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Top Soft Coolers to Keep Your Drinks Chilled All Summer 2025
We’ll always have a spot in our gear closet for a hard cooler, but soft coolers have proven to be just as essential. They weigh less and are easy for one person to grab and quickly transport from the deck to the truck bed.
There’s a broad range of sizes and softness in soft coolers. Some of these designs are actually very rigid, stout, and stackable, such as the YETI Hopper Flip 12 Soft Cooler. Others are fully collapsible and pliable, like the REI Co-op Campwell Folding Cooler, and we celebrate the space-saving option for storage.
For day-long roams, weekend adventures, road trips, or running errands, these soft coolers kept our provisions chilled without weighing us down.
Editor’s Note: We updated our Soft Coolers buyer’s guide on August 12, 2025, with field and ice retention tests for the Igloo Trailmate 18-can, Hydro Flask 20L Carry Out Soft Cooler, unique Titan by Arctic Zone 30 Can Zipperless HardBody Cooler — that’s right, it’s zipper-free — the updated REI Co-op Campwell Folding Cooler for limited closet space, and freshly launched YETI Daytrip Tote Bag 14L for picnics and office commutes. Senior Editor Morgan Tilton penned new educational sections including Pockets and Price & Value.
The Best Soft Coolers of 2025
Best Overall Soft Cooler
- Size:
14.3″ x 10.7″ x 12.0″ - Capacity:
12L - Weight:
1361 g (3 lbs.) - Ice retention test:…
