Not every trip needs a fridge or a heavy esky. For a day at the beach, a picnic or a few cold drinks next to the camp chairs, a soft cooler you can sling over your shoulder is all you need.
The Coleman 30 Can Soft Cooler is that kind of cooler. It’s light, it holds a lot, and it has more pockets than most. I paid $40 for it.
What You’re Getting
A soft, insulated cooler bag from Coleman with room for 30 cans. It has a zip top, an adjustable shoulder strap, a zipped front pocket, mesh pockets inside the lid, two drink bottle holders on the sides and bungee cords on the lid. It also comes in 16-can and 42-can sizes.
The good
- Easy to carry on the shoulder strap
- Holds 30 cans
- Front pocket and mesh pockets
- Bungee cords on the lid
- Two side drink bottle holders
- Leakproof lining
The not-so-good
- Cold for about 12 hours only
- Soft sides don’t protect contents
- No hard lid to stand things on
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Coleman |
| Model | 30 Can Soft Cooler |
| Weight | About 0.67 kg |
| Size | About 33 × 28 × 33.5 cm |
| Colour | Black |
| Capacity | 30 cans |
| Insulation | TempLock |
| Keeps cold | 12 hours or more |
| Outer fabric | 600D polyester |
| Closure | Zip top |
| Carrying | Adjustable padded shoulder strapPadded side handles |
| Storage | Front zip pocketMesh pockets in the lidTwo side bottle holdersLid bungee cords |
| Lining | LeakproofWelded seams |
| Other sizes | 16 can42 can |
Space and insulation
Inside, the cooler is one open compartment with a silver lining. The seams are welded, so melting ice doesn’t leak out. It takes 30 cans, and with a six-pack in the bottom there’s still a lot of room around and above it for ice bricks, food and more drinks. The soft sides also mean you can squeeze in odd shapes that wouldn’t fit a hard cooler of the same size.
The TempLock insulation keeps the contents cold for 12 hours or more. That makes it a cooler for the day: pack it in the morning and it’s still cold at dinner time. For a full weekend away you’ll want a hard cooler or a fridge.
Pockets, bungees and bottle holders
This is where the Coleman does more than a plain cooler bag. The zipped pocket on the front holds keys, a phone or a bottle opener, and the mesh pockets inside the lid keep small things out of the ice. On each side is a mesh holder for a drink bottle.
On top of the lid are bungee cords, meant for a picnic blanket or a towel. It’s a small thing, but it leaves your hands free for everything else you’re carrying from the car.
Carrying it
Portability is this cooler’s best score. It weighs only about 0.67 kg empty, and the adjustable, padded shoulder strap lets you carry it hands-free, which matters when the picnic spot is a walk from the car park. There are padded handles on the sides as well, for lifting it in and out of the car. The outer fabric is a sturdy 600D polyester, and when it’s empty it squashes down, so it takes less room at home and in the car than a hard cooler.
Soft cooler or hard cooler?
We also have the Coleman 15L hard cooler, and the two do different jobs. The soft cooler is lighter, easier to carry and holds more cans. The hard cooler protects what’s inside, has a solid lid and takes knocks better in the back of the 4WD. If you want something bigger in a soft cooler, see our Dune 48 Can cooler bag review.
Conclusion: Coleman 30 Can Soft Cooler
The Coleman 30 Can Soft Cooler is light, roomy and very easy to carry, with pockets, bottle holders and lid bungees that make it more useful than a plain cooler bag. It keeps things cold for about 12 hours, so it’s for day trips and not for a long weekend, and the soft sides won’t protect anything fragile. For $40, it’s a very good day cooler.
A light, soft cooler that’s very easy to carry and holds 30 cans, with pockets, bottle holders and lid bungees.
It keeps things cold for about 12 hours, so it’s a cooler for the day, not for a long weekend. A very good pick for day trips, picnics and the beach.
- Day trips
- Beach & picnics
- Campers
Yes. I paid $40, and for that you get a 30-can cooler you can sling over your shoulder, with more pockets than most.
