The 9 Best Soft Coolers of 2024 Tested & Rated

It takes a lot of work to set and bait a trotline, and it involves some danger, as you can get entangled or hooked and pulled under by a weighted line. Have two sheathed knives on your belt to cut yourself free if you need to. If you set trotlines and run them in that deep water, ozark trail canopy DO NOT DO IT FROM A KAYAK OR SMALL CANOE. I would never ever trotline from a seventeen-foot double end canoe! Products are rigorously tested to withstand diverse and challenging outdoor conditions.

The only real physical differences are that Yeti has a slider on the lid and they have different logos adorning the cups (obviously). It shouldn’t be cleaned with bleach or put it in the microwave or freezer. You do get a few color options with the Ozark Trail and it comes with a lifetime warranty to boot. On the other hand, the Ozark Trail tumbler is made of high-grade, double-walled stainless steel and is vacuum-sealed—so pretty much the same as the Yeti. It’s also BPA-free and has a “no sweat” design, but doesn’t have a slider on the lid.

A. Wet a sponge or rag with a mixture of warm water and mild dish soap, and wipe down both the interior and exterior of the soft-sided cooler. Leave the cooler open to air dry completely before putting it away. If there are stubborn stains on the cooler, make a paste with baking soda and warm water, and rub it over the stains until they lift.

But we would float the river all day at times, always catching fish, even in the middle of the day. Of course, the river was more shaded then, because landowners hadn’t started clearing the banks of shade trees as much back then. The river had much more water in those times, and it was much cleaner. Shady gravel bars offered great places to stop and relax, and swim in a cool river current for a little while.

Finally, we wiped down the interior to see how easy it was to clean each cooler after a long day of use. If you have a long commute to and from the grocery store and find that your meat defrosts or ice cream melts by the time you get home, you need a soft cooler to keep your food fresh. Tote-style coolers are great for the grocery store as they often fold up easily to stow away in a cabinet or the glove box in your car. You can easily carry these around at the store or keep in your cart.

The increase in cloud cover will hold high temperatures closer to 90. High temperatures return to the low 90s Saturday and again Sunday. There is still a tiny chance for rain, but this is very slim as very warm temperatures aloft should suppress rain chances. Morning readings could be back around 70 degrees as the south wind increases. A warmer beginning will lead to a warmer afternoon, and we might see highs in the mid 90s.

The weather was in the high 90s during the test, the coolers were in full sun for most of the morning, and we opened them several times throughout the day. The ice melted in the Coleman in 24 hours and the YETI in 48 hours. What I found most fascinating about this test is that the water in the YETI stayed cold for three additional days after the ice melted.

Many soft cooler zippers not only require two hands to open and close but also involve quite a bit of straining and muttering through clenched teeth. However, some are easier than others, like the Lifewit Large Insulated 24 and the Engel HD. In fact, the Lifewit performed almost perfectly in our convenience tests. There are two easy zippers and we didn’t find any alarming water intake during our soak test. If you find yourself camping for several nights, hiking long trails, or require your cooler to keep your food fresh for more than one day, backpack coolers are the way to go.

And while we are on the subject of the premium soft-sided coolers, there are a few additional features specific to them. ozark trail chair They include built-in bottle openers, daisy chain attachment points, compression strap, thicker insulation, and a wash-friendly 600D outer coating. Ice life refers to how long a cooler can retain the ice you place inside. Ozark Trail’s larger soft-sided coolers usually offer a maximum of one to one-and-a-half days of ice life, which is plenty for a picnic. For soft coolers, we recommend anything in the 20- to 24-can range.

This soft-sided cooler backpack is perfect for hikes and beach days. When shopping for a cooler, chances are you’re planning on getting outside. Many coolers with the best insulation are also so heavy and rigid that they make it a struggle to get to your destination. Not so with a great backpack cooler like the Brümate Magpack 24-Can Backpack Soft Cooler, which is easy to carry and retains ice better than a Yeti. Then I did the same test with cold water from the same coolers. This cooler, when compared to the Pelican 45Q Elite and Yeti Tundra, has the smallest profile while still providing 45Q internal storage.