A soft cooler is fine for a beach day

A soft-sided cooler won’t hold ice as long as a hard cooler, but for a single day at the beach, it’s the better choice.

The zipper is the weak point. It leaks cold air, and soft sides just don’t have the same insulation thickness as a hard rotomolded shell. A good soft cooler will keep ice overnight if you start with a well-chilled cooler and don’t open it constantly, but a hard cooler will keep ice for two to three days or more. That matters for camping, not for a day trip.

For the beach, convenience wins. A soft cooler is lighter, has shoulder