REI Cool Path Break up Pack Cooler Assessment

Backside Line

Once you want a cooler to tackle any path, the REI Cool Path Break up Pack gives unmatched portability and simply the correct amount of storage for a day outing. Designed to appear like a backpack, the Cool Path contains a divided design, with the underside serving as a personal-sized comfortable cooler and the highest with conventional rucksack open storage, uniquely offering area for each chilly necessities and mountain climbing gear. 

Throughout testing, we packed the Cool Path with drinks and snacks on the backside and our climbing sneakers and chalk bag on high to carry with us bouldering in California’s Japanese Sierra. For the hikes to the boulder fields, the Break up Pack’s twin storage compartments and comfy straps made it the perfect alternative to hold the whole lot we wanted, whereas being simply moveable. 

The Cool Path doesn’t insulate as successfully or for so long as the opposite coolers we examined; it took 3 days for ice to fully soften, and the cooler a part of the pack most closely fits 1-2 individuals. Finally, the Break up Pack’s restricted area and insulating capability make it extra helpful as a day pack, with its weight and extra informal design additionally making it much less appropriate for backpacking. 

Whether or not you’re out with a buddy or flying solo, the twin nature of the REI Cool Path Break up Pack ensures you possibly can carry the whole lot you want for a day on the path. Its snug design is sensible, moveable, and reasonably priced, making it a wonderful alternative for carrying anyplace. Take a look at our full information to the most effective coolers to see what different choices we suggest.

How We Examined

For this newest replace, we took a choice of coolers to California’s Japanese Sierra, the place spring days supplied limitless sunshine and heat temperatures to totally check ice retention and temperature management. From sitting in sizzling automobiles in parking heaps to high-elevation days bouldering within the Buttermilks, we tracked ice soften, measured inside temperatures, and used the coolers in terrain starting from rocky excessive desert to marshy riverside to guage sturdiness, portability, and ease of use.

Insulation

To maintain the load gentle for backpack carry, the cooler a part of the Break up Pack resembles a college lunch bag. A soft-shell insulated with a skinny foam layer, the cooler is a detachable insert that matches into the underside of the bag. 

We examined the Cool Path on heat spring days in sunny California and located that ice melted inside three days, with inside temperatures rising to 40 and 50 levels Fahrenheit by the fourth day. Even after the primary day, although, ice was extra melted and water was pooling greater than in different coolers. 

Minimizing weight is clearly the primary aim for the Break up Pack, which is mirrored within the cooler’s restricted capability to maintain chilly temperatures. With out onerous sides or thicker insulation, the cooler struggles to lure the chilly successfully, and the consumer-grade zipper that seals it doesn’t present an additional seal. The Cool Path is finest for short-term chilly storage, making it ultimate for day journeys slightly than multi-day adventures.

Sturdiness

Made with tear-resistant ripstop nylon, the Cool Path is constructed for outside use. We dropped and dragged the pack throughout terrain starting from prickly desert scrub to uneven dusty trails. It got here away unscathed and weathered falls with out noticeable harm.  

Backpack straps are the important thing carry factors for the Break up Pack. To check their power, we absolutely loaded each halves of the pack and slung it over our shoulder to place most strain on the straps. The straps held up beneath the additional load and, with their ample cushioning, stayed snug on the shoulders. 

We significantly appreciated the detachable cooler insert. With the ability to detach the cooler half from the remainder of the pack makes cleansing a lot simpler, which in the end encourages long-term care and use. Nonetheless, the insert’s zipper closure is the weakest level of the Break up Pack design. As a typical consumer-grade zipper, it may simply turn into misaligned or broken. 

The Cool Path may not have the heavy-duty power of onerous shell coolers, however its material alternative and robust stitching make it greater than able to dealing with outside use.

Quantity

Relating to chilly storage, the Break up Pack has the smallest quantity of all of the coolers we examined. With a capability of 12 cans, the cooler insert doesn’t depart a lot room for meals and drinks, and its smaller dimension is right for one or two individuals. 

The principle benefit of the Cool Path is its two compartments, providing area for cooler objects and different carry-ons. Whereas the cut up design reduces among the most chilly storage, it supplies a selected spot for the whole lot else you should carry alongside. 

As an added bonus, the Break up Pack options sewn-in cup holders on either side of the pack. Made with stretchy elastic that simply matches round our espresso mug and 32-ounce water bottle, the cup holders supply further area for a drink or rain jacket. 

Though the small capability of the Break up Pack’s cooler part is healthier for brief journeys, the versatile design helps you to carry the whole lot you want for a day trip in a single bag.

Ergonomics & Portability

As a backpack-style cooler, the Break up Pack is without doubt one of the most moveable choices out there. The thickly padded straps are snug, even when absolutely weighted, and their adjustability makes it straightforward to dial within the pack’s place in your shoulders. 

We saved returning to the Cool Path for days once we biked to work. With loads of area to retailer our lunch and non-cold objects wanted in the course of the day, the pack rested securely on our again for straightforward biking. 

Though the general weight is lower than different coolers, it’s considerably heavy as a pack and never ultimate for lengthy, strenuous backcountry journeys. We additionally discovered the zipper to be a weak level within the Break up Pack’s design. Splitting the Cool Path in half, two layers of zippers present entry to the cooler insert. We rapidly found that the zippers are usually not watertight. As soon as ice started melting, we skilled some seepage across the zippers, and if the pack tipped over, water leaked by means of, spilling in every single place. 

A collection of buckles line the entrance of the pack, with two securing the primary rucksack lid and two on the underside that could possibly be used to lash a camp chair or blanket to the cooler. Until you’re utilizing these backside buckles, we discovered them considerably irritating, because the straps are inclined to get tangled within the zipper when accessing the cooler. 

Some design components are minor inconveniences, however total, the Cool Path Break up Pack stands out for its unbelievable portability. It’s a cooler you possibly can carry with consolation and ease, particularly when you’ve gotten a day journey that entails an extended hike alongside the path.

Options

Not like any of the opposite coolers we examined, the Cool Path is bought as is. There are not any different colour choices, no equipment, and it isn’t out there in several sizes. If customization is vital, the Break up Pack received’t meet that want. 

REI emphasizes how the detachable cooler insert permits the pack to transform into a standard rucksack when chilly storage isn’t wanted. Merely take away the cooler insert, and the underside half turns into an everyday cupboard space. The 2-in-one design of the Cool Path provides it a novel benefit and expands its versatility past simply being a conveyable cooler.

Ought to You Purchase the REI Cool Path Break up Pack Cooler?

For commuters and day hikers, the REI Cool Path Break up Pack strikes a steadiness between a rucksack and a cooler. It gives sufficient chilly storage for a day journey, together with loads of area for further layers, water bottles, and different small necessities wanted for a day outside. 

The Cool Path’s minimalist insulation design helps scale back weight however sacrifices some temperature retention. On account of its restricted insulating capability and smaller quantity, the Break up Pack isn’t appropriate for multi-day journeys and is finest used for day-long outings. 

With its comparatively low value, it’s an reasonably priced alternative that gives two-in-one worth in its cooler and pack mixture. The twin storage design of the Cool Path just isn’t solely fashionable but in addition some of the moveable coolers you’ll discover.

What Different Coolers Ought to You Take into account?

For a full record of suggestions, try our information to the most effective coolers. 

YETI Hopper Flip 12 Assessment: YETI’s comfortable shell Hopper Flip is one other extremely moveable cooler that’s each practical and trendy. Accessible in varied enjoyable colours, the Hopper retains ice longer than the Break up Pack and gives double the can capability. Though it prices extra, the Hopper Flip is a sturdy, long-lasting personal-sized cooler constructed for powerful outside use.

RTIC Delicate Pack Cooler Assessment: Just like the YETI Hopper Flip, the RTIC Delicate Pack Cooler is a soft-shell choice with much more cupboard space. It options built-in handles and a removable shoulder strap, sustaining portability regardless of the bigger dimension. What really units the RTIC aside is its capability to drift, making it ultimate for days on the water. 

Hydro Flask Carry Out 20L Assessment: When you’re on the lookout for a beautiful cooler to carry to your subsequent picnic or yard barbecue, the glossy rounded traces and calming colour decisions make the Hydro Flask Carry Out an eye catching choice. An off-the-cuff cooler constructed for day-use, its personal-sized portability gives extra space than the Break up Pack, nevertheless it’s much less fitted to wilder outside environments.