Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - March 2021

of time. Because soft sided coolers are made of more flexible and therefore thinner materials, it’s easier for heat to penetrate them and melt the ice inside. This may not be a concern if you’re only transporting items for a short amount of time or going on a shorter trip, but it’s a bigger problem for extended trips that may involve transporting the coolers over greater distances. Additionally, you should consider the types of items being stored in the coolers. While it’s a mere nuisance if canned drinks aren’t as cold as they could be, certain food items can be prone to rotting. This is also why most live bait coolers are hard coolers. It’s important that these types of items are kept cold. 3. DURABILITY Undoubtedly, hard coolers tend to be more durable than soft coolers. While soft coolers can definitely take a beating, they’re more easily ripped. On the other hand, though hard coolers can crack under a great deal of pressure, they are generally made to withstand a lot of jostling and potential damage. This should also be considered if you’re worried about animals tampering with your coolers. Hard coolers can have more effective seals, which prevents animals from smelling the items within them. But furthermore, they’re harder for animals to tamper with and rip into. 4. THEY’RE EASIER TO TRANSPORT As previously mentioned, hard sided coolers often come with wheels. While it may be easier to carry a smaller cooler by hand, you probably won’t want to do that over a great distance. Therefore, it’s actually easier to transport a hard sided cooler, especially if that cooler is on the larger side. Although it can be difficult to decide between different coolers, between soft and hard coolers you should be able to find one that is right for you. For many people, it’s more a question of figuring out what is going to be transported in that cooler, and in what conditions. That can guide you to the right decision.