The 13 Best Soft Coolers for Beaching, Picnicking and Overall Chilling

Best Overall

It’s soft-sided (made of closed-cell foam, not vinyl like lesser models) and has a leakproof liner and waterproof exterior (so it keeps cold items frosty for longer). And the real innovation here that pushes this over the edge as a winner—possibly the only soft cooler you’ll need over a lifetime—is the powerful magnet closure which eliminates the sticky or broken zipper, the most common pain point of coolers. And the outside of the cooler has handy rings to hang a bottle opener or multi-tool.

Buy It ($299)

Best for Boating

With a waterproof zipper and weighing just four pounds empty, we favor this leakproof and puncture-resistant cooler for keeping our thirst quenched when we’re out on the water: “The product is compact, soft, and leakproof. The best feature is it floats,” reports one reviewer. It holds 30 cans with no problem, and even keeps ice frozen up to a day in the desert heat. It comes in nine colors, but the bright citrus yellow is the best choice to not forget it, no matter how sun-baked your brain feels after a day on the waves.

Buy it ($100)

Best for Car Camping

Ice Retention: 3 Days

When you’ve got a car that has everyone’s gear shoved into it, you’ll appreciate your cooler being an oasis of organization amid the rolled mats and random rain shields tucked in last-minute. This square-shaped cooler easily accommodates a weekend’s worth of food and drinks, and has a leak-proof interior lining so the contents won’t leak everywhere in the hatchback. There’s even an interior ice packet slot and a bunch of outside pockets for utensils, sunscreen, little bandages for scrapes—basically any small item that’s going to get a “Mom, where’s the …?” request can be tucked in here.

Buy It ($80)

Best for Your Work Lunch

It weighs only 13 ounces empty, and at ten-and-a-half inches long isn’t too unwieldy, even when you’re carrying those reports you need to catch up on while you’re grabbing that healthy lunch you made for yourself. The flip-top stays open when you want, and there’s a wide shoulder strap that turns this into something close to a cute crossbody purse.

Buy It ($40)

Best Wheeled

Sure, everybody’s excited about having a large capacity cooler, until they have to lug it out to the park or from the car to the picnic table. This two-wheeled cooler has a leakproof liner, waterproof exterior, and two front legs to rest on when it’s not in motion. Additionally, there are side handles as well as an adjustable pull bar to maneuver this precious cargo just where you want it.

Best for Hauling Wine

With a 13-inch tall carrying area, it perfectly fits a bottle of wine upright—which is ideal, because nothing spoils our love of the great outdoors than to finish our hike or pull our canoe over to discover that our perfectly chilled rose has leaked or gotten warm. That won’t happen with this cooler, made from closed-cell rubber foam which has superior cooling capabilities to cheaper vinyl models. And the tough fabric exterior is water-resistant, as well as tough enough to stand up to sun bleaching and minor scratches and scrapes.

Buy It ($299)

Best Long-Lasting Cold

Ice Retention: 96 Hours

The German makers of this streamlined cooler have been in business for over 90 years, and all that engineering has yielded a great-looking and more importantly, a frigid-keeping tote that’s going to be your best friend on weekend car trips. Hand straps, a shoulder strap and small loops along the side of the cooler to secure it to your boat or car mean this won’t tip while you’re in motion.

Coleman Soft Cooler Bag

This backpack style holds 24 cans and promises to keep them cold all day. Exterior pockets hold dry goods and supplies, and the padded straps mean that you won’t get shoulder stress from straps cutting into you while you’re looking for the perfect spot to put down your blanket.

Best for Pot Luck

When everyone’s bringing their own wine, beer and soda to the outdoor party, you need a vessel that’s large enough so that everyone can share the ice. This soft-sided tub cooler pops up in seconds on its sturdy metal legs, and the 600 denier polyester sides are strong enough to hold a mess of ice along with 12 six-packs. And there’s a drain in the base to let melting water out as the heat goes up.

Best Packable

Ice retention: 24 hours

You just fold this innovative duffel-shaped cooler twice at the top, secure it and it’s leak-proof and keeps ice cold for a day. And when not in use, it “packs inside my suitcase and rolls down to about the same size as a rolled-up pair of jeans” says one reviewer who “bought this cooler to take pumped breast milk home when traveling for work.” She adds, “I’ve filled this little cooler with just ice from the hotel ice machine several times, then packed it all the way home in the plane. Not one leak. Perfect durable seams.” And the cross-body strap makes it comfortable to tote along, even on hiking trips or bungeed to your motorcycle. The Mini size holds up to a six pack of cans, with room for ice.

1. Natico 12-Can Backpack Chair Combo Cooler

Best for Tailgating

It’s a chair! It’s a backpack! It holds up to 12 cans in the front padded and insulated zip compartment. And there’s enough room in the main area of the backpack for a change of clothes, in case you want to freshen up after the game before your celebratory pub crawl.

Best Inflatable

This insulated leak-proof nylon cooler sits in the middle of a blow-up base that’s got six drink-holder slots (each are numbered to help you and your pals keep track of your drinks). There’s a little area for holding SPF lotion, and a rope to tether this floatie—which keeps 24 cans cold for hours—to your raft.

Best Combination Stool-Cooler

It holds up to 12 quarts inside, and 198 pounds outside, since this ingeniously designed cooler has inside panels that fold to a two-inch thick package when not in use. (In other words, it’s perfect to stash away under your car seat between excursions.)