Gear Review: OtterBox Trooper LT30

OtterBox Trooper LT30 specs:

Dimensions: 21.00” L x 17.00” W x 11.00” D
Weight: 6.69 lb / 3.04 kg
30-quart capacity with food-grade liner
Converts from shoulder carry to backpack carry
Wide opening for easy access
Leak-proof seal secures contents
Accessory mounting system
Water resistant exterior pockets
Premium grade thermal insulation
Keeps ice up to 3+ days
Solid, heavy-duty base

Where to Buy:

The Bottom Line: Before using this soft cooler, I had purchased the Venture 45 hard cooler and used two different hard cooler samples on my outdoor adventures. One thing that I have learned from this review is that the OtterBox soft coolers truly are the bomb! They are burly and have the quality built in that you would expect from their products while being much lighter than hard-side coolers.

The OtterBox Trooper LT30 in action. John LaGuardia.

The Trooper is great for outdoor microadventures and can be used along the trail in all sorts of weather that Mother Nature throws at you. It is a soft cooler that can be carried on your back and can be used to keep your food and drink cool while enjoying the great outdoors. Given its size, it's best for lunch hikes, picnics at the park, quick outdoor overnights, family sporting events, fishing trips, and road trips.

My overall experience with the Trooper LT30 was a good one. I put this cooler to the test on a picnic in the Colorado outdoors and during multiple road trips into the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains.

The first impression that I received during unboxing was a great one. The Trooper is light in comparison to the Venture hard coolers. It is also impressive to see how the shoulder and backpack straps were integrated together and fully adjustable. Great engineering went into its design. Included on the inside of the cooler is a bottle opener attachment, information on the basic features, and instructions on how to use the adjustable strap system. Also on the inside of the cooler is a unique yellow liner with a fill line for ice. Since the soft cooler folds when opening and closing, I had to be careful not to fill ice past the fill line. Otherwise, it would not close properly.

Accessing the inside of the cooler is a bit tricky. I found the compound latch mechanism on the top of the cooler to be a bit confusing at first. The trick is to line up the notches on both sides in the closing groove before trying to snap it closed. Opening this latch proved to be a breeze, even with one hand.

The cooler’s 2-inch-wide shoulder straps were very comfortable, even with a heavier load. I did not experience any muscle fatigue or pain with the straps. The straps have an ingenious design where they can be converted back and forth between shoulder carry and backpack carry configurations. As I was testing this product, my preference was the backpack carry configuration.

The front of the cooler has two zippered, waterproof pockets and a unique mounting system that can be used for carrying accessories. The pockets are just the right size for small items like a wallet or car keys.

The only disappointment that I had with this cooler was that I found myself wanting additional space. An extra 5 or 10 liters of space would be amazing.

At the time of writing this article, the cooler only came with a side attached bottle opener. Currently on the OtterBox website, they include a carabiner-style, bottle-opener accessory.

Otter Products, LLC provided equipment and associated materials for this review. John LaGuardia is an employee of Otter Products. All photos are a courtesy of LaGuardia Adventure Photography.