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Cold bevvies and snacks will travel.

Backpack coolers are essential warm-weather gear for anyone keen on day-tripping and camping. Unless you’re heading into the wilderness for a week, you can get by with a soft cooler strapped to your back to carry everything from cans of soda and bottles of wine to a packed lunch. They’re ideal for afternoons at the park or beach, short hikes, or overnights in the woods. So whether you need a large-capacity sack for a family of four or want a stylish option for a picnic, here are our top picks for the best outdoor coolers for a range of activities.

In addition to all the things you might look for while shopping for a regular backpack—ergonomic design, lots of outer pockets, size, and durable fabric—duration of ice retention is a top consideration for a bag with a cooler. That said, you don’t necessarily need something that’ll retain ice for three days if you’re planning on a bunch of day trips this summer. In general, before buying, think about what activities you’ll be doing while toting around your backpack cooler, and that’ll help you determine capacity and insulation.

Along with combing through countless user reviews for backpack cookers that scored four stars or more, we dug into our own testing results. Our selection includes options for a variety of activities, with picks across price points from value-added to high-end. We also looked at extra features beyond capacity and duration of ice retention—things like the number of outer pockets, padded shoulder straps, and top handles to switch up carrying options.

This backpack is an excellent choice if you’re looking for something versatile and affordable—plus it gets rave reviews, with an average 4.8 stars from more than 6,000 customers. Made from rugged 600-denier polyester, the backpack has a 330-millimeter capacity to hold roughly 30 cans and weighs a mere pound, with a roomy insulated main compartment and a wide zippered top for easy loading. There are also two zippered front pockets, two handy mesh side pockets, and a slip pocket on the shoulder strap for your smartphone. 

We tested this backpack and it won Editors’ Choice in our review of soft coolers. It kept food and drinks cold for more than 72 hours when packed full with ice. OtterBox’s Trooper LT 30 is completely waterproof, with a clamshell latch that snaps tightly shut, covered in thermoplastic urethane-coated nylon. It boasts a 30-quart capacity, and other highlights include two water-resistant front pockets and convertible straps, so you can also carry it on one shoulder. The only drawback is that it’s on the bulky side.

Coleman has been around since the 1950s, and is a trusted name in outdoor gear with a loyal customer base. This retro-looking soft backpack cooler has some structure to it, though there’s extra foam added for comfort and insulation. Its main compartment can hold 24 cans and it features a wide zippered flap top and top handle, side handles to make it easy to tote around and dump out ice, and the shoulder straps are adjustable and well-padded. There's also a bottle opener on one of the front straps. 

Beach day-trippers with packed cars will appreciate this collapsible backpack cooler. It’s completely waterproof, with no zippers to snag or break, plus it deflates like an inner tube and rolls up for storage. The backpack is about 3 pounds, and you can stash up to 24 cans with ice inside its roomy 33-liter main compartment. There are two padded mesh shoulder straps along with a sternum strap to help distribute the weight when it’s full. Front bungee straps are a bonus to hold small accessories.

This appealing backpack cooler is picnic-perfect. It features an insulated compartment at the bottom to keep drinks and perishables cold, plus an adorable bamboo cutting board and cutlery set, which includes a cheese knife, bottle opener, and corkscrew, stowed in a designed front sleeve beneath the flap. Side pockets offer easy access to things like a smartphone or key. The shoulder straps are adjustable and there’s also a sternum strap to help balance weight for comfort. It gets bonus points for its fold-back divider that keeps two wine bottles from clinking.

For a cooler that looks more like a chic work backpack, it’s tough to beat this stylish option. It’s covered in an attractive water-resistant houndstooth fabric, with a thermal shield insulation, a leakproof liner, and adjustable padded shoulder straps. The bag weighs less than three pounds and can hold up to 22 cans, plus it’s loaded with pockets inside and out for everything from personal accessories to picnic paper goods.

The IceMule Jaunt is another bag we put through testing, and it came out on top as a great choice for day trips. It has a 9-liter capacity, which equates to roughly fifteen 12-ounce cans, and a roll-top that secures with a buckle. It’s completely watertight—it didn’t leak when we filled it with a gallon of water and held it upside down. One of the backpack’s coolest features is an air intake valve: Blow it up to create a barrier between the inner liner and outer shell, which helps with insulation. There aren’t a lot of outer pockets, which may be a dealbreaker for some.

The IceMule Boss is as a great choice for day trips. It has a 32-quart  capacity, which equates to roughly fifteen 24 cans, and the top is easy to load and secures with a buckle. It’s completely waterproof and weights a mere 5 pounds. One of the backpack’s coolest features is an air intake valve: Blow it up to create a barrier between the inner liner and outer shell, which helps with insulation. There are also larger outer pockets, which some other IceMule backpack coolers lack.

This cooler is another customer favorite, with an impressive capacity to hold about 45 cans. It features one large front zippered pocket with a divider for utensils, two mesh side pockets, an inside zippered pocket on the lid, plus two D-shaped hooks and a beer bottle opener. It’s fairly lightweight, made from heavy-duty nylon, with padded adjustable shoulder straps. The backpack comes in three colors in addition to the black that’s shown, including bright orange, gray, and pink.

The ever-popular Yeti Hopper BackFlip is built to impress—it gets an average 4.9 stars from more than 1,500 customers—but it’ll cost you. The backpack has an ultra-durable, 840 denier shell designed to hold up to the elements and it features a waterproof zipper and a food-grade liner. It performs exceptionally well, with closed-cell foam insulation, plus there’s a removable chest strap and waist belt for added stability and comfort. It comes in a range of color options in addition to sage green, including a bright coral and subdued charcoal gray.