When we go out on camping trips, we make sure to keep our food in a cool place as much as possible to avoid spoilage, and not damage the camping trip, and for this, we have previously identified the best ways to cool food during camping.
But if you need a quick and light solution, you can get the best soft cooler, as it keeps the cold and when compared to the hard shell coolers, it is lighter in weight and gives the same efficiency.
In this guide to the soft cooler, we have learned how to choose a soft cooler with ease, and we will also review the best soft coolers you can buy and buy from the market with ease.
Let’s get going now and get straight to this great guide.
How to choose Soft Cooler correctly
When thinking about choosing or buying a soft cooler for your camping trips, we must know several factors that we must consider to make the buying process easier for everyone, especially for beginners on camping trips, and we have collected the most important factors affecting how to buy a special soft cooler camping trip.
Weight
Weight is the first determinant that you should look at before purchasing a soft cooler. If the soft cooler’s weight is heavy and empty of food, you may have difficulty carrying and transporting the cooler when it is full of food. High-quality soft coolers tend to be very lightweight for the use of these companies materials are used to manufacture these soft coolers. Lightweight and durable fabrics are used in their manufacture.
The YETI Hopper BackFlip is a perfect example of perfect weight and durability in workmanship as it is extremely perfect and has a total weight of just one pound.
If you want to find a soft cooler that is very lightweight and ideal, it is worth the cost because you will be able to carry more goods without any increase in the burden. And as we mentioned, lighter coolers tend to be stronger due to the quality of the materials manufactured for these coolers.
Portability
When purchasing soft coolers, you should consider the portability when using, here the weight factor is an important thing in the process of transporting the coolant, but the weight alone is not the main factor, the shape of the coolant also plays an important role in the process of transportation and must make sure of it before you buy any cooler.
The arrangement of the cooler handles can facilitate carrying the cooler with ease, and there are types of coolers that contain two or three handles that can be used, and this increases the ability to switch between handles and facilitate carrying the cooler.
And if your friends have different types of soft coolers, this is good for starting a comparison between coolers, while the field is the best choice for conducting tests and comparisons between those coolers.
Storage
Of course, the capacity of the soft cooler is the most important, so what is the point of bringing a luxury cooler if it does not accommodate all your goods, when choosing a Soft Cooler, you must make sure its storage capacity suits your needs and store all your goods during the camping trip.
The amount of storage will vary based on how long you will be in camp, but the safe estimate should be at least 25 cans, and you should know that higher storage capacities will need to bring more ice and put it in the cooler.
Ice cubes will increase your cooling time, even if you are camping in hot areas, and if you want to go out on a summer trip, we advise you to use large coolers to carry more food and drinks with you.
DOs And DON’Ts
In order to make the most of the soft coolers, you must follow some of these steps and leave some of them, and we will put the most important of these points in a small and quick list:
DO:
- Cool the coolant before you start using it in order to get the best results from the cooler.
- Freeze the food and products you want to take with you before putting them in the cooler.
- Use ice to product ratio of 1:2
- Fill the cooler because any air pockets will melt the snow and reduce the cold.
DON’T:
- Filter the melted snow because it will create air pockets.
- Open the radiator frequently to check the cooling inside the radiator because this will cause hot air to enter the radiator.
- Put your hand in the cooler.
Read More: The best camping gear
Best Soft Cooler For Camping:
After we got to know how to choose the right cooler, the most important determinants, and some of the most important tips when using Soft Cooler, we have chosen the best 7 coolers that have been evaluated by camping experts and can learn about these coolers in detail from here, so let’s go with the best Soft Cooler on the market for 2022:
IceMule Pro Cooler – 23 Liters
Weight: 3.2lbs| Capacity: 23 liters| Material: tarpaulin, vinyl, nylon
The IceMule Pro Cooler 23L soft cooler comes in the form of a backpack and is made of the highest quality materials. It keeps products cool well and is suitable for beach and camping adventures.
The carrying capacity of the cooler is 18 cans in addition to ice until the capacity reaches 23 litres. The structure of the cooler is water-resistant and has welded layers. There are no zippers in the cooler.
It is one of the best coolers that you can use for short trips that do not exceed a week, and this cooler was made of tarpaulin, vinyl and nylon with a capacity of 1000 dinars, and this thick material is considered one of the best materials that help to keep cold significantly for up to 24 hours.
The IM air valve in the cooler allows for easier compression and rolling of the cooler for easy storage which is a great feature of this cooler, but the only downside is that the amount of food and drinks you can carry around with you inside the cooler is small and this will also make the cooler somewhat heavier when fully packaged.
Pros:
- The cooler is light at just 3.2 lbs.
- IM Air Valve which serves to add more insulation to the coolant.
- Comfortable and easy to use back straps.
- It helps to move foods easily from one place to another.
Cons:
- The coolant becomes somewhat heavy when filled.
- Trouble closing it properly when using it for the first time.
YETI Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler
Weight: 4.8 lbs| Capacity: 23 liters| Material: DryHide™ shell
It is one of the relatively expensive coolers, but it is worth the money. The design of this cooler is one of the most amazing designs, but you can buy the grey or blue variant of the Hopper M20.
If you like aesthetics, look for a matte black alternative to this cooler, but let’s leave the look aside. This model is one of the best models to have, as it comes with MagShield Access that uses magnets to create a leak-proof arm.
The YETI Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler comes with a DryHide™ casing that is made of high-density, high-quality fabric, and this helps it to resist both leakages, UV rays, mould and punctures, and it is also water-resistant and made from highly safe materials and this cooler has an approved permit from the Food and Drug Administration.
The storage capacity is up to 18 cans, even when there is a percentage of ice, and it is also considered light in weight in order to move around easily and store the cooler more easily.
Pros:
- High tech in YETI refrigeration.
- Many wonderful designs that you can choose from them.
- Having MagShield Access helps maintain cooling.
- Capacity up to 18 cans.
- The cooler is fitted with a DryHide™ sheath for increased coolant protection.
Cons:
- The price is high.
YETI Hopper Flip 18 Soft Cooler
Weight: 5.1 lbs| Capacity: 17.8 liters| Material: Thermoplastic urethane
The YETI Hopper Flip 18 is a soft-sided cooler that has great ice retention, and the cold storage time inside is approximately 3 days.
However, it crosses a bit small, there is no space to keep a lot of foods so the storage capacity of the cooler reaches only 16 cans, and this is somewhat small and what is wrong with it is the time for keeping the cold, after the snow melts, this cooler loses some of its effectiveness.
The Flip 18 is very resistant to water and punctures, which is usually hard to find in a soft file, and the file comes with a top handle and a shoulder strap for carrying. It is rather bulky, making it difficult to ardcarry and transport it, as it is not suitable for hiking trips, and the strap contains a cushion to let the shoulder rest a bit while having the soft cooler.
The Flip 18 is a high-quality cooler, it comes at a slightly higher price, but you can find a solid cooler with a larger capacity. It may be more economical.
Pros:
- The coolant is resistant to water, puncture, mildew and UV rays thanks to the high-quality raw materials.
- The presence of a padded shoulder strap helps carry the cooler.
- Keep food and drinks cold for up to 3 days.
- The presence of Daisy chain straps helps to attach some aids to the trip, such as placing a pocket knife or can opener.
Cons:
- The high price for a soft cooler.
ENGEL – HD30
The design of this cooler is very impressive, and the cooler accommodates approximately 24 cans, and based on the personal experience of some friends who buy the ENGEL HD30 cooler, after this experience, the coolant has lasted with them for about 4 continuous days, and this indicates the durability, strength and manufacturing efficiency of this cooler.
One of the elegant features of the cooler is the addition of a front pocket to it. This pocket is one of the things you can benefit greatly from in storing some small pieces that you can lose while moving to the camp.
The outer wall of the cooler is made of shock-resistant TPU. It will greatly preserve the cooler from the outside from any external conditions and prevent the cooler from being punctured. The cooler is equipped with a patented vacuum valve in the insulation, which helps this cooler to withstand periods Long in cold keeping.
Pros:
- Cool cooler design.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- The outer wall is made of TPU.
- Front pocket in the cooler.
- Vacuum valve insulation
Cons:
- The price is a little high compared to other coolers.
AO Coolers – Original Soft Cooler
If you loved the previous HD30 cooler, but you don’t have enough money to buy it, you can buy the amazing AO Coolers – Original Soft Cooler. This cooler holds up to 24 cans but is cheaper than the HD30.
AO Coolers Original Soft Cooler comes in many different shapes and colours in order to satisfy all tastes, and this cooler also comes with a side pocket in order to save some materials from losing during the camping trip.
Unfortunately, what is wrong with this cooler is the poor thermal insulation, and this cooler will not keep the cold for four days like the previous cooler, but it guarantees coldness for about 24 hours, but it is still good for having it for quick trips and very suitable for its price.
Pros:
- Large capacity of up to 24 cans.
- Many different colours and patterns are available in this cooler.
- Cooler side pocket.
- Reasonable price compared to other types.
Cons:
- Refrigerate for a short time, up to 24 hours.
OlarHike – 30 Liter Large Cooler
This cooler is the largest capacity of the coolers that we mentioned earlier. The storage capacity of this cooler from OlarHike is 40 cans, and its load limit is approximately 50 pounds absorb it.
But with the OlarHike – 30 Liter Large Cooler having the highest capacity, this cooler is one of the most affordable.
But nothing is perfect, the main drawback of this cooler is that it can keep cold for 12 hours only, which is only suitable for very short trips and not suitable for long trips such as going out for one-week trips.
The cooler contains two handles that you can switch between during pregnancy with what suits you and with what suits the weight in the cooler. If you are carrying some light goods, you can use the top handle, but if you carry large weights, you can use the side handles of the cooler.
This cooler comes with a two-year warranty, and as we mentioned, it is a convenient option to get the most money, but the insulation in it is not equal to those options are more expensive.
Pros:
- Storage capacity up to 40 cans.
- Max load limit is 50 lbs.
- The right price.
- 2 years warranty
- The presence of a double handle for the cooler.
Cons:
- Keep refrigerated only for 12 hours.
TOURIT – 30-Can Leak-Proof Soft Pack Cooler
TOURIT is one of the most famous companies that manufacture refrigerants, it produces many first-class refrigerants, and this model comes with a capacity of 30 cans and a cold retention period of up to 3 days, and this model meets many of your needs, regardless of the duration of the trip or the size of the load that you take her.
It is considered one of the most durable coolers that you will see here, as it has a shock-resistant casing and can withstand a lot of difficulties such as withstand sunlight, punctures and any sharp object that hits this cooler, and also, the cooler is resistant to both water and leakage, and this works to prolong the cold retention period is inside the radiator, the radiator also comes with a 3-year warranty.
The TOURIT file has a triple handle, you can use any of these handles comfortably, and you can use the shoulder strap, the top handle, or even the side handles to carry this file.
You can clean the interior of this soft cooler by hand after each use to preserve the cooler and extend its life, and you can use this cooler in salt water environments. It is very suitable for beach trips and camping.
Pros:
- Storage capacity up to 30 cans.
- Keep cool for 3 days.
- Water-resistant as well as leak-proof.
- 3 years warranty.
- Triple handle.
- Shock resistant, UV resistant and puncture resistant.
Cons:
- It can be damaged if the inside of the cooler is not cleaned if used in saltwater environments.
Conclusion
In the end, after we learned how to choose the best soft cooler, we compared the most famous types of coolers in the market today, and given all the variables such as weight, portability and storage, we can reach the best option available to us, which is IceMule Pro Cooler, which is the best soft cooler.
But this is just an opinion, do not hesitate to search for these options that we have covered in this article, other types of these coolers may suit you.
In the end, we hope that you have enjoyed this detailed guide on the best soft cooler. Do not hesitate to ask questions through the comments and share this article with your friends.
Wishing you a happy and enjoyable camping trip.
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