Preferred Coolers - Soft or Hard Shell

[Fuestonj]

Any preference on soft vs hard shell coolers inside your boats? I'm on an older model (Yamaha 04 SR23) and looking at options for compartment coolers that fit the space.

What's the majority using? and any issues you still have with them?

Thanks!

 

[DRock3d]

Rtic 52 fits in front of the engine compartment great, on shorter trips we use a backpack cooler.

Not sure of the fitment on your boat but I know you can get the yamaha compartment cooler without the yamaha branding for under $30.

 

[W3bexec]

It really depends on how you use your cooler. Need to keep ice for 3 days? Hard cooler is the only real option. For day trips and overnights... soft coolers all the way!

After multiple seasons using the hard coolers I tried some soft coolers... and I won't be going back. They flex, they give me options like pockets, shoulder straps, and handles. Most zip closed and have a velcro open top flap for quickly grabbing a drink. Since they flex I can fit more and actually fit 3 soft coolers in the same area I used to fit a single hard cooler.

 

[TreeRX]

I use a variety of coolers. If it's just the wife and I for a short trip, we bring a backpack cooler. If we're bringing some food, or have a few passengers then we use our RTIC soft pack 30. It happens to perfectly fit under the starboard stern seats on the 24' boats, even with a subwoofer there. We also have a hard 45 quart RTIC cooler that we only bring when we're meeting people to raft up...It takes up a lot of space and gets in the way.
The hard coolers are great, but they're honestly overkill for day trips. Any of the soft coolers, or even the cheap plastic coolers will hold ice all day, as long as everything is cold before you pack the cooler.
If you're purchasing a cooler to primarily use on your boat, first think where it's going to be stored on the boat. Get the dimensions, and search for the largest cooler you can get to fit that space. The soft coolers hold more beer than the hard coolers, of the same exterior size.

 

[212s]

We switched to soft AO Coolers that slide under the seats out of the way thanks to another member here who mentioned them. They're still easy to access for drinks or food packs without having to pull them out - zippers open toward the stern. The best part is, they're out of the way of foot traffic and don't move or slide while boating:

 

[AuburnVFR]

So far, I'm loving my "new to me" Yeti M30 with the magnetic closure. Last year my Rtic zipper crapped out and I wasn't going to spend money on another expensive-ish cooler to worry about another zipper failure. We don't really have a dedicated space for it, but it hasn't been an issue yet. I am intrigued by the newer M20 backpack version as that size is more appropriate for our daytrip needs, but I refuse to pay the new price.

 

[Cambo]

AO 36 pack has been my go to cooler since 2016. I use frozen ice packs it’s great for the family of 4 filled with food and a few drinks. It can fit very odd shaped items if needed like large bowls or platters

 

[jocolo21]

I’ve got both a yeti soft and hard. It all depend on what we do. Ocean we take both. Lake mostly the soft

 

[adrianp89]

I’ve got both a yeti soft and hard. It all depend on what we do. Ocean we take both. Lake mostly the soft

This. Depends on amount of people too. Often the Hard is for drinks and soft for PubSubs.

 

[tabbibus]

I use soft exclusively in the boat. A variety of them. Depending on how much stuff we bring. We have a smaller Yeti, a medium back pack cooler, and a little larger polar bear cooler.

Amazon.com : Polar Bear Eclipse UV-Resistant Cooler (24-Pack) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Polar Bear Eclipse UV-Resistant Cooler (24-Pack) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[Rammrodd]

We go with a hard cooler for food, better crush protection. Then use a soft side or 2 for drinks.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I use the oem igloo hard sided cooler… I freeze a bunch of water bottles to keep things cold. My experience with soft sided coolers has been met with “Luke warm“ results..

 

[biffdotorg]

I think it's already been said here, but a person really needs to match up their cooler choice with what they really need. Instead of just hauling around whatever "trophy cooler" they bought just to show off. Practicality should have precedence in this case. We are limited on space, and don't want warm food/drinks, or leaking water to spoil our precious boating time.

I remember when AO coolers were the best softsider on the market, and we could not believe how a cooler could be over $50 if not $100. Now these Yeti's etc are crazy prices. And 95% of the folks that have them, don't even utilize their main purpose. (week long ice) as they don't need ice for a week.

As others have said, if space is a concern, having a really good quality soft sider is money. As they fit in tight spaces, are quiet and do a good job for day trips. I have had two AO coolers and even had them relined, they were that good. And last all day. We do have a nice collection of roto-molded coolers that have SeaDek tops on them, as they make great foot rests in the Tritoon, or the bow and the dogs love to sit on them.

That being said, the roto molded coolers hold ice but have poor capacity. If I need to run 50 miles to town for groceries, I grab and old Igloo or Coleman for shear capacity. The Yeti/RTIC's in our collection hold half as much and take up the same amount of space.

Now where the roto-molded coolers really shine is in our SXS. The durability is second to none, and having hard tie down points molded into them is a requirement. As we ratchet strap them down. But again, capacity is a concern. When we have big parties and need to stockpile ice though, nothing will keep ice longer than those thick walled coolers.

So a person needs to pick their poison. But I have no time for folks buying $300-$500 coolers, and strap them to their swimdeck just to show off. My wife would kill me if I took away her favorite place to sit.

 

[jetboatjay]

B and E Marine in Indiana sold us a $40K soft sided cooler that we love. They then threw in a free AR195 to go with it. The two fit well together for a day on the lake.

 

[Scarpp]

We use the YETI bag for drinks and The ORCA for food and misc. things. The ORCA fits good behind the drivers seat of our AR250.

 

[Shack]

Love the yeti’s with the mag strip!

 

[jthackman]

Love the yeti’s with the mag strip!View attachment 180994

nice...fits there well
which model is this?

 

[Scarpp]

nice...fits there well
which model is this?

Check out YETI's site. They have a couple different types of soft coolers. I bought the attachment bag for the Yeti bag I posted to keep my keys and other things I didn't want to get wet.

 

[Shack]

M20. Scheels got them in store a month ago. They were available online before that.

 

[sunbyrned]

I have the hard Yamaha cooler and liked how it keeps the ice cold and it fits in the space under the seat that you’re mentioning. The problem with that space is that people who may be sitting there have to move in order to get to the cooler. I tried bringing it out on the main floor but it slides all over the place so we went to a soft Yeti. The ice in my soft Yeti melts incredibly fast (unlike the hard cooler) so I now use frozen ice bags and they work great. It’s also a lot easier for an old man like me to lift into the boat.