Best Backpack Cooler: Yeti Hopper M20 Backpack Soft Cooler

Best backpack cooler: Yeti Hopper M20 Backpack Soft Cooler

The Yeti Hopper M20 Backpack Soft Cooler is great if you need a backpack that can last longer than any other soft cooler available.

It’s built for tough use. Like all Yeti gear, the Hopper backpack verges on being overengineered for strength and durability. Everything from the TPU-laminated nylon, which makes it waterproof and tough as nails, to the bar tack stitching (that is, zigzag stitching reinforcing the shoulder straps, which increases the bag’s integrity under weight) is designed to ensure that this bag will last for years through some of the toughest conditions you’ll encounter. Of course, the interior is insulated by closed-cell foam and secured with a magnetic roll-top lid. It’s not as tough as our hard cooler picks, but it’s the toughest soft cooler we’ve tried.

It’s easy to carry. After using and testing 15 backpack coolers over the past seven years, we’ve found that the extra attention to detail becomes increasingly important the more straps and layers a soft cooler has. Fully loaded — with 22 pounds of ice or 36 cans — the Hopper backpack cooler is still remarkably easy to carry. The waterproofing both within and without protects your body from any leaks or moisture sweating through from your load of ice.

It retains ice for a day. Over the years, we’ve tested the Hopper backpack in a variety of climates. While the bag can occasionally keep things cold for more than a day, this depends on how it’s packed and where it’s stored. On average, I’m comfortable assuming that the Hopper will keep whatever I’ve packed cold for a solid day regardless of the situation.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Strong magnets tend to snap closed. Yeti introduced a magnetic closure in 2022, which offered a huge improvement on the former zipper closure but also introduced its own complications. The bag is now significantly easier to open but also more difficult to keep open. Yeti seems to have added some bridging support to help hold the bag open, but those magnets simply want to be together.

Note: These magnets were the reason that Yeti voluntarily recalled this bag in 2023. The liner containing them was reported to fail on many occasions, releasing the magnets and creating a serious hazard for anyone who might swallow them. Yeti has since updated the design, securing the magnets more firmly.