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Outdoors head-to-head

Igloo BMX 52vsRTIC 45 Hard Cooler

Igloo BMX 52 vs RTIC 45 Hard Cooler, scored side by side on all 4 Outdoors axes. Overall 8.0 to 8.5.

Igloo BMX 52

Igloo

8.0

Injection-molded but reinforced, and it lands squarely between disposable and rotomolded.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

RTIC

8.5

Rotomolded ice retention within a day of the benchmark, at a fraction of the outlay.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

Two products can average the same and still feel different, because the shape of the scores differs. Left of center is Igloo BMX 52, right is RTIC 45 Hard Cooler.

Igloo BMX 52

Axis

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

  • 7.8
    Performance
    8.8
  • 8.6
    Value
    8.8
  • 8.0
    Durability
    8.6
  • 7.6
    Design
    7.8

Which one to pick

Take the Igloo BMX 52

  • You want more than a supermarket cooler without rotomolded pricing
  • Weight matters — this is far lighter than rotomolded boxes
  • Tailgates and campsites rather than expeditions

Take the RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

Leads on Performance, Value, Durability and Design.

  • You want rotomolded performance without the premium name
  • Weekend trips where a day of ice retention either way is academic
  • The cooler lives in a truck bed and takes abuse

What each one gets wrong

Igloo BMX 52

  • Multi-day ice retention is the whole requirement
  • You need bear certification

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

  • Latches and hinges have to feel as good as the box
  • Resale value is part of your calculation

Specs, side by side

SpecIgloo BMX 52RTIC 45 Hard Cooler
ConstructionInjection-molded with steel-reinforced baseRotomolded, pressure-injected foam
Capacity52 quart45 quart class
HandlesRubberised, fold-down—
Certification—Bear-resistant on some models

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Igloo BMX 52 or RTIC 45 Hard Cooler — which should I buy?
RTIC 45 Hard Cooler leads on Performance, Value, Durability and Design, and there is no axis where Igloo BMX 52 comes out ahead.
How far apart are they overall?
Igloo BMX 52 scores 8.0 and RTIC 45 Hard Cooler scores 8.5, a gap of 0.5. The total is the plain average of the 4 axes used in Outdoors.