I've used this for about two years, so it's been used more than 10 times. However, I often camped indoors and avoided placing it in direct sunlight, so there's no noticeable fading. Also, after each use, I washed the inside with water and dried it in the shade, so the exterior looks clean. Regarding cooling, it's a soft cooler, but it has sufficient cooling capacity for about one night of use. Even in midsummer, if you add a bag of block ice in addition to ice packs, it can keep things cool for more than a full day.