Keep cool and venture into the outdoors. The Rux Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube seamlessly expand the RUX system into the wild, providing both insulation and protective padding for essential gear, whether that is a four-pack of IPA or your DJI drone.
The Rux Cooler Bag and Cube Review
- Sizes: 25L Soft Cooler and 5L for Cube
- Weight Cooler: 1160 grams
- Weight Cube: 340 grams
- Material: RF Welded 840D TPU.
- Insulation: PU Memory Foam. 100m on walls. EVA Foam on bottom.
- Origin: Vietnam
What are the Rux Soft Cooler and Rux Cooler Cube?
The RUX Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube are the portable, collapsible answer to the traditional hard cooler. Gone are the days of hauling an inflexible, bulky box that takes up excessive space when empty. Instead, these waterproof, roll-top insulators are built to keep your beverages ice-cold on any outdoor endeavor and pack away when not in use.
The RUX Soft Cooler is the larger of the two options, boasting a 25-liter capacity capable of holding 30 cans of whatever ales you. The RUX Cooler Cube provides a much more compact alternative, coming in at a streamlined 5 liters. Both are based off of the idea born from the Rux Waterproof bag.
RUX Durability
The RUX Soft Cooler and Cube are both built from RF-welded 840D TPU. 840D TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) material is exceptionally heavy-duty. It is the exact same material rating trusted for expedition duffels hauled through the Himalayas. If that fabric can survive being dragged across rock and ice, thrown around on donkeys and traipsed around the world, then the RUX Soft Cooler and Cube can easily handle being thrown around your boat, truck bed, or at the trailhead.
The RF-welded construction takes durability a step further. RF (radio-frequency) welding uses electromagnetic energy to permanently fuse thermoplastic materials at the molecular level, creating a bond so strong the seams won’t come apart unless you go at them with a razor blade.
After a full year of heavy travel and regular use, my Soft Cooler and Cooler Cubes still look brand new, save for a couple of specks of tree sap.
Insulation
Insulation duties on the RUX Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube are handled by 10mm memory foam walls and a structured EVA foam bottom. The primary advantage of the memory foam walls is that they allow the bags to retain their signature flexibility. Even if you crush the bags completely flat to save space, the foam recovers perfectly, allowing them to snap back into their upright shape.
For the bottom panel, insulation duties are handled by EVA foam, which is a much tougher, denser material. This addition is highly water-resistant, provides extra cushioning to protect against rough surfaces, and gives the bag a stable structure without adding any excessive weight.
Bear in mind, this is not the same level of insulation you would get from a typical hard-sided cooler. If you are looking to keep ice frozen for an entire long weekend, the RUX Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube are not the droids you are looking for. In order to achieve the flexibility these bags offer, some insulating ability is naturally sacrificed. However, for the sheer convenience of not having a bulky cooler taking up prime real estate in a small garage or, in my case, a small hallway that doubles as a gear room, I am completely on board with this trade-off
Close ‘em up, Carry ‘em out, put ‘em in a RUX 70L
The RUX Soft Cooler and Cube wouldn’t deserve the RUX name if they didn’t offer immense versatility and seamless compatibility with the rest of the ecosystem. Two Soft Coolers will fit perfectly inside the original RUX 70L, while ten RUX Cubes will fill it to capacity. I haven’t tested that exact configuration myself, as I simply have no need for ten individual cubes. Working our way further down the modular chain, four RUX Cubes can fit directly inside a single Soft Cooler. The entire system functions like a rugged, outdoor version of a Russian nesting doll.
Because the RUX Cooler Cube is compact and doesn’t hold enough to become overly heavy, it doesn’t come standard with handles or a shoulder strap because it doesn’t need one. The most practical way to carry it is simply by the roll-top closure. However, if needed, a RUX shoulder strap can be added to transform it into a shoulder bag for hauling a six-pack of your favorite IPAs or coolers. It also features slots to thread a belt through, though strapped to your waist seems like a rather odd way to bring beer to the beach.
The larger RUX Soft Cooler can also be carried via its roll-top closure, but not when it is completely full. When packed with beverages, you are dealing with up to 25 liters of fluid weight and potentially 30 tall cans. Fortunately, the Soft Cooler comes bundled with a dedicated shoulder strap, alongside side grab handles for quick adjustments. Positioned next to these handles are integrated clips, allowing you to secure the Soft Cooler directly onto the exterior utility rails of the RUX 70L.
How have I used the Rux Soft Coolers?
When I first reached out to RUX to review the soft cooler and cube, I actually never intended to use them for keeping drinks cold. Instead, I wanted the Cube as a protective insulator for my camera gear on an expedition to Mount Logan. My goal was to protect the camera from the sub-zero temperatures and keep everything entirely weatherproof. Alas, the mountain had other plans; our group never even got the chance to fly onto the ice due to weather, meaning I didn’t get to test its insulation against the cold as I had initially imagined.
However, during that expedition window, we made frequent trips to Haines Junction and once all the way back to Whitehorse to grab supplies and keep the crew’s spirits high while we waited for a break in the weather. On one of those supply runs, a bag of frozen shrimp completely thawed and began leaking inside the cooler. Because we were new to the RUX system, we had forgotten to pack actual ice. The shrimp stood no chance during the six-hour drive back to the airport, but the RUX Soft Cooler handled the liquid mess like a champ. There was absolutely no leaking through the welded seams, and the cleanup was incredibly simple. A quick scrub with soap left behind no lingering seafood smell whatsoever.
The fit of the Cube is snug and entirely waterproof, far surpassing the weather resistance of my specialized Lowepro camera bag. The combination of the heavy-duty 840D TPU exterior and the 10mm memory foam walls adds a level of rugged impact protection that standard camera bags just cannot match.
Every summer, I head over to the Alps to lead trekking groups, and I always make sure to pack a RUX Cube. My guiding groups usually range between four and six guests, and we frequently stop in alpine meadows or beside glacial lakes for afternoon picnics. A pair of Cubes makes a fantastic, packable system for hauling mountain delicacies that are best served chilled, like local cheeses, hummus, and cold cuts. Because the bags are completely waterproof, I never have to worry about condensation or residual food oils leaking inside my main trekking pack after the picnic is over.
The Rux Soft Cooler has become a staple on Costco runs and more importantly, evenings at the beach. The Soft Cooler swallows everything my wife and I could want for dinner: Coolers, sausages, buns, veggies and more. It’ll then easily keep a pint of ice cream cold on the drive home.
Who are the RUX Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube for?
There are countless coolers on the market, but the RUX Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube sit right at the very top thanks to their unique design. They are as rugged as can be, handle far more diverse jobs than a traditional hard-sided box, and can be squished completely flat so they don’t take up excessive, unnecessary space in a modern adventurer’s apartment or townhome. The 25L handles large trips, family outings, trips to Costco and more. The Cooler Cubes are fantastic miniatures that punch way above their weight doubling as insulators and protective cases for electronics.
Head on over to our friends at RUX to check out the Soft Cooler and Cooler Cube.
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BlackSheep was provided with a free sample of the RUX Soft Cooler and Cube for this review. This in no way affected our editorial stance. This post also contains affiliate links; if you choose to purchase gear through these links, we may earn a small commission which supports our independent testing at no extra cost to you.
