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A portable soft cooler is an excellent alternative to a hard-sided model that can be hard to pack. Clear Crossbody Bag
A soft cooler might not have the rugged appeal of a hard-sided model, but these insulating and portable coolers are ideal for anything from a boat ride to a day at the beach to a local picnic. Often, you can also pack them inside a larger backpack or suitcase to take with you on your next vacation. We love how flexible and lightweight soft coolers are, plus how easy they are to clean. The best soft coolers hold ice without excessive melting for long days in the heat, have secure zippers and closures, and are easy to carry and transport. We especially appreciate models with extra pockets for organizing smaller cold items.
We tested a range of coolers in different materials and capacities, and narrowed it down to the best options for insulation, leak-proofing, and value. These soft coolers provided our drinks and snacks while camping, enjoying sporting events, and during beach days — these are our top picks.
This durable cooler has a deceptively large capacity and incredible ice retention.
While the sides are soft, it is so well-insulated it can’t be folded down for packing.
Yeti’s Hopper Flip is our favorite option thanks to impressively watertight closures, a versatile mid-range capacity, and the well-designed build Yeti is known for. Though this cooler is just one large compartment, we appreciate that it includes Yeti's "hitch point grid" where you can attach smaller accessories to the exterior. It’s easy to carry thanks to the nicely padded shoulder strap, and the handles on the cooler itself are ergonomic and support a heavy load comfortably. We didn’t see any ice melting during our first 2.5-hour test, and were impressed during our longer days out as well.
Yeti has made a name for themselves with highly reliable, roto-molded hard-sided coolers, and their foray into soft coolers left us extremely pleased. This cooler also floats, which is great news for anyone taking it out on the boat or on a day spent fishing off a dock.
The Details: 12.6 x 11.5 x 10 inches | 11.7-liter capacity | 3.4 pounds | 840D thermoplastic urethane, closed-cell foam, andEVA | 18-hour ice retention
The roll-top closure and collapsible design is easy to use and store.
It would be nice to have a separate pocket or two for organization.
Both our ice packs and loose ice stayed intact in this cooler during extended sunny outings, and our drinks stayed delightfully cold and crisp. The roll-top closure is simple to open and close and allowed us to see inside easily, plus it was easy to pack. The bag is tall and narrow, which made it comfortable to pick up and strap on, and had an even weight distribution while fully loaded. We did find the sternum strap sat kind of awkwardly across our chest, but it’s fairly easy to adjust along the webbing. The padding on the back and through the straps was comfortable, and we haven’t noticed any wear and tear during the test period.
This is one of the less structured coolers we tested, which makes it easy to pack and store, and we think will contribute to its durability (less corners to get dinged up). Finally, we loved that we could adjust the size of the bag when we had smaller loads, and it cleans out with a few wipes.
The Details: 17 x 14 x 11 inches | 12-liter capacity | 3.5 pounds | 1000D ripstop vinyl, nylon, and polyester | 10-hour ice retention
The wide opening and generous width fit a full-size veggie tray.
This has less ice retention in direct light than others we tested.
We tested this extra-large soft cooler in direct sunlight in Tennessee as well as on a boat trip in upstate New York. The cooler didn’t keep the ice totally intact during the Tennessee outing, but when we replaced the ice overnight it held up quite well. We had better luck in the more temperate outings in New York, and experienced much lower ice melting during our lake outings.
The cooler is easy to carry and we love how wide the opening is — it’s large enough to fit a full-size veggie tray and beverage cans around the rest of the space. This cooler holds more than 40 cans (sans ice and veggies) and is highly leakproof, with welded seams and a waterproof zipper. It’s made with a rugged 600-denier polyester shell and is reasonably lightweight for how much it holds. Plus, it comes in plenty of fun colors.
The Details: 10.4 x 24 x 15 inches | 26-liter capacity | 2.9 pounds | 600D polyester | 10-hour ice retention
The versatility and durability make this ideal for every outing from a sporting event to grocery hauls.
The zipper needs regular reapplication of the provided zipper lube.
We tested this cooler with loose ice and experienced very minimal melting, despite giving it a run for its money with a picnic on an 80-degree day. We used this for park outings, grocery runs, and beach days, loving the wide opening and larger capacity to haul a whole load of cans and refrigerated food. We will say, it can feel somewhat bulky to carry with a lot of items inside, but we appreciate the tote handles and adjustable shoulder strap that make it as easy as possible.
We fit 24 cans in this cooler (plus ice) and were able to enjoy cold drinks all day, and we found this just as good to throw in the back of a car for a sporting event as it is to walk to the grocery store and carry food home. Despite the low weight and flexibility of this cooler, it’s surprisingly durable, springing back into shape no matter how tight of a space we crammed it into.
The Details: 17 x 11 x 8 inches | 12-liter capacity | 3 pounds | Rubber and polyester | 14-hour ice retention
The smaller footprint makes this more portable and versatile.
The zipper isn’t watertight, so we had to deal with some leakage.
This cooler could have easily won the “best style” award with its unique, down-jacket type baffles and sleek backpack design. The materials felt tough and premium right out of the box, and we haven’t noticed any wear and tear throughout the test period. It’s one of the lightest coolers on our list, weighing under one pound but still capable of holding up to 15 cans. We loved the comfort of this cooler as well as its packable, collapsible design.
Because this is lighter, it does have less insulating materials than the more rugged coolers we tested, and your food and drinks won’t stay quite as cool as heftier models. That said, for moderate weather or shorter outings where it isn’t imperative that your ice stays solid, this is a convenient cooler that can tuck into its own stuff sack for easy storage.
The Details: 18 x 9 x 5 inches | 14-liter capacity | 14.75 pounds | Ripstop nylon and synthetic insulation | 6-hour ice retention
This level of insulation is perfect for long days in direct sun.
The strap padding isn’t sufficient for over-the-shoulder carrying when fully packed.
This tough cooler impressed us with its durability and insulation, from the zippers to the exterior fabric to the handles. We found the carrying setup to be similar to a duffel bag, and, during one of our warmer tests (outside in direct sunlight on a 75-degree day), the contents stayed cool and fresh. RTIC markets this cooler as capable of staying cold for up to two days, which is feasible as long as you don’t mind some ice melting. We preferred to carry this cooler in hand rather than over our shoulder, as the longer strap padding didn’t quite feel plush enough when fully loaded.
This cooler was perfect for packing snacks, sandwiches, and drinks for a family of four for a full day. We’d recommend it for everything from a day trip to the beach to an all-day boat outing, and would feel comfortable leaving it out in the sun and still having the contents stay edible. RTIC’s cooler has welded seams and a watertight zipper, and we also appreciated the external zipper pocket for small items like keys or snacks you won’t want to get wet. Finally, this model is designed to float, so you have some time to grab it in case of an overturned tube on your next river trip.
The Details: 15.5 × 13 × 11.5 inches | 11-liter capacity | 4 pounds | Rubber and polyester | 24-hour ice retention
This cooler has plenty of capacity, but is still easy for one person to carry.
It’s probably best for shorter trips or providing snacks for one to two people.
This lightweight, deceptively compact cooler has expandable side buckles for the full 17 liters of capacity, then folds down to a neat, tidy shape for smaller cargo days. The waterproof lining held up its promise of leak-proof security, and we found the handles to be sturdy and easy to carry, even when the cooler was fully loaded. We used this as our cooler for sunny beach excursions, and our drinks were still delightfully cold throughout the day. Loose ice had slightly melted after four hours, but the interior held its chilly temperature without condensation on the outside.
We appreciated the multiple ways to carry this cooler, including the padded handles and removable cross-body strap, and the multi-purpose design functions as a cooler as well as a beach tote. We packed it full of drinks, food, sunscreen, and towels and it was a terrific all-in-one bag, especially considering the budget-friendly price.
The Details: 12.5 x 10.5 x 8 inches | 17-liter capacity | 1.6 pounds | Polyester | 6-hour ice retention
The convenience of a wheeled cooler and portability of a soft-sided model is a great combination.
The insulation is thinner than others we tested, and didn’t hold ice as long.
While wheeled coolers aren’t typically known for their portability, Dbest’s compact, collapsible cooler is the best of both worlds. We were able to assemble this in less than two minutes, and the instructions were very straightforward. It was easy to access the main compartment thanks to the wide-mouth zipper, and we especially loved the external pockets where we stashed sunscreen, keys, our phone, and small snacks. The vinyl interior can be cleaned out easily with warm water and a few drops of dish soap, though the outside is a little harder to get clean and free of sand.
We did a 24-hour test with ice and canned drinks, and while the drinks were still cool to the touch after a full day, the ice was about 50 percent melted, which makes sense considering the insulation is thinner on this cooler than others we tested. But the wheels roll smoothly and the cooler collapses down for easy storage, the telescoping handle locks easily into place, and the exterior is a tough nylon weave with a high level of abrasion resistance. We’d recommend this for everything from a day at the park to a grocery store trip where you don’t want to carry a heavy cooler load over your shoulder, and the fact that it folds down flat makes it perfect for small spaces or cars with minimal trunk space.
The Details: 12 x 10 x 36 inches | 16-liter capacity | 3 pounds | Nylon and vinyl | 5-hour ice retention
We have tested a lot of coolers and some didn’t make the top list, but are still worth checking out. Here are the coolers that weren’t our absolute top favorites, but will work for plenty of travelers.
Hydro Flask 12 L Carry Out Soft Cooler: This handy little cooler kept our drinks cold and ice mostly intact during a beach day. It’s easy to clean and easy to carry, but the size is fairly standard and there are no added special features.
Out of the Woods Insulated Lunch Cooler: This affordable cooler is great for small-capacity needs, and we were impressed with how well it’s held up over time. Our main complaint is that the shoulder strap could be more padded, and since it isn’t watertight, we recommend ice packs instead of ice.
Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Cooler: This is a good budget option for shorter outings, but we found the ice retention to be subpar, and the closure was not watertight.
To find the best soft coolers, we sent our expert testers a wide array of coolers of varying price points, materials, ice retention claims, and sizes. We had our testers fill the coolers with both ice and ice packs, taking them out for multiple test trips of at least a few hours each time. Our testers catalogued the weather and conditions (including temperature and whether or not the cooler was in direct sunlight).
We filled our coolers with 50 percent ice and 50 percent food and drink, then checked throughout the day to gauge ice melt and how cold the products were. We also noted portability, durability, leak-proofing on the closures, and whether or not each product held up to its claims.
This should go without saying, but the longer your insulation keeps your food and drinks cold, the better the cooler is doing its job. We have a range of ice-retention results in our coolers, (from five to 24 hours) but look for at least five hours without significant melting. That said, “ice retention” is a tricky metric, and will vary depending on everything from air temperature to how direct the sun is.
If you’re using a soft cooler, chances are you want a more portable option than a heavy hard-sided model. Look for coolers that have a few different carrying options, including a shoulder strap and a duffle-style handle. Padding on the straps is also helpful for when you’re carrying a full load. And some coolers are shaped for carrying better than others. A wide, square-shaped cooler won’t feel as natural to carry over your shoulder as a narrow model or tote-style cooler. And if you really aren’t in the mood to carry the cooler, consider a wheeled option for easy rolling.
Since most coolers will be used outside, consider both outdoor temperature and terrain. A smooth exterior material will work better for shedding sand after beach days, as opposed to a textured nylon or polyester, which will be harder to brush the sand from. And if you think you’ll be in direct sunlight for long periods of time (like a hot beach day), you’ll want a cooler with more insulation and longer ice retention. If you’re mostly going to use your cooler for shorter outings in moderate temperatures (or quick grocery runs), you can use a lighter model with less insulation.
Roto-molded hard coolers have multiple layers of insulative materials, while soft coolers put an emphasis on lighter weight and portability. You’re going to give up some of the insulation with a more portable model, though you’ll find a range of insulation in both hard cooler and soft coolers, so be sure to check the manufacturer’s claims for ice retention in both categories.
A soft cooler can last many years as long as you take good care of it. This means cleaning out the inside to prevent mold and mildew, and always storing it fully dried. Make sure to keep sand and debris out of the zipper and other closures, and store it out of direct sunlight.
Yes, you can absolutely put ice in a soft cooler. We often prefer ice packs to prevent liquid floating around in our cooler once the ice inevitably melts, but blocks of ice will work better than small pieces, and won’t harm the inside of your cooler.
Maggie Slepian is an avid hiker, backpacker, and trail runner who tests hundreds of items each year, from hiking shoes and headphones to protein bars. She spends plenty of time at lakes, on boats, and front-country camping, and uses soft coolers for everything from fly fishing lunches to road trip drinks. The soft coolers in this article came from intensive testing from the Travel + Leisure team, as well as knowledge from Maggie’s own testing.
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