Soft-sided coolers - recommendations

[Dos Perros]

The backpack option is nice if you're doing airport stuff, or having to deal with kids. You never have enough free hands with kids.

 

[LostArra]

I use Polar Bear original (size 48) for transporting frozen fish from Alaska in the summer rather than the usual fish boxes. They work perfectly. Easy to carry 50# and they don't break the bank plus less likely to be stolen.

Polar Bear is having one of their sales right now. 50% off. Code is FOURTH.

I had one of their old style coolers develop a slow leak about 10 years ago. I sent them a photo. They sent me a new cooler with updated interior.

My wife keeps a Topper 30 in her car for getting frozen groceries home with no melting.

 

[BackcountryIdaho]

You can't go wrong with a Yeti Hopper. Ours gets used very frequently year-round and has held up well. Yes, the price stings, but that's what pro deals are for.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

If you are eligible for guidefitter I would recommend mammoth coolers, They have like 4-5 options and through guidefitter you'll get 40% off.

 

[TJfromTX]

100% YETI HOPPER, you wont be sorry.....
you can buy cheaper coolers from other companies.... and they will work. But when they break (and they will) you will be stuck with the terrible customer service that comes with that cheap price tag. Been there and done that with the other 4 letter cooler company.
Took me a long time to figure it out, but the "Buy Once, Cry Once" saying is accurate.

 

[eshunt]

RTIC is decent enough for the price. Not Yeti price, but not too far off of Yeti quality.

The zippers are stiff, you have to keep them lubricated. But RTIC CS is good, they'll help you out if break something.

I disagree on RTIC customer service. Between me andy my family we bought 3-4 RTIC soft sided coolers of different sizes. All the zippers failed, some even had the stitching come loose after only a couple of uses. The CS told us that since the items were more than 30 days since purchase that they wouldn't replace or repair for us. Offered a measly 10-15% discount on a new item. I will never buy RTIC again after the experience with them.

 

[TJfromTX]

I disagree on RTIC customer service. Between me andy my family we bought 3-4 RTIC soft sided coolers of different sizes. All the zippers failed, some even had the stitching come loose after only a couple of uses. The CS told us that since the items were more than 30 days since purchase that they wouldn't replace or repair for us. Offered a measly 10-15% discount on a new item. I will never buy RTIC again after the experience with them.

Agreed, That's who I was referring to in my earlier post. I'll never buy RTIC again for that exact reason, I talked to a rep at their showroom here in Houston about an issue and literally got an eye roll from them.... no thanks.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I guess we are hard on stuff. i have had zipper failures on the yeti hopper and the rtic.
the new hopper magnet works, but can be a pain in the butt to clean, load ect.

 

[kthomas]

I disagree on RTIC customer service. Between me andy my family we bought 3-4 RTIC soft sided coolers of different sizes. All the zippers failed, some even had the stitching come loose after only a couple of uses. The CS told us that since the items were more than 30 days since purchase that they wouldn't replace or repair for us. Offered a measly 10-15% discount on a new item. I will never buy RTIC again after the experience with them.

That sucks. My experience has been pretty good, but much more limited than yours.

 

[IdahoBeav]

I have a Cordova that I have been using for about 6 years- countless fishing/hunting trips, miles bungeed to an atv, etc. It has held up well.

 

[Moose10]

While we’re on the subject does anyone have recommendations for a soft sided cooler for checking on flights? I feel like airlines will beat them all up compared to a cheap hard sided cooler

 

[oldskool67]

Magellan from Academy

 

[Nine Banger]

RTIC guy here.

I use 2 8 can soft coolers that I carry every day even weekends. One for lunch and snacks. One for 6 pint sized nalgene bottles: 1 coffee, 1 tea, 1 herbal tea, 3 water.

Mine are the "Day Cooler" older style but my wife's are the updated "Everyday Cooler" style.

This habit started a little over two years ago, so that's in and out of a truck every day but no abuse.

1 leaked after a drop and roll situation but I made that the lunch bag and rolled on.

I remember putting chapstick on the zippers because they were tough after a while but that was a long time ago.

I don't think these were intended for hard use but they are priced accordingly.

We have a Hopper too and I don't like it. Getting anything out of it is like birthing a stuck calf. I leave it in the back back of my truck in case I go to the grocery store and lunch and know I won't be home until dinner time.

 

[chaser_2332]

I have an ice mule for a soft/backpack cooler. It super nice for the intended use

 

[Ohiohuntr]

I had the RTIC and one of the internal seams blew out on it…. It lasted about a year, my old man had the same and his lasted

 

[Forestryguy]

Have an RTIC. I used it almost daily for 1.5 years while on the railroad. It was abused on rough flooring and had bags slammed and stacked on it in transport vans. The only issues I had with it were a hard zipper and the zipper pull came off. Both were fixed with a bit of TLC.

 

[mi650]

We have the biggest Bison soft side, don't recall the size. Mainly use it for grocery store runs, 30 minute drive. Been using it for several years, ever since Yeti went woke and I sold every product of theirs we had. They'll never see another nickel of mine.

 

[roosiebull]

I have a couple RTIC soft coolers and have been happy with them, one a little over a year, the other probably close to 3, both have been fine, and my first one has lived a hard dirty life being used as a bait cooler much of its life

I have used the hopper quite a bit too and like them, but I wouldn’t pay retail for one with the RTIC being a decent alternative much cheaper