Best Soft Coolers 2023

When it comes to keeping your drinks frosty and your snacks fresh beyond the fridge, the best soft coolers are fit for the job. Unlike traditional hard-sided coolers that come with caveats, like unwanted bulk and weight, soft coolers recruit flexible fabrics and layers of insulation to prevent your perishable goods from spoiling. Once upon a time, these portable chilly bins looked like nothing more than the lunchbox container your parents sent you to school with, but these days, everything from beach coolers to backpack coolers fall under the soft cooler umbrella. Suffice to say, there’s never been a better time to invest in a soft cooler of your very own.

The best soft coolers help you bring ample refreshments to the beach, picnics and other day trips.

As you look at the models we’ve rounded up, you’ll see that they’re far from being cookie-cutter-clones of one another. Whether you’re heading to the beach or hanging with friends in the backyard, the materials, weight, capacity and insulative properties of a particular soft cooler will dictate which one is right for you.

With that in mind, check out the 10 best soft coolers below to see which one will best meet your needs, and peruse the additional information at the bottom of this article to determine what you should consider when shopping for a soft cooler of your very own.

Engel Coolers

Materials: 840-denier fibers, thermal plastic urethane, closed foam insulation | Weight: 5.3 pounds | Capacity: 30 liters

For years, Engel soft-sided coolers have performed well in independent ice-retention tests, maintaining ice for an impressive three to five days. This is thanks to welded (versus sewn) seams, which prevent warm air from getting in and cold air from getting out. The newest version of the HD30 also has a valve that customers can use to vacuum out extra air, further optimizing its performance. A comfy, adjustable shoulder strap, bottle opener and water-resistant front pocket round out this strong, durable cooler, which is available in three catchy color combinations.

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CamelBak

Materials: TPU coated 400D nylon, 420D nylon oxford, ether TPU coated liner, molded EVA boot | Weight: 4.5 pounds | Capacity: 30 liters

Leave it to the innovative folks at Camelbak to improve on the soft cooler. Their new Chillbak not only boasts the capacity to chill a case of cans with ice for a few days at a time—thanks to its one-hand operated roll-top—but also integrates their eponymous 6-liter reservoir right behind the back pad. Click the hose into place on the outside and you can instantly dispense cool water—or perhaps more rewardingly, a celebratory sangria—right from the spigot. It has a stretchy side pocket to carry your wallet, keys and other small essentials. It’s our new favorite soft cooler to bring along on hikes, picnics and to outdoor concerts.

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Home Depot

Materials: Polyester, meta-polymer insulation | Weight: 3.6 pounds | Capacity: 43 liters

Fashion-wise, the Walker Tote is light-years ahead of the white Styrofoam cooler you might’ve impulsively snagged in your younger years. As functional as it is stylish, this easy-to-carry tote can hold up to 20 pounds of ice alone, or 18 cans of your favorite beverage with room left over for ice. So it’s a natural choice for outdoor summer concerts, jaunts to the park and other day trips. But don’t let its delicate appearance fool you—it’s tough enough that you won’t have to baby it.

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REI

Materials: TPU, closed-cell foam, stainless steel, plastic | Weight: 5 pounds | Capacity: 10 liters

For good reason, we often put a lot of stock—not to mention ice—into how long coolers can keep stuff cool. But sometimes you really just want a tote to serve as more of a modern day picnic basket. Enter the Rovr Keepr, a flexible yet rigid tote with movable compartment dividers perfect for organizing snacks and drinks. That might include tall liquor bottles, small bottles, cans, cups and mixers. But you want a cold drink, right? No problem. The vacuum-sealed, double-walled “Icer Bucket”—which purposefully slips perfectly into the center—holds up to 3 pounds of ice. (Pro tip: In winter, it doubles as a great receptacle for keeping soup or hot chocolate warm.)

Adding even more value to this crafty cocktail caddy, the whole unit slides right into Rovr’s 30-liter Travelr soft cooler ($250). So you can take the clever two-part system to the beach or other warm outings, without fear of your provisions spoiling along the way. Or use them separately, as your adventures dictate.

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Hydro Flask

Materials: Polyester, nylon | Weight: 2.6 pounds | Capacity: 20 liters

Whether fishing, boating or hiking, when your adventures call for a highly wearable waterproof cooler, the Hydro Flask Day Escape is your ticket to mobile cooling. What it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for with its lightweight, padded shoulder straps and exterior pockets, all of which combine with an adjustable chest strap to make otherwise unfathomable loads feasible. If you happen to find yourself adventuring for more than a day, the Day Escape’s insulating prowess will keep contents cold for up to 36 hours. The pack stays upright thanks to the cooler’s compression molded base.

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Amazon

Materials: P600 two tone-PVC, PEVA liner, polyethylene foam insulation | Weight: 13 ounces | Capacity: 7 liters

Though we’re kinda partial to Mountainsmith’s Cooler Tube because of its innovative form factor, it’s hard to get past the universal practicality of the Takeout soft cooler. It’s not only able to chill a six-pack on the go (once you add an ice pack into its zippered inner mesh pocket), but it also serves as a handy personal lunchbox as well. It doesn’t get much simpler or more affordable than this.

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Cotopaxi

Materials: Repurposed foam insulation, nylon/polyester shell | Weight: 1.6 pounds | Capacity: 12 liters

Repurposing fabric left over by other companies, Cotopaxi creates colorful, one-of-a-kind products. Each 12-liter Hielo (appropriately, Spanish for “ice”) cooler bag isn’t just a unique, sustainable work of art. With a wide roll-top opening and welded, waterproof liner, it’s also a highly functional bag. In fact, it can keep a 12-pack of cans cold for hours, thanks to its (of course) repurposed insulation. We also like that you can carry it with either the handle or shoulder strap. It features a thin water bottle side pocket. Plus, it’s nice and svelte, like a messenger bag. So it may be a lot of things, but bulky definitely ain’t one of ‘em.

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Otter Products

Materials: TPU coated nylon, thermal insulation | Weight: 6.5 pounds | Capacity: 28 liters

It’s no surprise that a company whose original product was a thoroughly rugged, waterproof case designed to protect your phone and other small valuables would create such a sturdy “soft” cooler. While Otterbox may be slowly phasing this cooler out, it’s one we can’t recommend enough if you’d rather not worry about whether or not your soft cooler will survive an adventure. It’s not only tough as nails, but packs such cool features as a zipperless leakproof lid, respectable three-day ice retention and a connected bottle opener.

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Decathlon

Materials: Polyester cationic, TPU, PES 600 denier fabric, polyurethane insulation | Weight: 2.8 pounds | Capacity: 35 liters

Borrowing a trick from the self-inflating sleeping pads we can’t live without on camping trips, a simple twist of the Decathlon Quechua’s valve allows it to suck in air and spring to life. The company claims this cooler’s insulation can keep your items cool for up to 17 hours—without ice packs. So we certainly like this as a great soft cooler for traveling and day trips. In fact, you could even bring it on vacation, crumpling it into your luggage (and hoping it doesn’t get an inflated sense of itself along the journey). We love the included divider that helps you stack your snacks and beverages inside, along with the cooler’s three storage pockets. Just note that we mentioned ice packs above on purpose, since the inner compartment isn’t waterproof (i.e. for use with actual ice), without an optional liner that’s sold separately for $10. Still, it’s a highly functional and affordable soft cooler that’ll do you right on tons of day trips.

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Amazon

Materials: Nylon | Weight: 6.75 pounds | Capacity: 24 liters

Nothing challenges most soft coolers more than a hot, sunny day at the beach. But this is where the Titan Deep Freeze excels. Its all-terrain wheels not only help you trudge across the sand with otherwise backbreaking loads up to 100 pounds. Those same wheels—along with a strategic triple layer of insulation on the cooler’s bottom—help separate its contents from the scorching hot sand that is completely antithetical to the cooler’s mission. Best of all, this cooler is leak-proof and you can clean both inside and out with just a damp cloth and some soapy water. Additional features include an insulated front pocket, removable bottle opener and an adjustable shoulder strap, in case you’re looking for more of a workout.

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We embarked on a chilling quest to unearth the best soft coolers that promise to keep your summer adventures refreshingly cool. Our team of staffers and contributors embarked on beach excursions, camping escapades and even backyard picnics, rigorously putting soft coolers through their icy paces. But even beyond firsthand testing, our investigative measures extended to the internet, where we pored over online reviews and gathered valuable feedback from outdoor enthusiasts just like you. To lend a helping hand, we also sought the counsel of industry experts, tapping into their wealth of knowledge to gain further insights and perspectives.

After meticulous analysis and countless hours spent in the name of cooler greatness, we proudly present our carefully curated selection of the best soft coolers on the market. Whether you're planning a solo hike or a group camping trip, trust our tried-and-tested recommendations to keep your contents cool for hours (or days) at a time.

When the time comes to invest in a soft cooler, you’ll need to consider any number of factors that will dictate which model meets your needs. These include:

Start by determining how much storage space you’ll need. Not unlike hard coolers, soft coolers come in various sizes, and cooler brands will list the total size in quarts or liters. Consider how many drinks and food items you need to keep cold and how many people will need to use your cooler. From there, choose a size that best accommodates your needs.

Look for soft coolers with high-quality insulation materials like closed-cell foam or multiple layers of insulation. Check reviews or specifications to gauge the cooler's ability to maintain cold temperatures for extended periods, as most brands will list how long a soft cooler can maintain cold internal temperatures. The better your cooler is at insulating, the less time you’ll spend fretting over whether or not the contents have defrosted.

Assess how long the cooler can keep ice frozen. Should you need to keep ice in solid form for days at a time, you’ll want a cooler that sports better ice retention, especially if you’re packing it with perishable items like meats or dairy products that can spoil.

Consider the cooler's weight, dimensions and whether or not it employs comfortable carrying options like padded shoulder straps or handles. For longer journeys, backpack-style coolers will be much easier to carry from one destination to the next, especially if you’re traveling on foot.

The cooler's construction will determine whether or not it can keep up on your various adventures. Heavy-duty, waterproof fabrics like nylon or vinyl-coated polyester are common options among high-quality coolers, while reinforced seams and waterproof zippers contribute to long-lasting durability.

Look for a cooler with a removable liner or smooth interior, both of which make it easy to clean the cooler after use.

Some soft coolers feature additional storage options, such as external pockets for utensils, napkins or other assorted essentials. Such storage options aren’t always necessary, but they make it easier to tote your additional supplies from one destination to the next.

Consider how the cooler opens and closes. A zipper closure provides a secure seal, while flip-top or roll-top closures offer easy access to contents. At the end of the day, there’s no single opening style that’s better than others—it’s a matter of your preference.

Set a budget and compare coolers within that price range. While premium models may offer exceptional insulating performance, there are also budget-friendly options that provide good value for the money.

In many cases, it’s not such a clear-cut decision. For example, not all soft coolers are flimsy and inferior at ice retention; and not all hard coolers are bulkier and better insulated. But generally speaking, you may want to go with a hard-sided cooler if you’re looking for something that’s:

On the other hand, you might prefer a soft-sided cooler if you:

As with hiking backpacks, you’ll often see soft-sided cooler capacities measured in liters. But you may also run into quarts, which are pretty close (32 quarts is just over 30 liters). Where it gets tricky is that, in an attempt to be practical, some companies only describe their cooler volumes in terms of how many 12-ounce beverage cans they can hold. As a rule, you can multiply the number of quarts by 0.75 to roughly estimate the number of cans it can hold.

For example, a 32-quart cooler might be able to fit about 24 cans (as is the case with the Camelbak Chillbak mentioned above). Whereas another cooler of the same capacity (such as the Engel) might be rated to hold 48 cans. The main contributing factors in this wild fluctuation are the cooler’s shape—which plays a role in the amount of space between the cans—along with how much (if any) ice is included in the calculation. Bottom line: double-check the numbers provided on the product page.

One of the big benefits to a soft-sided cooler is that you may be able to put the whole cooler right into the fridge or freezer before packing it up. If not, you can still pre-chill the inside of it (which is ultimately the goal) with ice packs before actually loading it full. As with all coolers, it also makes a big difference if you chill the contents before placing them into the cooler—the ice only has to retain cold rather than establish coldness. It’s also worth noting that various manufacturers recommend different ice-to-goods ratios; but they tend to be either 2:1 or 1:1.

No. Never put dry ice in a soft cooler. If it doesn’t permanently damage the cooling chamber—and it very well may—you’ll still need to leave the cooler open enough to let out the resulting sublimated gas, thereby nullifying its potential benefits.

Although block ice is powerful and takes longer than traditional ice cubes to melt—making it a strong option for pre-chilling, as mentioned above—it tends to hog space in your cooler. So you may be better off just sticking with cubes, perhaps used in conjunction with a branded ice pack made specifically for your cooler. Other than the advantage of being able to reuse ice packs, the big benefit of this hybrid solution is that the ice pack(s) may actually freeze below 32 degrees, effectively keeping your cubes in tact longer.