Hard Cooler vs Soft Cooler: Which Should You Get
If you can only buy one, buy the hard cooler. I own both a RTIC 20 quart hard cooler and a RTIC 30 can soft cooler, and the hard one is the do-everything pick. It holds ice about three days against the soft cooler’s single day, and before I had the soft one I used the hard cooler for all the same things. The soft cooler is a nice second one for day trips, not the one to start with.
Here’s how they actually compare after living with both.
Hard cooler vs soft cooler at a glance
| Hard cooler (RTIC 20 qt) | Soft cooler (RTIC 30 can) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ice retention | About 3 days | A full day |
| Best for | Multi-day camping | Day trips, drinks |
| Weight | About 18 lb | About 4 lb |
| Capacity | A day or two of food | Drinks and sandwiches |
| Durability | Takes a beating | Fine for light use |
| Price | About $180 | About $130 |
Ice retention is what matters most
This is what decides which one you want. My RTIC hard cooler holds ice about three days, which is what gets me through a multi-day camping trip. The soft cooler is a day, which is all I ask of it since I only take it out for a single day anyway.
The trick that stretches both: pre-chill them. A couple hours before a trip I throw a bunch of ice packs in the cooler to bring the inside temperature down, then pull the packs out and load it with fresh ice when I’m ready to leave. A warm cooler burns through your first bag of ice just cooling its own walls. If it’s pre-chilled, the ice stays frozen a lot longer. I go deeper on packing and ice in my how to keep food cold camping guide.
When to use a hard cooler
Any multi-day trip. I pack a day or two of food in the RTIC 20, and that way when the ice starts to melt I’m mostly out of food and I’ll go get more. It pretty much comes on every overnight trip. If you’re deciding on a brand for that hard cooler, I compared RTIC vs Yeti after two years with mine.
On longer trips I do want a bigger cooler. The 20 quart is on the small side for four or five days of food for a group. But the size is also why it’s easy to live with: it doesn’t eat up the whole truck bed, and it wedges in with the rest of the camp kitchen.
When a soft cooler is better
Day trips. A hike to a lake, an afternoon out, that kind of thing. I load it with drinks and some sandwiches, drop in a couple of ice packs, and they last the whole day. It’s light, it slings over your shoulder, and it packs away flat when it’s empty. For a single day, hauling the heavy hard cooler makes no sense.
The catch is it’s only good for a day. It won’t hold food cold overnight, but I only use it for day trips, so that’s never come up for me.
Weight and durability
Hard coolers are heavy, and that’s the trade for holding ice for days. All that insulation in the walls has to go somewhere. The RTIC 20 isn’t the worst of them, and RTIC makes an ultralight version if weight is your sticking point, but a loaded cooler can get pretty heavy.
The hard cooler takes a beating too. Mine has been tossed in and out of the truck for a couple of years and still holds up fine. The soft cooler has held up just as well, though that’s an easier test since I only use it for day trips.
So which should you buy?
Buy the hard cooler first. I did, and I used it for everything before I ever bought the soft one. It handles the multi-day trips that I don’t bring the soft cooler on, and it still does a day trip fine. If you camp overnight at all, it’s the one.
Get the soft cooler second, once you want something lighter for day trips and hauling drinks. It’s a great addition, just not where I’d start.
And if you camp more than two or three days at a stretch, or you’re feeding a group, size up past the 20 quart. That’s the one thing I’d add to my gear.
Hard cooler vs soft cooler FAQ
Is a hard cooler or soft cooler better? A hard cooler is better for keeping things cold longer and for multi-day trips. A soft cooler is better for day trips where light weight matters more than ice life. If you only buy one, get the hard cooler.
How long does a hard cooler keep ice? A good hard cooler holds ice for a few days. Mine gets about three, which covers a normal camping trip. Pre-chilling it first makes a real difference.
How long does a soft cooler keep ice? About a day, sometimes a little more. That’s plenty for a day trip or a beach afternoon, but not for keeping food cold overnight.
Do you need both a hard and a soft cooler? No. Most people are fine with just a hard cooler, since it can handle a day trip too. A soft cooler is a nice second one to grab when you want something lighter for a single day.