RUX Cooler Set Review – Overview
I was very impressed when I reviewed the original RUX waterproof bag. But one thing that I really wanted was an insulated version to keep food and beverages cool throughout the day.
RUX must have read my mind because just a few weeks later they announced their new Rux Cooler Set and asked if I’d be interested in giving it a go.
Yes, please! And these new cooler bags are exactly what I was hoping for.
RUX Cooler Set Review – Specs & Construction
The RUX Cooler set includes two bags – a 25L Soft Cooler tote bag and a 5L “Cooler Cube.” Both are made with the same PVC-free waterproof material for a durable, and more environmentally-friendly product.
RUX 25L Soft Cooler Specifications
- Size: 14.2” x 9.1” x 14.2”
- Volume: 25 L
- Weight: 39 oz
- Closure: Roll Top
- Insulation: 12mm Memory Foam
RUX 5L Cooler Cube Specifications
- Size: 8.6” x 6.3” x 6.3”
- Volume: 5 L
- Weight: 11 oz
- Closure: Roll Top
- Insulation: 10mm Memory Foam
With the TPU-coated nylon construction and stylish design, the RUX Cooler Set is much lower profile than your typical soft cooler bag. Like the RUX Waterproof bag, it doesn’t really even look like a dry bag, either.
Rather than using PVC material to make the Cooler Set waterproof, RUX uses a 420 Denier TPU-coated nylon fabric. This heavy-duty material is lightweight and waterproof, and is far easier to recycle than PVC.
The seams of both the Soft Cooler Bag and the Cooler Cube are physically welded together using Radio Frequency welding to ensure a water-tight and long-lasting bond.
The TPU-nylon material is also FDA-approved food-safe and BPA-free, so you are totally fine to throw unpackaged fruits, veggies, and other foods in the Cooler Set without worrying about leaching plasticizers.
The insulation is made with a semi-rigid memory foam to help the bag and cooler maintain their shape even when empty. This makes packing the bags and retrieving your items much easier than similar-thickness bags that tend to collapse in on themselves. The memory foam insulation covers the entire bag including the bottom panel, sides, and two panels on the roll-top closure that meet together when the bag is closed.
At just 12mm and 10mm of thickness (½ inch and ⅜ inch) for the Soft Cooler Bag and Cooler Cube respectively, the foam walls provide good insulation for shorter periods of time without being too bulky or heavy. However, insulation effectiveness is directly correlated with its thickness. For keeping your food cold for more than a day at the beach, we do recommend looking into hard-sided coolers with thicker insulation and air-tight seals.
I’ve been using the RUX Cooler Set for about two months now and I’ve been very impressed with both the Soft Cooler Bag and the Cooler Cube. They still look brand new, and I’m not known for being gentle with my equipment!
RUX Cooler Set Review – Features & Versatility
It can be hard to design and build useful features on small bags, but RUX has put more versatility in a clean design than I’ve seen with any other dry bag or soft cooler.
With a roll top closure on both the Soft Cooler Bag and the Cooler Cube you can technically expand these coolers to hold more than the 25 and 5 liter capacities, or fold the top down into the bag to keep it open. But, you will lose out on their insulating properties and waterproof design by doing so. The Soft Cooler Bag also comes with a removable shoulder strap for easy carrying.
Once you’ve packed your cooler, sealing it is easy. Simply bring the two halves of the bag top together, roll it three times, and connect the buckle at the top of the bag. The insulated pads on the bag top will join up on either side of the rolled closure to help keep your items cold, and the bag and cube will be totally waterproof.
One thing that drives me nuts with some abominable cooler companies is over-inflating the capacity of their coolers. Nobody has time to figure out whether your “35” cooler is 35 quarts/liters/or just some made up number!
RUX’s 25L Soft Cooler Bag has 25 liters of usable space. Their 5L Cooler Cube has 5L of usable space.
Why can’t everyone be upfront like this!?
25L is, I think, the perfect size for a day bag/cooler. You can easily load up a dozen cans of your favorite seltzer water, lunch, snacks, and whatever else you want for 2-4 people in a moderately-sized bag. It even fits on narrow touring paddle boards for when you want to go beyond dining al fresco, and paddle out to your favorite island or sand bar for lunch.
I started to really get into paddling with whitewater (yes it was kayaking, but we’ve all made mistakes!), and so I’ve had the mantra “Rig to Flip” burned into my brain.
Rig to Flip means all of your equipment should be strapped to your board or boat in such a way that it won’t move if you happen to find yourself upside down in a turbulent situation.
The Rux Cooler Set is Rig to Flip ready.
Along the top, bottom, and sides of the Soft Cooler Bag and the Cooler Cube there are vertical and horizontal slots designed to work with standard 1” wide (or narrower) straps to hold your bag in place no matter how choppy the water gets.
The 5L Cooler Cube only has tie-down points on three of the four sides, but with such a small bag you don’t need to be able to tie it down four different ways to keep it in place. However, the Cooler Cube does have two sets of larger slots that can be used with any belt up to 2” in width to turn the Cube into a hip pack.
RUX has also built the Soft Cooler Bag with integration in mind. On one of the handles you’ll find two plastic tabs where the handle meets the bag. These tabs are designed to connect to RUX’s 70L storage cube on either the inside or outside of the cube depending on your needs.
The Cooler Cube also fits neatly inside the 25L Soft Cooler if you want to keep certain items separated or doubly-insulated.
The RUX Cooler Set is ready to rumble no matter where your day takes you. I’ve been using both the 25L and 5L coolers for paddling and road trips, and I’ve even brought the Cooler Cube with me to an outdoor music festival this summer. It turns out that I’m going to have to buy one for my wife because she’s found that it also works perfectly for taking her lunch to work every day!
RUX Cooler Set Review – Final Thoughts
As much as I loved the RUX Waterproof bag, I’ve essentially stopped using it. The RUX Cooler Set is, in my opinion, an evolved form of the product. With just enough insulation to keep your items cold during the day, but not so much that you lose out on capacity, the 25L Soft Cooler Bag is perfect for a full day on the water. With a smaller footprint for portability, the 5L Cooler Cube can literally go anywhere with you, and the heavy-duty TPU/Nylon material and RF Welded seams are built to last.
RUX – if you keep reading my thoughts – give us a lighter color interior! That’s really the only thing I would change about the Cooler Set (and Waterproof Bag).