I have never carried a cooler but I have an insulated nalgen bottle holder
I have frozen some quality steak in a couple of zip locks and use the holder to keep them cold on the first day of the hike. I brought a couple of thin metal skewers and cooked the stakes and a couple of back potatoes in foil over an open fire. Hardly light weight but it was only a weekend peak backing trip so it didn't mater much.

I agree that the soda seems to be a poor reward for the effort to carry them.