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soft sided cooler

jeeppoor

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2012
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We are headed south in couple weeks (live in Michigan) to AOP and then Windrock.
We would like a soft sided cooler to put in the back of the juggy.
Don't want to spend a small fortune on it (we don't have Tony Boltons kind of money).
What are you guys running?
What do you like about it?
What do you hate about it?
We just need it to hold about 6 to 12 bottles of water, accouple sandwiches and many be some snacks.
 
RTiC They have them on sale right now. I love my 30 can softsided cooler. It is airtight and keeps stuff cold. I have had it 4 years or so and use it more than any cooler I have ever owned. Easy to access stuff inside also vs the bag style coolers.
 
RTiC They have them on sale right now. I love my 30 can softsided cooler. It is airtight and keeps stuff cold. I have had it 4 years or so and use it more than any cooler I have ever owned. Easy to access stuff inside also vs the bag style coolers.
Hmm they did not get that great of reviews on Amazon. Side the zipper was crap mainly tho.
 
The rtic isn't a horrible cooler but it's not great either. The zipper works better with the lube definitely. The key is ya must pre chill the cooler. I hate it but it's the way it works. It will eat ice unless ya do this. The Walmart brand is cheap for a reason. It leaks and not air tight and the zipper sucks and the ring breaks off easily making it a bitch to open and close. I own both so I know. Yeti too expensive for me.
 
I have a Yeti Hopper 30 and 40. I've had some warranty issues in the past which they've replaced no questions asked. Just gotta make sure you keep the zipper lubed. Keeps all my beer and liquors cold for the entire weekend of wheeling even in the summer.
 
RTIC soft coolers were 50% off normal price for Fathers Day this time last year. Not sure if they will do it again.
 
I use chapstick black (classic) on my RTiC zippers lol never had an issue. I have an Ozark also and it leaks if it tips and the zipper is really "notchy" I guess is a term. I have honestly beat the crap outta the RTiC cooler, keep it in the cab of the truck for road trips, ratchet strap it to the kayak for juiceboxes, drag it out on the beach surf fishing, toss it in the boat for short trips. It is just a handy size. I have a couple of Yetis, a couple of Orcas and a Pelican. For ease of use and short trips I grab the RTiC soft side. Yeti has some zip off top soft side coolers now but at 1/3 the price my RTiC soft side gets the nod.
 
AO Coolers.


I have the Stow-N-Go since my cooler rack is rectangular but has a low overhead. I can easily get 30 beers and 20lbs of ice in there.

I have a couple of their canvas 12 pack and 24 pack Made In USA coolers that were trade-show give-aways. They've been beat, thrown, used as tool bags and everything else and are still in good shape. They don't have the huge sealing zippers that are a pain in the ass either, just a regular metal YKK zippers.
 
AO Coolers.


I have the Stow-N-Go since my cooler rack is rectangular but has a low overhead. I can easily get 30 beers and 20lbs of ice in there.

Are you running a strap over top of it to hold it in? Or are the side handles strong enough to anchor both sides down. I ain't got no time to fool around with ratchet straps trying to get a crispy brewchacho out
 
They come with the zipper lube now. It's in one of the pockets

That's good to know. In our over abundance of collers, we don't have a soft side RITC, but she bought more of the RITC cups and some of the zipper lube (didn't know that was a thing until it showed up here) to use on the various knock off other soft coolers we have.
 
I like the AO coolers or the polar bears, been beating the crap outta my polar bear for 4 years with no issues. Holds ice longer than any yeti will
 
Are you running a strap over top of it to hold it in? Or are the side handles strong enough to anchor both sides down. I ain't got no time to fool around with ratchet straps trying to get a crispy brewchacho out

Good question. The side handles are pretty robust. They feel like seatbelt material. But I've never tested them. The cooler fits my basket perfectly and the way the back of my cage runs down, the cooler can't fly out on its own anyway. I'm with you though, If you have to release ratchet straps to get your crispy boi that's a deal breaker. It does have a huge lid with a big zipper so even if you had to throw a strap over it you could still get in through a corner. I also like the zippered pocket on top, stays dry if you want to throw in a power bar or snack or something.
 

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