight, and smaller, and most often have nylon, polyester, or canvas exteriors. They’re also zippered instead of latched and usually have cross-body straps, to add to their mobility.  

To find the best soft coolers, we tested nine popular models. We evaluated their capacity, portability, cold retention, and durability. In the end, we landed on four favorites, priced from $95 to $300. 

The Tests

• Capacity Test: We filled each cooler with eight pounds of ice packs, then added as many 12-ounce cans of seltzer as the cooler could fit, noting the maximum amount. 
• Portability Test: We loaded each cooler with eight pounds of ice packs and 12, 12-ounce cans of seltzer. We then picked up and walked with each cooler for about three minutes (as if you were going from the parking lot to a campsite or a short stretch down the beach) and evaluated how comfortable the cooler was to carry.
• Cold Retention Test: We loaded each cooler with five pounds of ice, closed the cooler, and took the temperature of its contents using an instant-read thermometer a few times over the course of 40 hours. We placed the coolers in a garage overnight and in direct sun during the day (the temperature was in the upper 70s to low 80s). 
• Durability Tests: We placed twelve, 12-ounce cans of seltzer into each cooler, then pushed the coolers out of the back of a car five times. We looked for any damage to the cooler itself, then unloaded the cooler and looked to see if any of the cans burst. We also opened and closed the zipper/latch of the cooler 15 times, to evaluate how easy it was to do so.

What We Learned

Soft Cooler Capacities Were Kinda Weird

You might think that soft coolers’ capacities would always be listed in liters or gallons (and they sometimes are), but they’re actually often given in cans. For example, they may have 20-can, 30-can, 36-can, 42-can, or 50-can stated capacities. This designation sometimes accounts for some sort of amount of ice, but also sometimes not. 

To test the actual capacity of the coolers, we filled each with eight pounds of ice packs and then added as many 12-ounce cans as they could fit. The smallest capacity in this test was the OtterBox Trooper Cooler. It held just 14 cans, despite it having a 20-quart capacity and being as large as other coolers that housed more than double this. This was thanks to its comparatively rigid construction/shape. Turns out, the best soft coolers were actually soft, allowing for packing flexibility. 

Closed-Cell vs. Open-Cell and Thicker vs. Thinner Insulation

While most of the coolers didn’t disclose exactly what kind of insulation they used, YETI, RovR, and Engel said they used “closed-cell,” “close cell,” or “closed foam” insulation. Closed-cell insulation is more rigid and densely packed, preventing air and moisture from entering.

On the other hand, there’s open-cell insulation. This type of insulation has, well, more open cells, allowing air (and therefore heat) to pass between them more easily. 

It’s worth noting that insulation type only went so far: thicker insulation outright performed better. This meant that the best-performing coolers were also some of the heaviest. Two of our top performers from YETI and RovR were about four-and-a-half pounds. In our cold retention test, they had plenty of ice in them after 24 hours. And even though all their ice melted, their contents were still at 45°F and 48°F after 40 hours. Comparatively, the cooler with the thinnest insulation and that weighed just two pounds (from CleverMade) was ice-free and its water clocked in at 68°F after just 24 hours.

The Best Soft Coolers Were Easy to Fill, Empty, and Unzip

Two of our favorite coolers (from YETI and RovR) had flip-top lids made them easy to fill, drain, and clean. Other coolers (we still liked ‘em!) like the ones from AO Coolers and Engel were shaped more like very puffy duffle bags or totes. It felt like our hands were being engulfed by insulation every time we added or removed a can. They were also harder to drain water from. 

Most of the heavy-duty coolers featured equally rugged zippers, which were anxiously hard to open on the first go until we got inside the coolers and found tubes of zipper lubricant. Once you applied this lubricant, the zippers were much easier to work, but never nearly as painless to zip/unzip as a standard zipper. The two Hydro Flask coolers we tested had flexible, toothless, polyester-like zippers that operated nicely and smoothly. Be wary of overpacking these two, though: this will cause this zipper style to separate (though it also easily comes back together).

Portability Was an Added Bonus

We preferred coolers with multiple carrying options: side handles, top handles, and crossbody straps. That way, we could shift things depending on how heavy the cooler was or how far we were walking. The best soft coolers had all-over padded, secure handles. 

By far, the most portable, comfortable-to-carry-long-distance soft cooler was the Hydro Flask backpack. But this makes sense: instead of one side, the cooler’s weight was evenly distributed across two shoulders and the back. 

Durability Wasn’t an Issue For Most Coolers

All of the coolers we tested were relatively durable. When we pushed them out of a car’s trunk repeatedly, most of them emerged unscathed. The Otterbox, with its hard plastic rim, got dinged up. Some coolers (like the CleverMade) that had less insulation, especially on the lid/top of the cooler, had cans of seltzer that up and burst upon impact.

Admittedly, though, dropping a cooler with 12 cans of seltzer, sans ice, out of a car five times is very, uh, niche.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Soft Cooler

A soft cooler should offer excellent cold retention, be easy to fill and empty, be durable, and be simple enough to zip/unzip. It should also offer multiple ways to carry it and have a padded, adjustable crossbody strap (unless, of course, it’s a backpack). 

Our Favorite Soft Coolers

The Best Overall Soft Cooler

Yeti Hopper Flip 18 Insulated Personal Cooler

$300 at Amazon $300 at REI View on Yeti.com

What we liked: With a flip-top lid that made it exceptionally easy to fill and drain water, the YETI Hopper also sported the best cold retention of the bunch. We liked its numerous carrying options (two side handles, a top handle, and a crossbody strap—all nicely padded) and found it easy enough to carry some distance. It’s small (it fit 18 cans plus eight pounds of ice during our capacity test), but a nice size for picnics, beach days, or just keeping in your car for heat-sensitive groceries. 

What we didn’t like: The zipper isn’t the easiest to handle but gets better with the included zipper lubricant (which came in an easy-to-apply lip balm-like tube rather than the squeeze tube of the other brands). Of course, it’s expensive. It also lacks a pocket, which we do think would be nice for storing, say, our favorite wine bottle opener.

Key Specs

• Materials: Dryhide shell; cold cell foam 
• Weight: 4 pounds, 9 ounces
• Stated capacity: 20 cans
• Actual capacity (with 8 pounds of ice packs): 18 cans

The Best Feature-Heavy Soft Cooler

Engel HD30 Heavy-Duty Soft-Sided Cooler Bag

$200 at Amazon View on Engelcoolers.com

What we liked: With built-in things like a bottle opener, a front pocket, and a vacuum valve to remove air and maximize cold retention, we liked the Engel. At the 40-hour mark, it was only a few degrees warmer than the YETI. It had multiple padded straps, too. 

What we didn’t like: The tote style made it harder to fill and empty water from. All of the insulation makes it pretty bulky, but it didn’t sport the biggest actual can capacity of the bunch.

Key Specs

• Materials: Outer shell composed of durable 840 denier fibers; TPU; closed foam insulation
• Weight: 4 pounds, 5.6 ounces
• Stated capacity: 48 cans
• Actual capacity (with 8 pounds of ice packs): 24 cans

The Best Backpack Soft Cooler

Hydro Flask Escape Soft Cooler

$200 $189 at Amazon View on Hydroflask.com $200 at Backcountry.com

What we liked: If an ultra-portable, lightweight backpack cooler is what you’re searching for, we really liked this one from Hydro Flask. It had padded, adjustable straps, an actual capacity on par with the YETI, and a toothless zipper that made for very smooth zipping. It did well in our cold retention tests, too. 

What we didn’t like: Because it lacked padding at its zipper, we did have a can did burst in our drop tests. The cooler was also a little difficult to hold open while filling, a trait that also made it tough to clean.

Key Specs

• Materials: Polyester shell; "food-grade liner"
• Weight: 2 pounds, 10 ounces
• Stated capacity: 36 cans
• Actual capacity (with 8 pounds of ice packs): 18 cans

The Best Budget Soft Cooler

AO Coolers Elements Soft Cooler 24 Pack

$79 at Amazon

What we liked: Our budget-friendly (sub-$100) recommendation looks like a duffle bag with a whole lot more interior padding. It was fine to carry and performed solidly during our cold retention and durability tests. Its standard zipper was also easy to open and close and it featured a zippered front pocket.

What we didn’t like: It didn’t have the best cold insulation and its densely-packed interior made it harder to fill and clean.

Key Specs

• Materials: Canvas, vinyl, plastic
• Weight: 2 pounds, 9 ounces
• Stated capacity: 36 cans
• Actual capacity (with 8 pounds of ice packs): 32

The Competition

• Hydro Flask 26L Day Escape Soft Cooler Tote: We really liked this cooler and think it’s another good tote-style option. It just lagged behind our winners a bit in the cold retention test. 
• RTIC Soft Cooler: We were downright disappointed by this cooler’s cold retention.
• CleverMade Collapsible Cooler Bag: There wasn’t much to like about this soft cooler. Its sides easily collapsed (even when full) and it had the worst cold retention of the bunch. 
• OtterBox Trooper Cooler: While the cold retention of this cooler was fine, it fit a surprisingly small amount of cans given its overall size. It was also the only cooler that became damaged during our drop tests. 
• RovR TravelR 30 Soft Cooler: This was a great soft cooler, but it appears to be discontinued.

FAQs

What is a soft-sided cooler? 

A soft-sided or soft cooler is composed of flexible material that is soft to the touch in comparison to hard-sided coolers. Most often, their exteriors are made from nylon, canvas, polyester, or some sort of plastic. They have smaller capacities than our favorite standard coolers, but come with more carrying straps and are lighter—designed for quicker jaunts. They also have less cold retention in comparison to standard coolers, but this is fine: they’re not meant to house a week’s (or even a weekend’s) worth of food and drinks.

How do you clean a soft cooler? 

Many of the soft coolers we tested didn’t specify cleaning instructions. Our overall top pick, from YETI, says to wipe the interior and exterior with a soft cloth and mild dish soap and water. It’s also important to air dry the cooler before zipping it closed—to prevent mold/mildew from building up. 

Can soft coolers hold ice? 

Yes, soft coolers can hold ice. While they don’t have the same cold retention or capacity as our favorite standard coolers, the best soft coolers hold ice for at least 24 hours. 

Which soft cooler keeps ice frozen the longest?

In our tests, we found the Yeti and Engel coolers did the best job at keeping ice frozen. The Yeti kept an ice slurry under 50°F for 40 hours, while the Engel just tipped over 51°F at the 40 hour mark.

Are soft coolers worth it?

Soft coolers are great for day trips since they're often lighter and smaller than hard-sided coolers. That said, their cold retention often isn't quite on par with a hard cooler, but for a jaunt to the beach or a paddleboard sesh, they'll do just fine. Plus, many of them float, so you could literally tow your lunch and libations behind you if you're spending the day kayaking on a river.

What coolers are as good as Yeti?

The Engel soft cooler was neck-in-neck with the Yeti Hopper Flip in terms of cold retention, so we'd say it did pretty darn good. It's a sturdy cooler that's seriously good.

Why We're the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director of commerce for Serious Eats. She's been with the site since 2021.
• Riddley previously worked at America's Test Kitchen and has been testing gear professionally for about six years.
• For this review, Riddley tested nine soft coolers. We evaluated their capacity, durability, carrying comfort, and more.