Why haul a heavy ice chest to a campsite when you can carry a cooler on your back?
While most of the mainstream attention on coolers in recent years has focused on the heavy-duty, bear-proof options (cough Yeti cough), many brands have quietly been innovating with and investing in wearable, soft sided coolers too. These backpack coolers are less flashy, but way more functional for folks looking to camp away from the parking lot, or simply carry some coldies to the local swimming hole (sure, tailgating is fair game too).
Ranging in size, price, design, and intended use, the following options represent our top picks for the best backpack coolers for any adventure.
We're big fans of Hydro Flask's insulated offerings here at FM HQ—so much so we hauled a ridiculous number of them across Oregon while bikepacking the Outback Trail. The Day Escape Soft Cooler Pack is just another reason to love the brand. With 20 liters of waterproof storage, it’ll haul 36 of your favorite 12-ounce canned beverages and keep their contents as cold as an igloo for up to 36 hours thanks to Hydroflask’s Smart Insulation, which reinforces areas more susceptible to losing precious chill. We also like its flexible mesh side pocket, which is sized perfectly for carrying one of the brand’s 32-ounce vacuum bottles for easy access to a cool sip of water between can crushes. Extra functionality is on-hand thanks to two tote-style grab handles. Capacity: 20 Liters Price: $200 SHOP NOW
Yeti is the biggest name in the cooler game for a reason, but it mainly has to do with its rugged hard-sided ice chests. Nonetheless, the Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler, a follow-up to the popular Yeti Hopper Backflip, is just as adept at keeping perishables ice cold and is handsome, functional, and designed to last years. It can hold up to 20 cans, features a zipper-free, magnetic closure that secures with two buckles and lots of webbing lash points, and can accommodate a number of Yeti's add-ons (like its excellent ice packs). Capacity: 24 Liters Price: $325 SHOP NOW
With a design based on the classic rolltop dry bag, the IceMule Pro X-Large Cooler is the largest of our recommended lot. While it certainly won’t keep items frozen as long as the competitors, it is a lightweight backpack, and packs down quite small when empty. Consider this the best option for mellow day trips to the beach, park, or hilltop hike, when a day's worth of cold is perfectly adequate. (For a more heavy-duty option from Icemule that includes side and front pockets, check out the Icemule Boss, $350.) Capacity: 33 Liters Price: $140 SHOP NOW
A smart design from outdoor retailer REI, the Cool Trail Split Pack cooler lives up to its name by stacking a dry storage compartment atop an insert-equipped lower cooler compartment that’s accessed by a zipper spanning the width of the pack, opening up like a hamburger bun. The leakproof cooler insert is easily removable when not needed and can even be used in other bags you already own, which provides additional versatile appeal here. Two pairs of buckling webbing straps are permanently attached and useful for packing bulky items like a camp chair or blanket should you max out the cargo space of the main compartment, in addition to its side and top storage pockets. It all adds up to the perfect picnic backpack. Capacity: 32 Liters Price: $80 SHOP NOW
This waterproof, insulated backpack cooler from RTIC includes a full bag of ice in its stated 30 can capacity rating. Should you decide to put it to the test, all of that weight is easily managed by a pair of wide shoulder straps that include a sternum strap and supportive hip belt. Once at your hydration destination, it’ll stand itself up on any mostly-even surface. Welded seams and a waterproof zipper keep water from getting in or out while adding the bonus feature of buoyancy for a day out on rivers, streams, and oceans. Capacity: 25 Liters Price: $180 SHOP NOW
Pelican does not mess around with the rugged protective products it puts out, and its cooler products are no exception. The Dayventure Backpack Cooler is divided in two, with a lower compartment that's insulated with high-density closed-cell foam, accessible by a waterproof zipper, and has enough space for a six pack. (It could even be a good spot for your camera or electronics on a day when severe weather poses a threat.) The top portion of the bag offers a decent amount of weather protection for dry goods in a main compartment that’s accessed by a dry sack style closure and a flap lid secured with an adjustable strap. Pelican also offers the Dayventure Sling Cooler, $170 should you just need a container for cooling. Capacity: 18 Liters Price: $280 SHOP NOW
CamelBak's first cooler stays true to the brand's hydration roots thanks to a high-quality, one-of-a-kind design that includes a six-liter reservoir for water that's accessible from the cooler's exterior. But the ChillBak isn't just another CamelBak—this backpack cooler is perfect for day hikes to swimming hole spots or even camping trips with its comfy closed-cell foam backpack straps and pack panel, plus a chest strap and hip belt. There's also a mesh side pocket, and the rolltop design has room for extra goods up top. And the cooler itself? Thanks to high-grade foam insulation, it boasts an ice retention of 72 hours, but you'll probably drink and eat everything you can carry in it before that long. Capacity: 29 Liters Price: $300 SHOP NOW
One of the best value cooler bags around comes from Coleman, the brand whose lanterns and camp stoves are the standard by which all others are measured. The Sportflex’s 30-can capacity is easily accessed by a zippered, flip-top lid but there's also a mesh front pocket and a zippered pocket on the side for storing any snacks or accessories that might come in handy for a day of sipping in the sunshine. It might lack some of the heavier duty materials or fancy waterproof zippers found on other bags, but it’s perfectly serviceable all the same. Capacity: 28 Liters Price: $60 SHOP NOW
Beverage product brand Corkcicle made their initial splash with their namesake product, the Corkcicle Air in-bottle wine chiller. But should you need to portage more than one bottle of natty wine to a scenic location, the brand's fashionable Eola Bucket Cooler Bag is sure to be of some hands-free help in getting your Pét-Nat on the go. The tapered shape of the insulated bag is optimized to carry twelve 12-ounce cans or two full size 750-milliliter wine bottles with eight cans. Take whichever combination suits your glou glou needs and leave the Bota bag at home. Bottle opener not included. Capacity: 29 Liters Price: $160 $136 SHOP NOW
Find more wearable gear inspo, check out our top picks for the best waterproof backpacks here.
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