Ice Retention and Insulation
If you’re looking for a soft cooler, you should know that you’re not going to get truly excellent results compared to high-quality hard-sided coolers. Some manufacturers claim multi-day ice retention, but you need to use a lot of ice — at least a 2-to-1 ice-to-contents ratio. You’ll also need to pre-chill the cooler and the contents, and then rarely open the cooler at all. And don’t leave it in the sun! However, soft coolers are meant to be used, which is why I almost always take soft coolers on day trips and even the occasional overnighter.
