The Best Cooler Bag For Trip
Not all insulated cooler bags are created equal-and neither are your needs. While some may be seeking a cooler bag that will keep their lunch fresh after their morning commute, others may be heading out on a long trek through the wilderness or scorching days in the beachside sun.
To choose the best insulated cooler bags you can buy, we’ve taken bag type, durability, and ice retention rates into consideration. Let's see our picks:
1. Best Overall RTIC Outdoors 30-Can Backpack
The RTIC Soft Cooler sports a tough nylon exterior and tear-resistant interior lining with 2 inches of closed-cell foam to keep items cold for up to 24 hours, depending on the amount of ice or ice packs used. This cooler bag comes in five different sizes that can hold from eight to 40 12-ounce cans. The smaller eight-can size is great as a lunch box, while the larger sizes are great for things like picnics, fishing trips, parties, and boat days. The cooler floats and is made from 100 percent waterproof material, so don’t be shy whipping it out for days spent on the water.
All in all, this is a durable soft-sided cooler that can handle bumps and jostling without breaking. It can be carried either by the crossbody shoulder strap or two handles that come with a slightly padded carrying grip. It’s a cinch to clean (just wipe it down with a wet cloth). But a word of warning: The zipper is watertight, which means you may have to struggle a bit to get it closed.
2. Best for Groceries Hydro Flask 20L Insulated Tote
Available in five solid colors and three different sizes, the Hydro Flask Insulated Tote is our go-to pick for groceries or quick takeout grabs for picnics. Although insulated and capable of keeping your food and drink chilled for up to four hours, this tote remains slim and is easy to slip on and off the shoulder. The 8-liter size is great for packing lunches, while the 20-liter and 35-liter sizes are better for shopping trips. This tote stands out by standing up — the molded base keeps the tote from collapsing and holds the bag upright, making it easier to load and unload. The waterproof exterior and water-resistant zippers are clutch for rainy day transports, though we do wish the temperature retention lasted more than just a few hours.
3. Best Soft-sided With Wheels Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze
Sturdy, all-terrain wheels help keep the weight of this insulated cooler bag’s 60-can capacity off your back and on the ground for easier portability, especially when you’ve got a bit of a walk ahead. The 300D Poly Ripstop with TPE coating material means it can take a few scrapes and small beatings with no problem. An insulated heat barrier keeps things cooler longer by reflecting heat instead of absorbing it, and there’s an additional insulated, expandable front pocket for smaller items. The bottom of the cooler bag is triple-thick with Superfoam insulation to protect your goods from the ground’s heat. The bag itself is collapsible and — bonus! — you can actually use the cart on its own. It comes with a built-in shoulder strap, which we recommend only using when the cooler bag is empty. Sadly, while the bag interior is leakproof, the zipper is not.
4. Best Backpack Igloo Outdoor Pro Snapdown 42-can Backpack
We loved how durable the exterior ripstop poly material was and the functionality of the bag’s “hidden” features. In addition to being water-resistant, this cooler backpack has a zipper front dry pocket, two side pouches for water bottles, and a built-in bottle opener, plus D-ring and MOLLE loops to add features for functional customization. It’s a top-loading bag with a wide, strong zippered opening and sides that buckle down for extra leak protection. This bag showed no signs of leaking — or dented cans — after we tossed it off of a table, and it retained most of its ice after sitting for a few hours. We were also big fans of the slightly padded backpack straps and tote-carry strap. Although we had no major ice loss in our lab, this bag’s ice retention may weaken when outside in hot temperatures.
5. Best for Water Activities IceMule Jaunt 15L Soft-sided Cooler
The Icemule Jaunt’s insulated cooler bag’s dry bag design, welded seams and straps, and waterproof MuleSkin fabrics work together to make it a waterproof, floatable cooler bag to take with you on the boat and in the water. It’s also got an air valve to help with full collapsibility, making it easy to pack down for trips and to store until the next time you need it. It also has a separate zippered front pocket for things like keys and phones. The company claims its PolarLayer insulation can keep the goods ice-cold for 24 (or more) hours. The small 9-liter size keeps it from being too cumbersome on your back while still providing storage for a six-pack plus ice or three 750-millilter bottles (upright!). The Jaunt is also available in a 15-liter size that can hold up to 12 12-ounce cans or four bottles of wine. That said, we do wish the design had a chest strap to help support heavier hauls.
