Soft Cooler Options

I’m interested in hearing from guys who own the various smaller soft coolers like the Yeti Hopper, RTIC SoftPak, etc.

Here’s the situation, I have larger RTIC coolers and they work great, but the cooler I use the most is my truck cooler which is an older one with pretty much no insulation. It burns up its load of ice every day.

I’d like a smaller cooler like a 30-35 quart that actually keeps ice for more than 8 hours. 2-3 days is the goal. The Yeti Road Trip and similar RTIC RTC 20 rotomolded coolers are just too small, they wouldn’t carry enough drinks and ice for what I need. Rotomolded coolers are also too big and heavy for this purpose once you get into the size I need. This cooler goes with me working at the hunting property, fishing in the boat, etc.

So I’m looking at the soft cooler options because they have higher capacity without being so big and heavy. Question is how does the Hopper or SoftPak 40 (30-35 quarts) hold ice? Will it last for 2-3 days if the drinks are cold going in?

Grouse

I was with a group that had a few of the RTIC softsides this weekend, beverages went in Friday around noon and were still cold Sunday after opening all weekend. I don’t recall how much ice was left however.

I think these ones were a year or two old, and if I remember correctly the zipper was kind of a pain to open on them (pretty tight). My brother has 1-2 of them, so I will have to try them again. It looks like the Yeti has a single strait zipper which might function easier.

I was going to buy an Ozark Trail soft-sided cooler they have at Walmart. Looks like they are built pretty good for the price point. However, after inspecting them closer, I didn’t like how much effort it took to open the zipper (pretty tight). I realize this is probably necessary to hold ice, but I am in and out of the cooler too often to fight with a zipper that much.

How about Pelican?

Pelican Soft Coolers

Two options that I have that both work well:

Yeti Hopper II 40 – keeps beverages cold for 2-3 days so long as you pre-cool it. It’s a great cooler but for the money I think there are better values. I look at it kinda like a ladies purse – you can spend less and get the same functionality but hey, it a name brand. Also, it has no additional storage which I think sucks.

AO Coolers: https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/vinyl-series.html

I have the 15 pack and the 48 pack. You can buy all 3 sizes for the same price or less than a Yeti and they are nearly as good. They have extra storage which is really nice and if you keep the cooler out of direct sunlight ice will last a long time. Same as the Yeti, you have to pre-cool these coolers.

I’d strongly recommend the AO before spending a bunch on a Yeti. I ordered mine through amazon and didn’t pay shipping.

311hemi wrote:

I think these ones were a year or two old, and if I remember correctly the zipper was kind of a pain to open on them (pretty tight). My brother has 1-2 of them, so I will have to try them again. It looks like the Yeti has a single strait zipper which might function easier.

Yes, I was questioning whether the zippers would be an issue, either too hard to open or a durability issue. I suppose you can’t have it both ways, if you want ice retention you have to stop air flow.

lindyrig79 wrote:

I was going to buy an Ozark Trail soft-sided cooler they have at Walmart. Looks like they are built pretty good for the price point.

These seem to get pretty good reviews for the price point, but the 40 quart is tall and narrow and no way will that stand up on its own in a boat or truck. So I can see this thing leaking all over everything every time it tips over.

I like the RTIC design better, a wider base and less tippy.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

How about Pelican?

I’m going to guess these come in at a price point similar to Yeti.

Beyond ice retention, this cooler gets used every week of the year in the summer. So main concern is how do the soft sides hold up to daily use? Are they tough enough or do they start coming apat, zippers break, leaks, etc?

Thanks for the replies.

Grouse

I have an RTIC 30. Yes, the zipper is very tight. I have not necessarily tested it, but it will easily hold ice for 2+ days in a relatively warm environment. I had it strapped to the bed of my SXS for a 100+ mile ride once and it had over 50% of the ice at the end of the day. To put it into perspective, the catalytic converter was directly below the cooler and those put out some SERIOUS heat. No leaks to speak of in over a year.

I have the RTIC in 20… its going to Canada with me next week. The zippers are so tight, because they are spill proof also. Love mine

I have a few size’s of the 2 cool coolers from the state fair that have been great and so is their service. 1-800-969-4583 softcoolers.com

Costco carries a soft cooler that’s ‘TITAN’ brand. It’s roomy, looks really well made, and comes in quite a bit lower than the YETIs. Equivalent in size to the RTIC 40 I believe.

https://www.costco.com/California-Innovations—Titan-RF-Welded-35-Quart-Soft-Sided-Cooler.product.100378013.html

Sold out online, but I think they might still have in stores.

Some soft coolers promote ‘spill proof’ zippers and others don’t. I’d personally go for the spill proof.

Another soft cooler suggestion. If you are lazy like me, you will sometimes forget to unpack a cooler, leave it in the sun and next time you open it up you have moldy nasty cooler syndrome. That’s okay, buy some of these!

https://www.containerstore.com/s/kitchen/food-storage/on-the-go-lunch-boxes/icy-cools-reusable-ice-cubes/123d?productId=10004856&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=tcscompshop&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google&cid=cse:PLA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiOnxtJTA2wIVWZ7ACh1nkA9yEAQYASABEgKcLPD_BwE

They don’t stay frozen quite as long as regular ice, but with a nice cooler I think you’d be fine. They are also more flexible than the hard plastic ice cubes. Plus the soft plastic outside gets your items in contact with the ice better than the more rigid style reusables.

Nothing gets wet in the cooler, and I just pop them in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight. Also great for keeping worms or something in a small cooler, they are washable and won’t melt into the bait.

I’ve got an RTIC 30 and 40. They’re good coolers, but as mentioned the zippers are tough, especially in colder temps.

They hold ice pretty good for what they are. They get used all the time and are very tough.

I’ve yet to poke a hole in either after a couple years of consistent use.

I won a Calcutta soft cooler at a banquet and I am very happy with it. Now that I own one I would have a tough time going without it

I bought a RTIC 30 a month ago as my igloo lunch cooler couldn’t hold ice until noon. I am very impressed with this cooler so far. I bought it when they were having their so called price wars. Got it for just over $100 and worth every penny!!! Yes the zipper is somewhat hard and requires two hand operation but I’m willing to put up with it if it holds ice which it does excellently!

Just go with the Yeti.

Spend your money and support a company who hasn’t turned their backs on sportsmen and the 2nd amendment.. I wont buy any Yeti Products anymore.

There are coolers for less money as good as Yeti.

I have been running the Ozark Trail soft coolers for 4 or 5 years now and they work really good for the price. They aren’t perfect though… They do tip fairly easy, so you do want to set something next to them if you expect a rough ride. The first couple I got had much tougher zippers than the new ones, and they never leaked when tipped. I have had a couple friends break the zipper pull off on the new ones, but mine is still holding in there after a couple summers of heavy use. The new zippers do leak slightly if they are left laying on their side for a long time, but it’s minimal. I normally run frozen water bottles for ice and they are normally still partially frozen come Sunday if they were loaded up on Friday. We also used it to strictly hold extra ice while in Montana and after 3 days of not being opened at all the frozen bottles were barely melted! That’s pretty good if you ask me for a cooler I paid 40 bucks for!

They aren’t the best coolers on the market, but for the price of the high end ones I have trouble justifying a different one for what that’s worth!

YETI YETI YETI, DON’T BUY ONE BECAUSE YOU WILL SOON HAVE 3 OR 4.

Matt Moen wrote:

Two options that I have that both work well:

Yeti Hopper II 40 – keeps beverages cold for 2-3 days so long as you pre-cool it. It’s a great cooler but for the money I think there are better values. I look at it kinda like a ladies purse – you can spend less and get the same functionality but hey, it a name brand. Also, it has no additional storage which I think sucks.

AO Coolers: https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/vinyl-series.html

I have the 15 pack and the 48 pack. You can buy all 3 sizes for the same price or less than a Yeti and they are nearly as good. They have extra storage which is really nice and if you keep the cooler out of direct sunlight ice will last a long time. Same as the Yeti, you have to pre-cool these coolers.

I’d strongly recommend the AO before spending a bunch on a Yeti. I ordered mine through amazon and didn’t pay shipping.

I think I am going to try one of these AO’s. Thanks.

philtickelson wrote:

Costco carries a soft cooler that’s ‘TITAN’ brand. It’s roomy, looks really well made, and comes in quite a bit lower than the YETIs. Equivalent in size to the RTIC 40 I believe.
https://www.costco.com/California-Innovations—Titan-RF-Welded-35-Quart-Soft-Sided-Cooler.product.100378013.html

Sold out online, but I think they might still have in stores.

Maple Grove Costco has a bunch of these. They were $140 if I remember correctly. They also had these 16 can models for $20 https://arcticzone.com/catalog/product/titan-16-can-zipperless-cooler/

suzuki wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
Two options that I have that both work well:

Yeti Hopper II 40 – keeps beverages cold for 2-3 days so long as you pre-cool it. It’s a great cooler but for the money I think there are better values. I look at it kinda like a ladies purse – you can spend less and get the same functionality but hey, it a name brand. Also, it has no additional storage which I think sucks.

AO Coolers: https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/vinyl-series.html

I have the 15 pack and the 48 pack. You can buy all 3 sizes for the same price or less than a Yeti and they are nearly as good. They have extra storage which is really nice and if you keep the cooler out of direct sunlight ice will last a long time. Same as the Yeti, you have to pre-cool these coolers.

I’d strongly recommend the AO before spending a bunch on a Yeti. I ordered mine through amazon and didn’t pay shipping.

I think I am going to try one of these AO’s. Thanks.

The 15 pack is great for a single day fishing with 1 person. Used mine yesterday for a meal and a few beers on the river.

I’d like to recant my comments about the RTIC cooler zippers being hard to open…..

There is a little tube of zipper lubricant in the front pocket….never put it on until today.

Makes opening the zipper about a hundred times easier

Way to read the instructions. Typical male.

Got an RTIC SoftPak 40 for Father’s Day and (bonus!) it came loaded with beer and ice. Score!

It’s going to Canada with me next week, so that’ll be the first real test. Looks to be well made and the zipper is not as difficult to work as I’d thought even before applying the zipper lube.

I think this will be perfect for what I need. It’s about 3 inches taller than the cooler it replaces, which is great because that cooler was not big enough for a weekend of drinks AND the required ice to keep them cold. It’s also very light, that’s another problem with the rotomolded coolers, even empty they are too dang heavy.

Field report after first big trip.

Grouse

B-man wrote:

I’d like to recant my comments about the RTIC cooler zippers being hard to open…..

There is a little tube of zipper lubricant in the front pocket….never put it on until today.

Makes opening the zipper about a hundred times easier

hahahaha exactly b-man! I was going to say the exact same thing.
now if i could just find that zipper lube again….

I am also in the market of getting a new soft side cooler and the Engel ones have caught my eye. I like the idea of the smaller backpack cooler that is 23 quarts and the larger 32 quarts one also looks nice. Has anyone tried these coolers? It says it will keep beverages cold for 4.5 days in 90° temperatures.
https://www.engelcoolers.com/prym1-shoreline-camo-backpack-cooler.html
https://www.engelcoolers.com/32qt-waterproof-soft-sided-bag-blue-1.html

We bought a Polar Bear Cooler last year and are happy with the purchase. Never tested the 24-hour ice claim, but it has always kept stuff plenty cold for our needs. It is very well built.

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/nylon-coolers/24-pack.html

These new OtterBox coolers look pretty slick

https://www.otterbox.com/en-us/trooper-lt-30/soft-cooler/otr63-cooler-30.html

soft case + wide opening + no sticky zippers

On a related note, I just got a smallish Cordova Cooler for father’s day and it is extremely high quality. Made in the USA, and has some really great features that Yeti and others don’t have(by far the best handles I’ve seen on any of these coolers).

Home

They are cheaper than Yeti(not as cheap as RTIC), and they gave me an extra 10% off my purchase since I found a typo on their website(and notified them of it).

Pretty cool! Haven’t had much of a chance to use it yet(just got it on Tuesday), but definitely check them out if you are in the market for a roto molded cooler. Their founder used to run a crab boat on Deadliest Catch, which is a cool tidbit as well.

bought two polar bear coolers. sometimes you just have to trust the five star reviews.