Best Backpack Cooler

What are the Best Backpack Coolers?

Do you use a cooler for your drinks or food? There are plenty of reasons why you could, and one is if you are a hiking or picnic fan. If you also travel a lot, then you have probably found the need at one point or another, of owning a cooler. 

A backpack cooler is simply worn on your back, which makes it pretty easy to carry around. Having a cooler on your back doesn’t miraculously take away its weight; it distributes it. So, it’d be no surprise if hours later, you can still summon the energy to sling the cooler over your shoulders.

Unlike rotomolded coolers, backpack coolers come with a thin insulation lining. This will help keep your food and drinks within the desired temperature for only a few hours. Since backpack coolers can’t be plugged in, you should expect them to depend on ice retention

There are many backpack coolers available out in the market. Deciding on the best can be difficult and confusing. This article is meant to ease that for you. Besides looking at the top products in the market, I’d also like to discuss a few things you should consider in your next shopping.

Top Backpack Cooler List

① IceMule Pro Cooler-TOP PICK
② TOURIT Voyager Backpack 36 cans
③ YETI Hopper Backflip
④ Arctic Zone Titan Guide Series Cooler
⑤ Coleman Soft Backpack Cooler

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① IceMule Pro Cooler

 

Created by IceMule the cylindrical Pro Cooler comes with high quality double padded straps, an elastic pocket mesh covering most of its rear and a ventilated cushion that takes good care of your back. To ensure its toughness the external surface of the cooler backpack is made out of 1000-denier MuleSkin.

The backpack boasts plenty insulation ensuring that the content in the cooler storage is kept at the right temperature. The top of the bag uses a roll-up system to close, a recurrent design along most IceMule coolers. IceMule pro comes in three sizes: the Large with a capacity of 23 litres, the X-Large has a capacity of 33 liters and the XXLarge that is able to hold up to 40 litres.

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② TOURIT Voyager Backpack 36 cans

 

Here is another high quality backpack cooler flexing hard with the remarkable Tourit insignia at its front. The 36-can backpack cooler stands 10 inches high, 17 inches long and 13.8 inches wide. Its exterior is made out of tough fabric that is resistant to tear, leak and Ultra-Violet(UV) radiation.

It has all-round insulation. Its two compartments on either side of the can hold a few of your friend’s stuff, hoping they aren’t as big as a rugby ball.

 It weighs about 4.6 pounds. In respect to its nomenclature, the Tourit Voyager Backpack – 36 cans, can hold up to 36 cans in its hood. For someone who is always on the go, it is easy haul the backpack cooler by its strap at the top lid and shoot right into motion with less obstruction. It is one of the few coolers of its kind that can keep ice solid for more than 45 hours.

The Tourit backpack has a stunning design. Its finishing is so gracefully, an art that goes around all Tourit products.

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③ YETI Hopper Backflip 

 

Here is another acclaimed badge, the Yeti. Just like all wonders done by Rolls Royce in production of almost-flawless top-of-the-line luxury vehicles (have you seen the new Cullinan?), Yeti is a renowned mogul company in making posh and high quality coolers. 

The Hopper Backflip is one of the Company’s backpack coolers. It comes bundled with lots of mind-blowing tech features. Again, Yeti applied the DryHide Shell on the on the exterior of the backpack. The high quality material is mildew-, UV-, and puncture resistant making it hard enough to last very long. 

Hopper Backflip has closed-cell rubber foam insulation therefore you get incredible ice retention capabilities by the cooler.

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④ Arctic Zone Titan Guide Series Cooler

 

Made by Arctic Zone the Titan Guide Series Cooler is among the best backpack coolers in the market. 

The cooler measures about 13” in length, 10” in depth and 12.75” in height. Its interior features high performance insulation with radiant heat barrier, Cold-Block base with three layers of SuperFoam to keep the conductive heat emanating from the hot ground away. It has a leak-proof surface on the exterior and a Microban lining that shields against growth of bacterial and reduces bad odor.

The exterior is fabricated from Rhino-Tech stain and water resistant high-grade material. The bag has multiple accessory pockets with zippers. The zipper lid at its top flaps to one side giving space into the cooler compartment so that one freely load or empty it.

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⑤ Coleman Soft Backpack Cooler

 

The Coleman Soft Backpack Cooler is a compact, effective and practical cooler backpack built by Coleman Company, Inc. With an inner compartment that can hold up to 28 cans, the backpack cooler weighs less than 1.2 pounds. 

It is appealing in its combination of colors, khaki with gray and silver blend. This is the only cooler with less flex in material. However, the Coleman cooler is still tough enough. It is very simple, more like your regular backpack.

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We love simple things; they’re easier to handle, and there’s lesser to worry about. If you’ve been using a rotomolded cooler, then you may like the simplicity with backpack coolers. If you haven’t tried them or any coolers for that matter, then there’re a few things you may want to know.

As the name suggests, these coolers can be slung over the shoulders, taking portability to an undoubtedly desirable level. It is not just the ease in maneuverability that may draw you to this cooler type, however, but also the simplicity in its cooling structure, which makes use of only what’s available and necessary. 

Unlike rotomolded coolers, which feature insulation walls, backpack coolers have a simple lining that will sure get the job done! Can this kind of insulation keep your food or drinks cool for long? Compared to rotomolded coolers, they cannot. One of the reasons is that they don’t have a power source. 

A backpack will go behind your back, and will mostly rely on ice retention. It’s small, and the insulation compartment is sealed off with only a thin lining. These are not drawbacks if what you’re looking for matches the size of a backpack. That’s exactly what you’ll get with these coolers—simplicity.

Backpack coolers are available in various designs, and with the many brands offering different, interesting features, it can be confusing to determine which product is the best. In this section, I’d like us to have a look at some of the things that you can consider in your next shopping, for a seamless experience.

Maneuverability

Moving around with your backpack cooler may not be an easy thing to do, especially when it’s loaded up. The same would be said about any backpack full of contents; these coolers, however, play more roles than any regular bag, and with all the food and drinks in, you may desire easier, smoother maneuverability. 

There are a few factors that affect maneuverability. In this case, comfort would be among the major ones. Why? Think about how far you plan to walk with your cooler bag. Will the walk be along a level stretch, or a hilly/rocky terrain? Will it be a hike, nature walk, or getaway in the woods?

Filled with food and drinks or leveled as preferred, a backpack cooler may weigh you down. You could get a lighter or smaller bag, but that won’t eliminate the need to stack it with your stuff. The result is the same, if not somewhere around complications with moving.

How do you make this easier? Some brands, thankfully, have you in mind! They come with amazing features to boost comfort and ease strains on carrying loaded backpack coolers. One important feature to look out for here is a well-padded strapping. It will ensure that a bag’s weight doesn’t press too hard against your shoulders.

But what good are comfortable straps if your body size isn’t proportional to that of your bag? You may face challenges in movement if you use one that is too big for you. The bag’s size does determine how much you can carry in it, but that may not be relevant if the size just isn’t for you! Here’s a simple why:

A bag too small will not fit all your contents, while a bag too big may be difficult to carry. A bag too small may not fit on you, and you may not fit into a bag too big. 

Size goes along with your bag’s carrying capacity. Different cooler backpacks will have varied maximum capacities. This will determine how much of your contents you can keep in without straining yourself or damaging the bag.

It’s a good idea to first check how much you may need to carry in a typical outing, whether for a hike, walk, or chill in the forest. If you’ll always have a large group with you, then you may want to consider a bag with a large carrying capacity. 

If you often go out alone or expect to do so with fewer people, then a small carrying capacity may serve you just well. What happens to your bag, however, should it get heavy, even with less stuff? Next, comes the maximum weight the backpack can hold. Some can take up contents of 20lbs., others 30lbs., and some even more.

Pockets

One of the perks of getting a cooler bag for your picnic or hike is that some models come with extra pockets. You can use them to keep your things, especially whatever you’d like to keep away from the ice, or just dry through your walk.

These extra pockets are designed to either in or outside a backpack cooler. The different positions should help with keeping everything in order. Decide what will go where, and which pockets are more suitable for some extra stash. You can even keep spare ice in one!

Insulation

Your cooler’s insulation is critical to its efficiency. While it doesn’t need a thick wall to keep your food and drinks cold enough, a backpack cooler will need reliable insulation. Most offer a thin lining, which works greats for hours, but you could also go for something a little thicker.

Improper insulation could cause leakages in the cooling compartment, especially when the ice melts. This shouldn’t be the case if you purchase a quality cooler with a good build.

A backpack cooler ensures that you walk around with a reliable cooling source for hours. If you intend to have some activity out somewhere, then it could come quite handy. It’s easy to carry, and is available in simple and compact designs.

It can feel exhausting to carry a loaded bag with you for hours. It could be food and drinks, both of which your body needs with every energy that you lose. Considering the above-mentioned factors should make your time less torturous, and smooth, if not fun as it should be!

Every product, however, comes with a prize tag. It’s always the good ones that pinch our pockets whenever it comes to the price, and any backpack cooler would be true evidence to that. Brands offer different features. Each could do something good for you, and your time out there.

It is critical, nonetheless, to pay keener attention to the things that have more prominence, relevance and importance. There are things that you simply cannot sacrifice for a lower price, and others that aren’t worth it at a higher price.

Weigh how much you’re willing to spend against the value that a product offers your money. How do you determine this? Have a look at the features. The critical ones are always clear; like comfort, maneuverability, and insulation. Of course, you’d always want to get a durable product, and a suitable one.

If you can get all this at a fair, cheap or high price, then you shouldn’t hesitate; take the deal. Often though, cheap products fail to deliver the best, and spending more keeps proving to be worth it. No pressure; whatever you can manage and are happy with takes the day!

This brings me to my next point, preference. A product may have amazing features, but none that you will like. Another may have everything you want, but cost a little more than you had planned for. It’s always the best idea to go for your preference because at the end of the day, it is the one thing you’re sure to work for you.

Are you by now still contemplating on whether to get a backpack cooler? There are plenty of reasons why you may want to have one, and although I’ve mentioned some already, why don’t we have a quick look at a few?

Strengths

Portability & transportation

You will not need help carrying this bag. If you at a point find the need for it, then you probably should get a more manageable size. All in all, a backpack cooler was designed to make things easier for you. If you have able shoulders and energetic feet, then taking on some distance with a backpack cooler on your back will be nothing!

Collapsibility 

It’s beautiful how a backpack cooler can be easily collapsed down and folded for easier storage. This must be because of their simple make and use of foldable materials. They are not bulky, and could come quite handy when traveling, since they’ll not take up much storage.

Comfort

Unlike other cooler types, backpack coolers are designed to go easy on your shoulders. It definitely is easier to carry some well-sized, loaded bag on your back than hands because of better weight distribution. Good backpack coolers come with well-padded straps to enhance the comfort.

There are many available products in the market, but you may find what we have looked at to be among the best. They are:

1. IceMule Pro Cooler
2. TOURIT Voyager Backpack
3. YETI Hopper Backflip 
4. Arctic Zone Titan Guide Series Cooler
5. Coleman Soft Backpack Cooler

Setbacks

Nothing is complete without a little flaw; it’s just as important to know the setbacks that you should expect with backpack coolers. An obvious one is the limited storage capacity. These coolers are smaller in size and design, and do not have most things that rotomolded coolers do.

They will, therefore, not hold as much. Because of their simple cooling systems as well, you should expect limited cooling period. Backpack coolers retain temperature with the help of a thin lining of insulation, which also prevents leaks. 

You may have to change the ice every once in a while, so that cooling continues. Generally, however, you’ll not enjoy much cooling time from a backpack cooler.

Discussed are not all the considerations that you could make when shopping for the best backpack cooler. You may eliminate a few more things that won’t work for you in the course of making your purchase.

I hope that you find what you’re looking for.

Conclusion.

Finding the best cooler depends on individual preference. Taste and need varies from one person to the other. If you are looking to get a backpack cooler, you should take into account how you would prefer the cooler to serve you.

A good backpack cooler should have sufficient storage; it should be able to keep your drinks at the right temperature for a good amount of time, it should be effective and easy to use. A good backpack cooler should be durable and fairly priced.

Considering all the aspects and features of a good backpack cooler, the IceMule Pro Cooler comes out as the best backpack cooler. 

It comes with high quality double padded straps, an elastic pocket mesh covering most of its rear and a ventilated cushion that takes good care of your back. To ensure its toughness the external surface of the cooler backpack is made out of 1000-denier MuleSkin.

The backpack boasts plenty insulation ensuring that the content in the cooler storage is kept at the right temperature. The top of the bag uses a roll-up system to close, a recurrent design along most IceMule coolers. 

You can go ahead and purchase one at your favorite store.