Enkeeo Soft Cooler Review
Last Updated by Brandon F. on September 6, 2022
Enkeeo is a brand that dips its fingers in many different sectors. This includes power supplies, camping, gardening, and more. They also have a lineup of soft coolers.
Enkeeo was nice enough to send us a model of their popular 30 Can Cooler Bag to test and review.
In this article, we will put the Enkeeo Cooler Bag through our usual testing. This will include analyzing its features/build quality, putting it through an ice retention test, and more.
Finally, we will give the Enkeeo Cooler Bag a rating from 1 to 5.
So let’s begin!
Enkeeo Soft Cooler Features/Build Quality
The Enkeeo Soft Cooler is aiming to compete with the traditional juggernauts of the premium soft cooler market. But if they hope to achieve this, it is important that they offer many of the same features and promise similar build quality.
We must say that when we first put our hands on this soft cooler, it had a very similar feel to high-end offerings by Yeti, RTIC, Engel, and others.
The exterior material is 840D TPU. We are very familiar with this material and its proven track record for being extremely resilient to ripping and tearing.
And attaching these pieces of nylon are heat-welded seams. We always prefer heat welds over traditional stitching as heat welds are much more resilient to wear and tear and exposure to moisture. Another added benefit is that they are much better at keeping frozen ice from leaking out and outside elements (rain, lake water, etc.) from getting inside the soft cooler.
Inside the Enkeeo Soft Cooler is a 420D TPU interior. This is another common material used for premium soft coolers. It is much easier to clean and is more resilient to bacteria growth.
The zipper used is advertised as being waterproof. While we don’t recommend submerging your soft cooler underwater for long periods of time, it does do a good job of getting water out. This is thanks not only to the zipper but also to the large rubber seals that engage when the zipper is zipped close.
As for features, Enkeeo takes a pretty standard approach. There is a small separate front zipper that can be used to store your wallet or phone. We always appreciate having a separate zipper for items that you don’t want to be exposed to ice.
On the backside of the soft cooler is another storage compartment in the form of a mesh pocket. This feature doesn’t have a zipper and won’t offer the level of protection that the front zippered pocket has. However, it is good for less valuable items that you want quick and easy access to (trail maps, spare change, etc.).
Finally, there are some plastic loops at the bottom of the handle stitching that can be used as straps. This is good for tying a rope around to secure your boat or truck.
For transport, there are two different carrying options. There is a permanently attached stitching overhead carrying handle for those that prefer to carry this cooler with their hands. But if you don’t have a free hand or prefer to carry on your shoulders, there is also a removable shoulder strap.
The only more “common” features that are noticeably missing are a built-in bottle opener and some more internal storage dividers. But this is by no means a deal breaker.
This is a pretty large soft cooler. It has the capacity to store up to 30 cans with the addition of ice. And if you don’t need room for 30 cans, you can put food items inside as well.
Enkeeo Soft Cooler Ice Retention
If Enkeeo hopes to compete with the industry leaders, its soft cooler also needs to offer impressive ice retention.
And on paper, they seem to have all of the features that we like to see in a soft cooler that wants long ice life.
There is a thick layer of high-density closed cell foam (NBR) that is placed in between the inner liner and the outer liner. We estimate this foam to be almost an inch thick in some areas!
This thick foam in conjunction with the heat welds and water-resistant zipper helps to create an impressive protective barrier between the cold air inside the cooler and the warm air outside the cooler.
But to get to the bottom of the actual ice numbers, we decided to do our own in-house testing. This consisted of filling the Enkeeo Soft Cooler up with a recommended amount of ice, leaving it in a warm environment, and occasionally opening it.
This scenario gives you a more “real-life” test that is more indicative of the ice numbers that you will see when actually using this project in the real world.
You can see our results in the image below.
In our testing, we enjoyed around 2 days of ice life. This number would obviously increase if we were to fill it up with even more ice.
We are quite impressed with these numbers. For a soft cooler, they are among the best in the industry. It makes the Enkeeo Soft Cooler a good candidate for any weekend outdoor activity. And if you are able to buy a bag or two of replacement ice, you could prolong it for a full week of outdoor enjoyment.
Enkeeo Soft Cooler Aesthetics
While styling isn’t a top priority to many, it is still worth discussing at least briefly. After all, some people like to stand out while at the lake or at the tailgate!
The Enkeeo Soft Cooler takes a pretty “safe” approach in its styling. It comes in a safe gray finish and uses some bright blue stitching to help make it pop a bit more.
The overall look isn’t bad. But one area that we do feel is lacking is color choices. As far as we can tell, the only color available is the gray example that we tested. This is in contrast to other soft cooler brands that have multiple colors available.
In the future, we wouldn’t mind seeing Enkeeo expand its color selection to offer more variety. Another welcome edition would be specialty colors that correspond to popular sports teams. We would also love to see team logos being available but we understand the high costs associated with getting permission to use the team’s trademarks.
Enkeeo Soft Cooler Price
Something more important to most people shopping for a new soft cooler is the asking price. And despite their supposedly simple design and smaller size, premium soft coolers these days can fetch a premium!
Thankfully, Enkeeo has managed to keep its prices in check. Among other soft coolers with the similar build quality and ice retention, Enkeeo is among the most affordable. For people that aren’t worried about having the name brand recognition, Enkeeo will go toe to toe with much more expensive brands from more established companies.
That being said, this still isn’t a cheap cooler. And quite frankly, we are happy about that. If the Enkeeo Soft Cooler was much cheaper, we would question if the build quality and materials used were actually up to spec. High-quality construction isn’t cheap. So we would expect this to be reflected some in the price.
Enkeeo Soft Cooler vs. Yeti
One of the most common questions that we get is from readers asking us how “X” cooler compares to Yeti.
The Yeti Cooler worth comparing here is the Yeti Flip 18. You could also make an argument to compare to the larger Yeti Hopper Two 30.
In both cases, the ice retention between the Yeti Coolers and the Enkeeo Soft Cooler is very similar. And this is no surprise as both utilize very similar ice retention features. They both come with a thick layer of closed-cell foam. And both have a great sealing zipper with rubber overlap.
As for build quality, both are very similar as well. You will enjoy heat-welded seams and quality nylon inner and outer fabrics.
Yeti will have a slight edge when it comes to warranty, however.
For features, we actually have to give a slight nod to the Enkeeo Soft Cooler. One of our biggest issues with Yeti for years now has been the lack of additional storage pockets on their soft coolers. Enkeeo has both a separate zippered front pocket and a mesh back pocket. This is compared to Yeti’s Hopper Flip 18 and Hopper Two 30 which don’t have any.
For styling, we are choosing Yeti. While they are a bit limited in color choices on these models, the default color scheme is more attractive. Plus, Yeti has more brand recognition which has to count for something.
The biggest divide comes in the asking price. Yeti Soft Coolers have always fetched a big premium and that is also the case here. You will save quite a bit of money going with an Enkeeo Soft Cooler over a Yeti Soft Cooler. And the overall ice retention numbers, features, and build quality are all comparable if not slightly in favor of Enkeeo in some cases.
Having said this, we are going to have to choose Enkeeo over Yeti simply because of the cost savings. If you are dead set on getting a Yeti due to name recognition, you will enjoy a quality product. But for most people on a budget, the extra price you pay just isn’t worth it.
Enkeeo Soft Cooler Review
Pros: Good ice life, Very well made, Reasonably Priced
Cons: Can be heavy when full, Limited color choices
Features: 840D TPU Exterior, 420D TPU Interior, Closed cell insulation, Front zippered pocket, Mesh back pocket, Overhead carrying handle, Removable shoulder strap, Water-resistant zipper, Attachment buckles
The Enkeeo Soft Cooler is one of the frontrunners in the ever-growing Enkeeo catalog. This soft cooler aims to go toe to toe with the top premium coolers thanks to its good build quality and impressive ice retention. It is large enough to hold 30 cans with room to spare for ice.
Build Quality/Features – 
We were quite impressed with the build quality offered by the Enkeeo Soft Cooler. This cooler comes with quality materials (840D TPU and 420D TPU nylon). And attaching these pieces of material are heat-welded seams.
Another bright spot is in the zipper. It is incredibly resilient and is nearly waterproof when zipped up.
The result of all of this is an extremely tough cooler that should last for years with typical wear and tear.
As for features, most of the typical ones that we like to see are present. There are two different ways to carry this cooler: an overhead handle-type strap as well as a removable shoulder strap.
For added storage, there is a front zippered pocket and a rear mesh pocket. This is great for storing items that you don’t wish to expose directly to ice.
We wouldn’t have minded having some compartmentalized inner storage or a built-in bottle opener but these are only minor complaints.
Ice Retention – 
Depending on how much ice you put in and the environment you plan on using the Enkeeo Soft Cooler in, you can expect a solid 2+ days of ice retention. This puts the Enkeeo Soft Cooler among high company from many of the more traditional big names in the premium cooler world.
This number is accomplished thanks to thick (around 1”) closed cell insulation and a solid protective barrier thanks to the nice zipper/rubber lip combo.
Aesthetics – 
The Enkeeo Soft Cooler isn’t ugly but it doesn’t evoke any sort of strong emotions from us. We have seen this design and color presented by literally dozens of other soft cooler brands. We wouldn’t have minded some more color choices. And if Enkeeo decides to stick with just the one color option, it would be nice to spruce it up a bit with some brighter color accents.
Cost – 
In terms of cost vs. performance, Enkeeo delivers a solid choice. The build quality is great and the ice numbers are right up there with much more expensive options. For people that don’t care as much about having “name brands”, Enkeeo is a great option.
Overall Rating – 
We came away very impressed with what Enkeeo has to offer in their soft cooler. It is large enough to hold drinks and food for a small party for a couple of days. And the ice numbers support this sort of application. The build quality is above average and while there are some features lacking, the most important ones are there.
Are only major issue is with the styling. It could use a bit of a facelift. But quite frankly, most people don’t really care that much about how their cooler looks.
This is a solid soft cooler that we have no inhibitions in recommending.