Best SOFT Coolers From $30 and Up (HANDS-ON)
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Күн бұрынAre you looking for the best soft cooler like Yeti but cheaper? Welcome to the most comprehensive guide to the best soft coolers of 2023! Whether you're searching for the best backpack cooler for hiking adventures or the best large soft cooler for camping or family picnics, this guide has got you covered. 🧊❄️
📌 IN THIS VIDEO:
1. Ice Retention Test: See how these coolers really stand up to the test of time, and which one keeps your drinks chilled the longest.
2. Buying Guide: Learn what essential factors you need to consider before investing in a soft cooler.
3. Top 8 Soft Cooler Reviews: Dive deep into a hands-on review of 8 of the best soft-sided coolers on the market. Experience first-hand insights, pros, and cons, ensuring you make an informed choice.
🎒 WHY WATCH THIS?
If you're in the market for a new soft cooler, this guide is tailor-made for you. With the coolers right in front of me, I'll give you a first-hand look and insights into the strengths and drawbacks of each model. No fluff, no sponsored content, just honest reviews for genuine buyers.
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🎥 WATCH MORE awesome cooler reviews:
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🛍️ FIND THE COOLERS MENTIONED HERE:
⚡️ Cordova Backcountry Daypack Cooler - amzn.to/3EhYC5B
⚡️ RTIC Soft Pack Cooler - alnk.to/3ckfp9G or amzn.to/44x9TcO
⚡️ Titan by Arctic Zone Zipperless Hardbody Cooler - amzn.to/45T97Yu
⚡️ Engel HD30 - amzn.to/3szAVTx
⚡️ Titan by Arctic Zone Rolling Cooler - amzn.to/3PkslAY
⚡️ IceMule Pro - alnk.to/5jjlb5L or amzn.to/3Ejd25d or alnk.to/7M7WUpN
⚡️ Moosejaw Chilladilla Backpack - alnk.to/1C5qzBe
⚡️ Quechua Hiking Backpack Cooler - alnk.to/hDonQ1q
💬 HAVE QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS?
Leave a comment below! I'll do my best to get back to you.
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00:00 Ice Retention Test
04:59 Ice Retention Results
06:57 What To Look For
11:14 Best Overall Soft Coolers
17:51 Best Large Soft Coolers
23:43 Best Backpack Coolers
33:19 How To Choose a Soft Cooler
DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links in this description are affiliate links. If you click on a link we may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
⚡ Best Overall Small Soft Cooler - amzn.to/3EhYC5B ⚡ Best Large Soft Cooler - amzn.to/3szAVTx ⚡ Best Backpack Cooler - alnk.to/5jjlb5L *Affiliate links, FYI
@healthy2202 9 ай бұрын
I love the dedication. Keep up the good work.
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Thank you and will do!
@anthonytran3811 6 ай бұрын
Great job bro! Just what I needed!
@outdoorempirecom 6 ай бұрын
Glad to hear it!
@Pappagar 3 ай бұрын
I love my ice mule cooler. Did well on a boating trip for us, the backpack style is great for that.
@outdoorempirecom 3 ай бұрын
Good call!
@donjuandemarco4115 10 ай бұрын
A back pack strap broke on my black IceMule pro XL after about a year of use had miles of carry with it. Customer support sent me out a brand new cooler easily and didn’t ask for the broken one back. I love it so much I got the R-Jaunt 20l and used it on a recent vacation in Mexico. It came on every day trip and supplied a 8 person group of drinks easily. It also packed well in my luggage.
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Nice, great to hear about the customer service! And good point on being able to roll it up and pack it for a trip, nice feature as well.
@user-ih3zi6hr4c 10 ай бұрын
I’m a cooler junkie now and I like it. Great videos!!
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
Haha awesome! I didn't know it was a thing until I made a couple of these videos.
@amymanley9875 5 күн бұрын
Really helpful video! You pointed out all the features I'll look for in our next backpack cooler. Thank you!
@outdoorempirecom 4 күн бұрын
You're most welcome and thank you for watching!
@SE7ENinc1 10 ай бұрын
Absolutely pumped about this video. After the comment section decided that the hard yeti coolers just aren't cutting it on some of these trips anymore..
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
You and me both!
@nickrusso86 3 ай бұрын
Thanks for the great reviews. I've been looking for a good soft cooler and couldn't stomach buying the Yeti. I purchased the Cordova using your affiliate link.
@outdoorempirecom 2 ай бұрын
Good choice! And thanks so much for the support! I still like mine and use it.
@H4LFHUM4N 10 ай бұрын
Great video! Love how you break down your choices and give us a good look at how the coolers work. Just wanted to give a little more insight to the ICE Mule Pro that I didn’t see you touch on. The valve system on the ICE Mule is actually used to create more insulation. Once you put all of your ice and items in the cooler you can blow air into the valve to create more insulation between the outer layer and the insulation layer and thus increasing ice retention. Just thought I’d share 😊.
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing. That's an interesting concept seeing how most cooler companies claim air is ice's #1 enemy. I'll have to try that and see what happens.
@jaywellonsIII 10 ай бұрын
@@outdoorempirecom his point being that the air doesn't go into the actual cooler. It isn't an enemy because it is a separate layer like a vacuum bottle such as a Yeti or Hydroflask. The air layer in concept should make the ice last longer.
@eastpetersen Күн бұрын
Thanks so much for adding the Costco bag, that’s been my biggest curiosity.
@bobbygeorge3 22 күн бұрын
Great video, lots of effort you put into this. I have owned the engel HD30 for a few years now, still going strong. One thing to note, and I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned yet, but on the engel HD30, the vacuum port isnt to remove excess air from the interior chamber where the food and ice are. Its to remove the excess air from the walls so the insulation can do its job. Opening the top of the cooler after vacuuming the air out will not undo what you did. I vacuum mine before each trip to increase performance. It does help! Thanks again for the great video
@outdoorempirecom 20 күн бұрын
Thanks for pointing that out. I clearly missed that as well. But it seems obvious now since there is no port or hole on the inner lining.
@DukeHard 2 ай бұрын
The Titan is junk. My titan stays in an Ac patrol vehicle all day. I'll be lucky if it's lukewarm by mid day of a 12 hour shift. Don't throw your money away.
@outdoorempirecom 2 ай бұрын
Good to know!
@PetePuebla 14 күн бұрын
😮😮😮😮 And I just bought one.
@wades623 14 күн бұрын
@@PetePuebla could always bring it back
@justinconnor6661 5 күн бұрын
I thought about the Titan guide series cooler. The Titan with the hard interior liner doesn’t seem to be that good.
@radioactivemike1 11 күн бұрын
I have 2 rtic coolers about that size and larger. Both have failed corners on the lid top. I used some glue to slow the failure, but they are not water tight now. One cooler has a failed zipper so I can’t close the lid now. BUT, they are both 8 years old. They also seem better built with more features than the current versions. I’ll buy something else to replace, probably Cordova. Thanks for the great video!
@JayeK47 7 күн бұрын
On the water tight coolers with zippers - those zippers absolutely need periodic lubrication or they will fail prematurely. Before first use and afterwards when the zipper starts feeling stiff - lubricate it inside and out. Just a pea size blob on the zipper park and one more somewhere along the middle. Some coolers come with a tube of lubricant with purchase. For those that don't or if you run out, you can purchase zipper lubricant where sewing supplies are sold or if you can't find it, silicone plumbers' grease will do the job just as well. Use only silicone grease, petroleum based grease will degrade plastic and rubberized fabric coatings.
@nauticman2707 10 ай бұрын
Great video. Waterproof zippers is the biggest thing I notice as you go between price tiers. On warranty, I'm on my 3rd yeti flip 12 each time the 3yr warranty reset, zipper teeth broke each time. So yes not cheap but when I got 3 for that price can't complain. 2nd time they asked me if I wanted to upgrade to a tundra for free.
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
Good point! Great to hear they took good care of you.
@txmarine7557 Ай бұрын
I'm done with Yeti for the same reason. My company has purchased over 20 and the zippers are broke on all of them
@HotshotDan 8 ай бұрын
Perfect timing
@outdoorempirecom 8 ай бұрын
Glad to hear it!
@HolmesFans2 7 ай бұрын
Titan seems like the ultimate beer cooler. Good insulation, built decent enough, and easier to get into compared to the hard to open RTIC, Yeti, etc zippers that take two hands. Plus if you are opening it every 30 minutes it doesn't really need 1.5" insulation cause air is constantly getting in Thanks for the vid!
@outdoorempirecom 7 ай бұрын
You bet, and great points! The quick access is definitely a nice feature on those Titans. Plus they're pretty cheap!
@anthonybarker9123 8 күн бұрын
I work in a steel stamping/heat treatment plant with no AC (it's been getting to over 115 inside this past week). I use the 30-can Titan for my lunchbox. It might not hold Ice as long, but with two ice packs It keeps everything freezing cold for 13-hour shifts and I can get into them with 1 hand quickly.
@caribbeanbound8357 2 ай бұрын
The Cons of the Moosejaw are that the rubber zipper fails after the first couple uses. Walmart wont accept returns after 90 days and Moosejaw claims they don't have to honor their own warranty after it is sold from the retailer! I've never heard something so nonsensical. These items are too expensive for regular people to jsut blow money on and then be told to eat the cost of the poor quality.
@outdoorempirecom 2 ай бұрын
That is ridiculous. Since I did this video, Moosejaw was bought out by Dick's Sporting Goods. They cut the Ice Fort hard cooler line entirely. Perhaps that has influenced customer service as well. Too bad.
@raybenitez9699 14 күн бұрын
I came here for the coolers and got coolers+. Nice Nordiques Hat btw.
@outdoorempirecom 14 күн бұрын
Glad to hear it. Go Nords! R.I.P.
@JWP6948 3 ай бұрын
Great review my man! I carry mail for a living and them LLV's are usually 15-20 degrees hotter than the outside temp and all last year had great luck with the RTIC brand backpack cooler! Thing I hate is it isn't a waterproof zipper but I just throw some of their branded ice packs in there and have ice cold drinks/snacks all day long. If the wife says you gotta clean feel free to send me that RTIC 😂😂
@outdoorempirecom 3 ай бұрын
Awesome! Thanks for watching and for the comment. Good tips too. I'll let you know about that RTIC. 😉
@UncleRichard. 2 ай бұрын
I deliver mail also! I've been using the backpack cooler from Costco, Titan deep freeze. Its nice for a $35 backpack but the quality isn't there for the long term, especially with the abuse it takes in the LLV. I just switched to the Grizzly drifter 12+ which is really nice but doesn't really have a good place in the truck. Its rough out here haha.
@007cheburashka 21 күн бұрын
Would like to see an update with a Yeti Hopper Flip!
@mrbryguy5831 6 ай бұрын
He’s right I’ll never need to keep ice frozen for more than a handful of hrs at best lol I do appreciate quality though. I Bought a icemule because it doesn’t leak at all on top of that I can use it to get groceries on my motorcycle 👌🏾
@outdoorempirecom 6 ай бұрын
Nice! The IceMule sounds perfect for that.
@user-ul5yu5hk9k 10 ай бұрын
Great review. The coho soft cooler is also very good
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
Good to know!
@Edge__Tv 2 ай бұрын
I have that same rtic cooler. Worth every penny and super reliable
@outdoorempirecom 2 ай бұрын
Nice!
@tonym8358 Ай бұрын
Until the zipper is cracked will be useless
@polockexpress 27 күн бұрын
Crazy all the coolers i didnt know existed in your videos.. we have very few choices in alaska at the stores. Im surprised more dont have lights in them like that frog one ..that was 😎
@outdoorempirecom 23 күн бұрын
Ya that light is a clever touch.
@MidNiteBlueRose9 26 күн бұрын
Thank you for your wonderful research and review! If you are doing this again sometime could you try a geckobrands backback cooler? Work gave us one for free but our sporting store (Scheels) has them currently for $50. I absolutely love it! It holds ice over night and after 3 days the ice was all melted but still hadn't leaked out. Thats a win for my kitchen! Also cleaned up nicely after getting salt all over the inside. Not sure how that happened. But if you do one of these again check it out!
@outdoorempirecom 23 күн бұрын
Will do, thanks for the tip!
@mikemazzi226 Ай бұрын
Great videos ! I will like to know about the chiladilla 36 cans with the latch leak proof and the titan same latch.
@outdoorempirecom Ай бұрын
Noted thanks!
@Rackus82 4 ай бұрын
Selling a brand new Moosejaw Chilladilla on Offer Up rite now for 75 bucks....come and get it!
@maldog5118 3 күн бұрын
Great videos. Could you do a comparative review of fish kill cooler bags? Not a lot of info out there on them.
@RIDDICKOFONE 5 ай бұрын
Yukon ice chest and backpack is part of igloo, but made in the USA Texas and Michigan.
@outdoorempirecom 5 ай бұрын
Good to know.
@greenmonkey7305 3 ай бұрын
15:46 Both Rtic coolers I’ve had had zipper failures within a three year span each. When those fail the cooler is then unusable. A top that cannot close is useless as a cooler.
@outdoorempirecom 3 ай бұрын
That's great insight, thanks for sharing.
@polockexpress 27 күн бұрын
Like your real world experiments ! Have you ever tried the beach coolers with big wheels ? I'm curious to how the hold up... can you try them sometime?
@outdoorempirecom 23 күн бұрын
I've tried a few. I did another video on coolers with wheels.
@charogne1840 9 ай бұрын
Nice Nordiques cap!
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Cheers!
@tonysalinas4439 4 ай бұрын
Scored a chilla dilla for 50$ today pretty stoked
@outdoorempirecom 4 ай бұрын
Sweeeeeet! 🤑
@albertterrazas9605 8 ай бұрын
I guess I'll take one of your 50 coolers haha thanks
@outdoorempirecom 8 ай бұрын
Haha, you're welcome. It is becoming a problematic and space consuming habit. 😂
@kawenacanady1519 23 күн бұрын
Can you do a soft cooler with ice packs test
@theflyerpr40d 9 ай бұрын
How does the Oyster vacuum insulated compare to the RTIC? Using ice on a camping trip? Thanks
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
The Oyster will last longer. I took it on a 3 day 2 night campout and had regular ice and sodas in or and it kept those drinks delightfully chilly all weekend and there was still a bunch of ice when we got home. On another trip that softshell RTIC held some fresh food and half ice and the ice was spent after 2 nights, all water.
@theflyerpr40d 9 ай бұрын
@@outdoorempirecom o wow that is a huge difference. I have the 30 can RTIC and like you say by the 2nd day there was no ice, only water. Capacity wise is one much bigger than the other or they can carry about the same stuff? Do you have the weight of the Oyster with the shoulder strap? Thanks!
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
@@theflyerpr40d The Oyster is definitely larger inside. Can hold 36 cans with the two ice packs included with it. But with ice, cut that in half about. The Oyster is also heavier than the RTIC soft cooler, but it's not near as heavy as a typical hard cooler.
@theflyerpr40d 9 ай бұрын
@@outdoorempirecom thanks for the detailed reply! That help a lot!
@rwest5386 7 күн бұрын
I went to order the Cordova recently, after seeing another of your videos only to see "preorder now for October delivery" WTF!
@gonefishingapodaca 10 ай бұрын
Bison coolers makes a soft cooler made in the USA
@outdoorempirecom 10 ай бұрын
Good to know, I'll check it out. Thanks!
@S.L.1211 9 ай бұрын
Is that a Welch Springer Spaniel or a Brittany?
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
A Brittany! His name is Huck and he's an old fella.
@UncleRichard. 3 ай бұрын
Grizzly coolers are made in the USA with a LIFETIME WARRANTY!
@outdoorempirecom 3 ай бұрын
Yep, got me one recently and tested it out in another video.
@UncleRichard. 2 ай бұрын
@@outdoorempirecom Could you review the Grizzly Drifter series of coolers? I think the lunch cooler market from these high end makers is being ignored! I need a cooler that can hold my lunch/drinks as well as my light tools/pens/sunglasses ect. thanks!
@sethq3676 2 ай бұрын
Does anyone have or tried the Magellan outdoors pro 24?
@outdoorempirecom 2 ай бұрын
I don't have any experience, no Academy Sports in my area. But it seems like a decent cooler and I believe it comes at a reasonable price.
@riffle91ar 9 ай бұрын
I am bummed there wasn't an igloo backpack cooler in there. As I just bought one and it's solid so far. It was 30 plus tax. Holds 24 cans. Chest strap. I like it right now.
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing! I'll check that out in the future.
@mateograndpa1760 6 ай бұрын
If I’m going to be carrying beer for survival than we can all just carry a refrigerator and a generator
@outdoorempirecom 6 ай бұрын
🤔
@jamesliber5496 10 ай бұрын
We are from the PLIDINNA brand.We have a lot to about high-value products that would be of interest to you? We have sent you an email inviting you to take a look.
@user-jm2bl3un9x 9 ай бұрын
Bison soft coolers are not imported.
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Good to know, I'll check them out!
@blink4nico 9 ай бұрын
No Yeti cooler?!
@outdoorempirecom 9 ай бұрын
Nope I checked one out in store, but couldn't justify the $300 price tag when others like the RTIC and Cordova only ran $120 for something just as good. I'm sure there soft coolers are excellent, Yeti makes quality gear!
@blink4nico 9 ай бұрын
@@outdoorempirecom but in order to be fair and comprehensive in your fun review, your need it. Because Decathlon (even if I m French) doesn’t deserve to be in your review. By the way don’t forget REi who sells one. Usually REi is always good in quality/price.
@HolmesFans2 7 ай бұрын
I never plan on buying a Yeti, but I've seen other tests that show despite being "identical" the Yeti soft cooler has a more dense insulation and keeps ice longer than the RTIC. Could be worth a test in the future @@outdoorempirecom
@CHEVYLAWLESS 9 сағат бұрын
UPS driver .. i currently run a Titan Cooler the large one which is a beast (not a yeti fanboy lol ) but Been in the market for a backpack cooler… i appreciate you 🫡
Homemade Wanderlust
Рет қаралды 4,3 МЛН