REI Co-op Cool Trail Pack Review

The REI Co-op Cool Trail Pack is a backpack-style cooler with a removable cooler component, two padded shoulder straps, a padded waist belt, an accompanying sternum strap, load lifters, and a top loop. It also features numerous external zippered pockets, slip pockets, and a zippered compartment in the brain.

Performance Comparison

Insulation Value

While there are many things we like about the REI Trail Pack, its insulation value isn't where it impresses us. It only managed 9 hours below the food-safe threshold of 40° F during our intensive testing. To its credit, it hovered right around 40° for a long time, but when it comes to food safety, we're not sure “almost” is good enough. However, if you're more in the market for carrying out cold beverages when you and your buddies hit the trail, the Trail Pack maintained refreshing sub 50° F temps for 59 hours — well over 2 days. This isn't too shabby for a cooler that's not waterproof (the zipper is just a regular zipper).

Ease of Use

If a backpacker-focused soft cooler is what you're after, the Trail Pack is a pretty easy to use and easy to love model. It's relatively straightforward, with regular zippers and no waterproof ones that are difficult to use. The interior cooler section is a separate piece that can be pulled completely out — to pre-chill or clean it, or skip it altogether and use the backpack as a non-cooler backpack. It has two zippered side pockets that each have an additional stretchy mesh pocket that can easily fit a standard 1L Nalgene bottle. All the zips, clips, buckles, and drawstrings work very well, though the cooler zipper can get stuck on the fabric of the backpack itself. Aside from that semi-present detail, its only real downfall is that it's almost a bit awkward to not use all the straps — including the waistbelt. Even if you don't want to clip it for short distances, it's thickly padded and we found ourselves needing to pull it out from behind our hips every time to keep it comfortable.

Portability

If you're a fan of the chillest of chilled drinks to have at the top of a summit or next to a distant waterfall, there's no better backpack cooler we've tested to get you there in comfort. Empty, the Trail Pack weighs just 3.3 pounds; lightweight for its capacity. It features fully padded shoulder straps and a waistbelt that conform easily to your body, just like your favorite backpack. These are a huge step up from the thinner, more rigid shoulder straps and webbing-only hip belts (or non-existent hip belts!) of so many competitors we've tested. While all these straps can be overkill for short walks and quick jaunts, when the trail is long and hot, the Trail Pack is the cooler we reach for to take along.

Durability

Up against far thicker and much more water-resistant coolers, the Trail Pack's recycled ripstop exterior isn't all that impressive. It does have a thicker patch helping add resistance to the bottom of the pack, but it still feels more like a backpack than a heavy-duty cooler, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We read a lot of online complaints about the zipper leaking, which makes sense, as it's not a waterproof zipper. We also have some small worries about the cooler zipper catching so often on the bag exterior, though it didn't present any problems (other than annoyance) during our testing.

Value

For ice-cold beers while hiking with friends, this moderately-priced and ultra-comfortable backpack cooler is a pretty good bargain. If you don't need to go that far and want better insulation control, there are other backpack coolers we've tested that we like better for shorter distances.

Conclusion

The REI Trail Pack is a very comfortable choice to carry fully stocked for long distances. It doesn't have very impressive insulation and isn't made of the most durable materials, but it excels at turning a super heavy load into a manageable pack when you need a long-distance cooler companion.