I'm looking at buying an Igloo cool box but can't decide whether to get a rigid one or a soft one? The one thing that will decide for me is the efficiency. Does anyone kknow if the soft ones are less efficient as the rigid ones?
In my exoerience the soft cooler bags are only any use for a pic-nic or a day trip. For a camping trip would recommend a rigid box as they have better insulation and its also means your food doesn't get squished when you ram the cool box into the car with the other 4000 items that are essential for camping!
I have both, the plastic one is better at keeping the food cold for longer but I can fit more into the soft one. I took it camping in that hot weather in May with ice blocks and also I froze some of the meat for BBQ and it was still frozen on the second day I had to take the burgers & sausages out to defrost. If you find a nice site that will freeze your ice packs for you it is'nt really an issue as you can keep changing them over and whatever it will keep cold. Someone also had a good idea of freezing a bottle of water which is great if you have room for a bottle of water. The soft cool bag does sometimes get a bit of a battering though when put on the footwell in the back of the car and I have had slightly squashed food on occasions.
Depends on how much cold stuff you have at any one time, how many of you there are and how often you're going to open it as this can really make a difference.
I use a soft coolbag for picnics/daytrips. In fact I got a brilliant one from Marks & Spencer last year - don't know if they still do it. It has a really good way of zipping up so that you don't have to open it all the way to see inside. Difficult to explain but I like it. And it looks posh too - like you might have a bit of wedge to spend to fill it - I can dream!
Hi Moppy, I also take both away with me, we have a caravan with a normal fridge which is great, BUT we find we need a bit more room especially for the soft drinks beer and wine , we bought a ridged cool box 30 Lts for the drinks and keep it in the awning plugged into the mains via an adapter ,We use the soft bag in the van for the bread, and use the freeze box in the fridge for freezing the ice( 2) packs, and change them over twice a day into the cool bag ,which keeps the bread fresh ,we think it is a good idea
Just for those of you (like me) who are going for the traditional cool box I have some info.
The Which report has chosen the Coleman 28 QT Ice Basket (27Lt) as the best performing rigid cool box. The recommended retail price is £25 (rip-off) but I've managed to get one for £12.50 (plus free p&p) from CCOutdoors. So I'm right chuffed.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Cool Box - rigid or soft?
