These Are the 12 Best Portable Refrigerators of 2023

This spring, Yeti formally replaced its infamous Hopper BackFlip 24 with the Hopper M20, and overall, we think it's an improvement. First, the M20 has the same credentials for insulation as its forerunner. We put a small bag of ice in it with some cold drinks, and even at temperatures around 70 degrees, it took 30 hours for the ice to completely melt. For about 48 hours after the ice had completely melted, our drinks remained cold.

The most noticeable improvement is that Yeti replaced the zipper with a magnetic closure. All of us support it. If you've ever used a Yeti cooler or one similar from another brand, you probably are aware of how difficult the zipper can be to open and close, especially in the first few months of use. Even though Yeti provides the zipper lube, it can still be annoying. We enjoy how simple the magnetic closure is to use. We shook it upside down and threw it down a steep hill, and we had no problems with objects flying out of the top thanks to the additional clips.

The M20's size and weight are also appealing to us because they make it easier to transport and pack into a car than the BackFlip. Our minor criticism is that there are no sternum or waist straps (which undoubtedly helps reduce weight). Without the weight distribution provided by waist straps, longer approaches are particularly uncomfortable

However, Yeti keeps winning the cooler game. We adore this cooler and are grateful that it costs a little less than the Hopper BackFlip.

Price as of publication: $325

18 cans with a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio, capacity; size: 18 5 x 9 5 x 18 75 inches | 4 pounds 8 pounds

We highly recommend the Icemule Classic if you're looking for a foldable and sturdy option at a lower price. Comparatively speaking, it isn't as comfortable on the back as Yeti's Hopper BackFlip. Additionally, it didn't maintain the cold as well (the cooler's interior temperature increased by about 18 degrees between two hours and 24 hours after adding ice, compared to the Yeti's rise of only 7 degrees). However, our testers praised the Classic's comfort when worn on one shoulder, its lightness, and its durability.

For a robust exterior, Icemule uses a proprietary material it refers to as "MuleSkin." This is combined with a "PolarLayer," a different proprietary insulation. We discovered that this wasn't true, despite Icemule's claim that the combination will keep ice solid for up to 24 hours. Nevertheless, we don't believe there is a better soft cooler on the market for its price.

Price as of publication:

12 cans total, including ice, in size 10 25 x 10 25 x 18 inches (when closed) | N/A

Although more expensive options like Yeti perform better than less expensive alternatives, many people use soft coolers for such a short period of time that the additional cost for the improved performance is hardly justified. Do you need ice to last for three days if your drinks need to remain chilled until the end of the game?

Although it may not be a status symbol and it won't keep ice for days, this Igloo MaxCold soft cooler is a reliable option that won't break the bank. The removable stiffer insulative liner provides some structure and gives you assurance that your sandwiches won't be crushed the moment something bumps up against the cooler. The soft exterior holds the liner.

The 1 A 12-gallon container is the perfect size for a small group's lunch because it can hold about a dozen 12-ounce cans. This Igloo offering is lightweight—under a pound—in contrast to more expensive, multi-day soft coolers, which can weigh 5 pounds or more, making it simple to grab and go.

Price as of publication: $30

Ability: 4 5 quarts | 10 in. 5 x 10 75 x 7 75 inches | 0 pounds 95 pounds

The harshest conditions for coolers can be found at the beach due to the direct sun, high temperatures, sand, and water. Sadly, the majority of beach tote coolers are not serious coolers and put aesthetics before functionality. Fortunately, Orca's Walker, which comes in a stylish over-the-shoulder soft cooler tote, performs cooling. The cooler is constructed with welded seams, a hard rubberized bottom, and a stiff canvas cover similar to an inflatable paddleboard. While soft and flexible enough to carry, the dense insulation also gives it structure so that it maintains its rigidity and safeguards the contents.  

While we tested during cooler fall temperatures, the Walker provided days of ice retention as opposed to the hours we received from weaker bag-style soft coolers. In direct sunlight and high temperatures, those times would be shortened, but the Walker's thick walls are more than sufficient for a day at the beach. After filling the tote with ice in our lab, the temperature actually decreased there by 8 degrees over the course of two to 24 hours.

It's not so big that you hate carrying it, and it only weighs three pounds. It's tall enough for wine bottles and can carry about 18 cans with ice. 6 pounds empty The magnetic handle closure was also fantastic.

Price as of publication: $180

18 cans with ice; capacity; 15 x 9 5 x 15 25 inches | 3 pounds 6 pounds

Look no further for drink pushers. Most soft coolers are designed for carrying cans, and their capacities are measured in can increments. To mix drinks away from home, whether at camp, on the beach, or on a boat, the RovR KeepR focuses on mixology and has an open-top bar cart soft cooler. In contrast to most soft coolers, the KeepR is designed to hold the IceR double-wall stainless steel ice bucket. The IceR is encircled by adjustable pockets that are not designed to retain cold. However, for keeping bottles cold for a shorter amount of time, we advise purchasing the ChillR ice pack inserts that are sold separately.

The KeepR is a great drinks caddy, but it's also a great option for a picnic because you can still carry ice for cold drinks while using the compartments for utensils, dishes, and food for two or a small group. Even smaller SnackR food containers, which can keep food either hot or cold, are available from RovR and fit neatly inside the IceR. Our testers found it comfortable to carry by hand and appreciated how the ice that had congealed in the center helped to balance the weight.

Price as of publication: $160

Size: 12 x 11 x 11 inches; weight: 5 pounds; capacity: 10 liters.

A necessity for river trips are dry bags and large, hefty hard-sided coolers. Essentially combining the two, the Icemule Pro is an insulated, tough dry bag ideal for a day on the water. The Icemule Pro has a roll-top closure similar to a good dry bag that, according to the manufacturer, won't let water in or out and enables you to trap air inside for added insulation. When inverting the cooler, one of our testers noticed a small leak from the roll-top closure. It also has the additional benefit of making the bag float, which is significant on water.

The IceMule Pro only provides a single hot day's worth of extreme ice retention; it cannot provide multiple days' worth. It collapses much more easily when empty than stiffer, softer coolers designed to keep ice for several days—a crucial quality for saving space in a boat or on a pack. When not in use, stiffer soft coolers take up the same amount of space as collapsible coolers. We tested the 33-liter extra-large and the 23-liter large sizes, which are likely sufficient for the majority of people's day trips. We also discovered the Icemule Pro to be a great addition to grocery trips to keep chilled and frozen goods in my car, though this is perhaps not its most exciting use.

It was comfortable to carry because of the padded straps and chest and hip straps, which also helped to evenly distribute the weight. Additionally, our testers favored the water-draining spout.

Price as of publication: $100

Size: 17 x 14 x 11 inches; weight: 3 pounds; capacity: 23 liters.

Although more affordable, the RTIC Soft Pack Cooler resembles and looks like a Yeti cooler. Additionally, the RTIC's performance hasn't changed much. The insulation is improved by a 2-inch closed-cell foam; in our lab test, it only increased the temperature by about 11 degrees between two and 24 hours of being filled with ice (as opposed to about 7 degrees for the comparable Yeti we tested).

We appreciate that the cooler floats in the water, is spill- and leakproof, and comes in four sizes despite the fact that our testers noted that it is big, heavy, and not the easiest to carry around. It's also the perfect size for a road trip because it can fit easily into a car while still holding enough food and drinks for a few people. On a road trip from California to the Midwest and back to California, we enjoyed using this cooler and thought of it as the ideal cooling copilot.

Price as of publication: $130

Size: 12 x 10 x 8 inches; Weight: 2 pounds; Can Capacity: 12, 20, 30, and 40

20-Can Softsided Cooler by Orca

Like RTIC, Orca has modified the Yeti Hopper's popular soft cooler design to suit their own purposes. In addition to having a nearly identical appearance to Yeti's Hopper, it also shares the latter's robust design, including thick walls for insulation, a robust denier exterior, and an attachment system. However, Orca has made improvements like the magnetic split handle and some cutting-edge welding adapted from the building of whitewater craft. As a result, we have one of our favorite coolers that could likely survive a drop from a five-story building with little damage.

Although it resembled a Yeti and had insulation that was slightly thicker on its lid (by half an inch), it didn't quite perform as well as the Yeti Hopper. In contrast to the Yeti, the Orca had some solid ice left over after our 24-hour ice test. The internal temperature of the Orca rose by roughly 13 degrees in comparison to the Yeti's 6 degree increase over the course of 24 hours. However, the Orca is a good substitute if you're looking for a cooler with the durability, good looks, and design of a Yeti but don't want to spend quite as much (we don't blame you).

Price as of publication: $200

Size: 14 | 20 cans capacity 5 x 11 x 13 25 inches | 3 pounds 6 pounds

Among soft coolers, the Yeti Hopper Flip series is a classic. Yes, it is pricey. But if you don't drop it off the Grand Canyon's south rim, you'll probably have this cooler for a very, very long time. With plenty of ice and 20 cans, we had no trouble filling the cooler. And unsurprisingly, at the end of our 24-hour test, it had some of the best ice retention and coldest temperatures. Thanks to Yeti's infamous closed-cell insulation, which keeps temperatures inside the Hopper Flip from rising more than 6 degrees in a day,

Our testers appreciated the cooler's size and shape in addition to its capacity to maintain cold temperatures and ice for days. They also appreciated the cooler's leak-proof construction and two handles on either side of the body. The Hopper Flip's lack of padding and weight (it weighs about one pound) did not, however, impress them. 5 lbs more than the equivalent Orca Walker 20-Can)

We've gone on numerous fishing and fly fishing excursions with this cooler and a Yeti BackFlip 24. Because of its size and capacity to keep beverages cold all day, even in the hot sun, we prefer the Hopper Flip. For a group of three or four people to enjoy a few cans each throughout the day, it is the ideal companion and size.

Price as of publication: $300

20 cans with a 10 can capacity. 75 x 13 x 16 25 inches | 5 pounds 1 pounds

Although we haven't tried it (yet), we could probably throw this backpack cooler off the edge of a mountain and it would be fine. The Boss Backpack Cooler from Icemule is incredibly tough and has excellent insulation. One of our testers said, "The design reminds me of a single big backpack that people use for backpack travel." This sturdy yet comfortable backpack is made by Icemule using exclusive fabrics, welded seams, and extra-padded straps. Compared to other large backpack coolers, our testers found this pack to be more comfortable, largely because of the additional padding and chest and waist straps.

The Boss is very tough and comfortable to carry, but it didn't retain ice and cold as well as Yeti's Hopper BackFlip backpack cooler did. The Boss' interior temperature increased by 19 degrees over the course of about a day after we put ice in the coolers, while the Yeti's increased by just 7 degrees. And while the Yeti still had about half of its ice frozen, only about 20% of the ice placed in the Icemule remained frozen, according to our testers.

However, if you want a cooler that will keep your food and beverages cold while you go on a day hike and keep your shoulders and back comfortable, this is the one for you.

Price as of publication: $375

Size: 12 | Can Capacity: 24 5 x 9 x 25 inches | Unlisted weight

For car camping and picnics, we adore the Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze cooler. In addition to having some of the best cold-retention (more on that later), the Titan has some great features that make planning a picnic easier. We appreciate how the "HardBody" liner, which can also be used as a shelf or table, emerges from the cooler. We appreciate the side mesh pockets for storing cutlery, napkins, and other picnic essentials that don't require cooling. We also enjoy the bottle opener.

But the Titan's ability to retain cold astonished us the most. Better than both Yeti coolers we tested, the Titan's interior temperature increased by only 5 degrees over the course of about 24 hours after we added ice. Make sure the cooler remains upright during transportation because the lid's Velcro-like closure lacks a zipper. Additionally, even though it says it can fit 30 cans with ice, we were able to fit 20 cans with enough ice much more easily. But for your picnic outings, we were unable to find a significantly better option.

Price as of publication:

30 cans; 12 in. in size 25 x 8 x 12 25 | 2 | Dimensions 9 pounds

Original Polar Bear Nylon Soft Cooler

Among all the coolers we tested, Polar Bear's Original Nylon Soft Cooler was one of the most portable and best at maintaining cold temperatures. The bag's top short handles and attached shoulder strap were particularly well-liked by our testers. One tester said, "It feels like a large tote bag and carries like one." In our cold-retention test, the inch of high-density insulation performed admirably because the temperature inside the cooler only increased by about 2 degrees over the course of 24 hours and only about half of the ice melted.

One potential problem is that the cooler leaked a little bit from the zipper when being transported for lunch. When possible, we advise against holding it upside down. The cooler has four tie-down points that will assist with that during transportation in a vehicle.

Price as of publication:

Size: 20 x 15 x 6 | Holds 12 cans 2 pounds | Height: 5 inches

• Are soft coolers just as effective as hard ones?

  Hard coolers frequently have extra-thick walls, rigid construction, and solid seals, which results in the best cold retention. Because they offer cold retention in a more convenient manner with coolers that are more flexible, lighter, and easier to carry, soft coolers are popular. Many can be carried over the shoulder or as a backpack. Heavy-duty hard coolers can only go so far without a vehicle because they typically require wheels or two people to hold them.

  There is no "better" cooler. When you need prolonged cooling and don't need to carry them more than a hundred yards, hard coolers are a good option. In contrast to soft coolers, which are typically just bags, they are also excellent for use as seating when boating or car camping. Soft coolers are "better" if you need something lightweight or simple and don't require prolonged cold retention (more than a week). Some soft coolers can be compressed when not in use, saving space and making them ideal for constrained journeys where space is at a premium.

• Decent ones don't The majority of contemporary soft coolers have robust mechanisms that close openings and watertight zippers and seals. The majority of high-quality soft coolers are also built without seams and other potential weak points in their construction.  

  However, hard coolers win the durability award, so if you have zero tolerance for leakage and want to abuse your cooler while still getting leak-proof performance, consider one for your requirements.