Best Collapsible Folding Cooler
If you use a cooler for your food and drinks, then you may like a collapsible design, supposing you don’t own one already. Collapsible coolers, as the name suggests, can be folded up to save on space and also make movement from one point to another easier.
They are available in varied sizes and, therefore, provide enough room for food and drinks despite the foldable design. With enough ice, collapsible coolers should keep your food desirably cool, thanks to the high-quality insulation layers used in their construction. Their designs and sizing, which can fit up to a suitcase, make them easily portable, giving travellers a smooth time.
There are many collapsible coolers available out there, and they all have something unique to offer. How do you choose the best from what’s in the market? This article is meant to guide you through the features and benefits of some of the best five collapsible coolers that could go into your next shopping list.
Besides these products and their features, are considerations which you can make while shopping. Do you have any other concerns regarding collapsible coolers or more that you’d like to understand? You may find most answers here. First, let’s have a look at our top five picks:
Top Folding Coolers List
| ① yodo Collapsible Cooler Bag -TOP PICK |  |
| ② YETI hopper TWO |  |
| ③ Leopard Outdoor Collapsible Cooler Bag |  |
| ④ NorChill Marine Cooler Bag |  |
| ⑤ MIER Collapsible Cooler Bag |  |
① yodo Collapsible Cooler Bag
The yodo cooler comes in a catchy design. You may love having it on your picnics as it looks quite like a picnic basket. It even comes with metal overhead handles for a classic touch.
You will love this product’s construction. It comes with 3 layers of insulation materials and a spacious insulation compartment. It also has a leak-proof lining, which will prevent leakage from the melted ice and thus any stains on the outer shell.
With a special aluminium foil on its interior lining, you may find this cooler quite easy to clean. That should save you time when you need it urgently.
Its carrying capacity is at 68 cans, but will sure get pretty heavy and possibly uncomfortable to carry, should you fill it up and carry it for long.
Pros
- Spacious
- Leak-proof
- Sturdy & durable
Cons
- You may find the bottom to be less stiff
- You may find it too light for heavy items
② YETI hopper TWO
Despite being the most expensive product in this list, the YETI is worth the price, seen in how it’s nonetheless a public favourite.
It is highly durable, with its high-quality components. The cooler’s outer layer comes in a high-density fabric, abrasion and puncture-resistant. Besides being waterproof, it is fungal and bacterial resistant. This YETI’s middle layer comes in a closed-cell foam. It provides insulation to the main component. The cooler’s inner layer comes in an FDA-approved material.
You may like how the zippers create an airtight closure. This cooler also comes with a comfortable shoulder strap whose material and design reduces or prevents sweating that may occur when carrying the bag.
It has a carrying capacity of 20 soda, beer cans, and can hold their ice for days. You may also find it ideal for wine bottles and up to 20 oz. water bottles.
Pros
- Waterproof DryHide shell fabric
- Heavy duty
- Comfortable extended hauling
Cons
- Expensive
- Faulty zipper
③ Leopard Outdoor Collapsible Cooler Bag
You may love this cooler’s design, and if picnics are your thing, then the bag can serve you optimally.
It comes in a good construction, with its polyester make. Its top and bottom sides are EVA-moulded for sturdiness and support to whatever light you may place on top; a lunchbox or can. The top also has cup supports and the cooler’s interior liner prevents leaks. Its seams are heat welded.
You should find this bag easy to carry. It distributes its weight across your shoulders and back with its padded shoulder strap, thus reducing or preventing strains. The bag’s maximum weight is supported by its side straps, which you may find to be quite sturdy.
This cooler’s zippered mesh pockets provide storage room away from the ice or freeze packs. It has a carrying capacity of 48 cans, and may thus pose a challenge if carried when full.
Pros
- Catchy design
- Good construction
- Easy to carry
Cons
- You may want to check the bottom’s stiffness
④ NorChill Marine Cooler Bag
You may like this compact model by Norchill. It has an easy to clean PVC tarpaulin shell. This should protect your cooler bag from tears and scratches.
It comes in a good construction with a high-quality patent liner which is strong enough to resist any punctures or abrasions. The liner also helps ensure that melted ice doesn’t leak out, thanks to its welded leak-proof seams.
This bag has cushions along its hands and shoulder straps which make carrying it easy and comfortable.
The Norchill comes with a 2-year warranty, unique to most other coolers. Within this period, you can get repairs or replacements from the product’s manufacturer.
It has a heavy-duty zipper that you can trust to keep the insulating compartment well-secured. For its design, you will be surprised by and love the large carrying capacity that it offers.
Pros
- Compact
- Easy to clean
- Leak-proof
Cons
- Not as tough on the bottom
- It may sweat on humid days
⑤ MIER Collapsible Cooler Bag
The MIER is the cheapest of the products in our list, but there’s nothing as cheap about its features, which placed it among the top five that you should watch out for.
It is a low-maintenance bag. Made from polyester fabric, this product is not only anti-tear but also stain-resistant. Cleaning off any stains should be pretty easy, supposing some get on it.
The unit’s insulation compartment can remain cool for long enough, thanks to the high-quality PEVA lining on the bag’s interior. While it may not retain its coolness for weeks or even one, this cooler’s system is equipped to optimally serve you for at least half a day, maybe more.
This cooler offers two additional pockets on the front for dry storage. You should find them large enough for some gadgets, utensils, and other items that you may want to carry in the bag.
Its unique folding mechanism offers you the option to fold the bag down its middle before strapping it secured with Velcro straps. You may find this not only easy, but to also save space as it reduces the bag’s dimensions greatly.
Pros
- Stain-resistant
- Easy folding
- Durable
Cons
- The zipper is not waterproof
- You may not find its construction as sturdy
Buyer’s Guide
We often cool our food and drinks to enjoy them cold, or keep them preserved. While these are not the only reasons, we would turn the same way for anything that can get us those desired temperatures without much of a hassle, or spending too much on complex systems.
A collapsible cooler is one of the efficient ways to keep your food and drinks cold through the day, week or even longer. One of the most notable benefits is the ease in portability. Collapsible coolers come in designs that can, as the name suggests, be folded up or collapsed for easy movement and to save on space. Most come with comfortable shoulder straps or even more unique designs, all to ease portability.
A good collapsible cooler’s design will quickly catch your eye. It may look like a picnic bag, and yet on the inside, has space enough for several cans, foodstuff and even a few of your personal items. These coolers, however, each have something unique to offer.
Available in many different brands, it can be difficult to tell which is the best collapsible cooler. Looking at features and benefits of each product, however, may get you a step closer to understanding what will work best for you. Your preference is a guiding light. The product that offers features which match what you’re looking for the most is probably what you should go for.
We have looked at a list of five top products in the market and briefly discussed their features. Are you in a position to get what you need from the list? In this section, we’re going to look at some of the things that you can consider when shopping for one of these coolers.
Durability is one. A durable collapsible cooler should serve you for long without requiring replacement or constant repairs. When checking the durability of your desired cooler, you should consider the fabric used in its construction. It should be able to resist tears, and perhaps also be abrasion and puncture resistant.
Since a cooler is a budgetary investment, you wouldn’t want to get one with no guarantee on its durability. Regular repairs within the first years of purchase means the product could have a problem. Make a good investment with a well-constructed unit.
A cooler’s insulation is critical to its functionality, since it will determine how efficiently a cooler can perform its task, and for how long. Good collapsible coolers should have around 3 insulation layers. The outer layer often provides proofing and the middle holds the main component. The inner layer provides room for your desired contents, and prevents leaks.
All these layers of insulation working together help ensure that your food and drinks remain at the desired temperature. Coolers vary in the duration, and while others will serve you for a few days, you can have another that cools to up to a week, or more.
Look at a product’s available features, mark them against your preferences, and your choices will get easier. However, it’s good to always see what more a product can offer. Some will cool for just half a day, but offer better portability and maybe a few other handy features. Have a look at them.
Have you checked out zippers? They should provide airtight closure to the cooler, and thus, help keep your food and drinks at the set temperature. Get a unit with a heavy-duty zipper, to ensure it never fails you.
A cooler that is easy to clean is definitely desirable. This is often determined by its inner lining. You should consider the material with which it is made, since some can be a little hard to clean than others.
Different carrying capacities will offer you a different experience every time. If you’re going out for a picnic, then you may need to carry as much food as drinks, and perhaps even a few more stuff with them. A mobile homeowner may need their food and drinks to remain preserved and cool for longer, or on a more regular basis.
A traveller may need the same, but for only the duration of their travel, and so may a camper. By simply finding out what you intend to do, you’ll be able to determine which carrying capacity will suit you most. Besides the purpose of the cooler, however, you should also consider weight with carrying capacity.
A large storage will weigh heavy when full. Will you be able to carry it? Can you easily get help? If this will come at a hassle or extra cost, then there’s no need to get something too large. Some medium storages provide a reasonable count, and satisfactory features. Nonetheless, have a look at a product, then gauge how well its carrying capacity will serve you.
We have, somewhere in there, mentioned portability. It would beat the sense of getting a collapsible cooler, if you can’t carry it with ease. Some coolers have been designed with handles which make them easy to move around with. Others come in simple or compact designs; whatever works best for you!
Discussed above, are things that will make your shopping easier, and help you land on a collapsible cooler that will best suit your needs. You should, nonetheless, remember to clean your bag regularly. Good maintenance will ensure you use it for long.
The cooler is meant to hold your food and drinks, so you wouldn’t want it to be dirty at any point, or contaminated. You should also expect regular spills from the food you keep in. If cleaning is overdone, however, you could risk tearing or ripping the bag’s fabric.
Your cooler bag is not same as a regular bag, so it’s not a good idea to use it for any other purpose than what is intended. Some of these bags, however, come with a few extra compartments where you can store a few of your stuff, separate from the main compartment. If your cooler bag doesn’t have these, then you should keep in only what’s necessary.
Do not add too many items into your cooler bag since strains may affect how well the zipper’s close. It’s advisable to work with only the provided carrying capacity, and not to always fill it up.
These are not the only considerations you can make prior to your cooler bag shopping. They will, however, put you at a better place the next time you walk into a store to make your purchase. Why don’t we quickly recap our top five?
Yodo comes in a catchy design. You may love having it on your picnics as it looks like a picnic basket. It comes with metal overhead handles for a classic touch. It has 3 layers of insulation materials and a spacious insulation compartment.
It also has a leak-proof lining, which will prevent leakage from the melted ice. With a special aluminium foil on its interior lining, you may find this cooler quite easy to clean. Its carrying capacity is at 68 cans.
YETI is highly durable, with its high-quality components. The cooler’s outer layer comes in a high-density fabric, abrasion and puncture-resistant. Besides being waterproof, it is fungal and bacterial resistant. YETI’s middle layer comes in a closed-cell foam. It provides insulation to the main component. The cooler’s inner layer comes in an FDA-approved material.
The zippers create an airtight closure. This cooler also comes with a comfortable shoulder strap whose material and design reduces or prevents sweating. It has a carrying capacity of 20 soda, beer cans. You may also find it ideal for wine bottles and up to 20 oz water bottles.
Leopard Outdoor comes in a good construction, with its polyester make. Its top and bottom sides are EVA-moulded for sturdiness and support. The top also has cup supports and the cooler’s interior liner prevents leaks. Its seams are heat welded.
It is easy to carry. It distributes its weight across your shoulders and back with its padded shoulder strap. The bag’s maximum weight is supported by its side straps. Its zippered mesh pockets provide storage room away from the ice or freeze packs. It has a carrying capacity of 48 cans.
NorChill has an easy to clean PVC tarpaulin shell. It comes in a good construction with a high-quality patent liner, strong enough to resist any punctures or abrasions. The liner also helps ensure that melted ice doesn’t leak out, thanks to its welded leak-proof seams.
This bag has cushions along its hands and shoulder straps which make carrying it easy and comfortable. It comes with a 2-year warranty and has a heavy-duty zipper. For its design, it offers a large carrying capacity.
MIER is a low-maintenance bag. Made from polyester fabric, this product is not only anti-tear but also stain-resistant. It is also easy to clean. The unit’s insulation compartment can remain cool for long enough, thanks to the high-quality PEVA lining on the bag’s interior.
This cooler’s system is equipped to optimally serve you for at least half a day, maybe more. It offers two additional pockets on the front for dry storage. Its unique folding mechanism offers you the option to fold the bag down its middle before strapping it secured with Velcro straps.
It’s okay to be unaware of how coolers operate, or the specifics of their systems. You should, however, find out a few things like tuning the temperature, whether you’ll have to add ice, and how much of it you should. It can help to know anything that may require you to do slightly extra, and how that may serve or strain you.
Your budget is one of the important guiding lights that you’ll have when purchasing any product. You don’t have to exceed what you had planned to spend, or go too low when you could still get much with your initial budget.
Some products will come at a high cost. Don’t look away too fast, since it could have something about it that you’ll like. Weigh the product’s features against its price, and how far it strays from your budget. If it’s something you can still somehow manage, then go for it!
Bottom Line
A collapsible cooler will come handy the next time you’re going camping, traveling on your RV, or own a mobile home. It is a worthy investment to anyone who would like to keep their food cool and preserved in an easy way. What’s better is that you can carry these coolers around!
Some classy designs may look like picnic bags, making these bags easier to have wherever you intend to go with food or drinks. We have looked at some of the top collapsible coolers in the market, and they all have offered something unique.
We have also discussed some of the things you should keep in mind when shopping for one of these coolers. I would recommend that you get the yodo Collapsible Cooler Bag. There’s more to why.
The product comes in a catchy design. You may love having it on your picnics as it looks quite like a picnic basket. It even comes with metal overhead handles for a classic touch.
You will love this product’s construction. It comes with 3 layers of insulation materials and a spacious insulation compartment. It also has a leak-proof lining, which will prevent leakage from the melted ice and thus any stains on the outer shell.
With a special aluminium foil on its interior lining, you may find this cooler quite easy to clean. That should save you time when you need it urgently.
Its carrying capacity is at 68 cans, but will sure get pretty heavy and possibly uncomfortable to carry, should you fill it up and carry it for long.
Why don’t you get the yodo Collapsible cooler today!
