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Outdoors head-to-head

RTIC 45 Hard CoolervsYETI Roadie 24

5 years apart and the average barely moved: 8.3 for the 2020 YETI Roadie 24, 8.5 for the 2015 RTIC 45 Hard Cooler. Value is the axis that did move, 8.8 to 6.8.

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.

YETI Roadie 24

YETI

8.3

The one that actually fits behind a seat, and it carries tall bottles upright.

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

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Value, RTIC 45 Hard Cooler ahead 8.8 to 6.8. They come closest on Performance, 8.8 to 8.4. Left of center is RTIC 45 Hard Cooler, right is YETI Roadie 24.

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler versus YETI Roadie 24 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 4 axes. Bars for RTIC 45 Hard Cooler run left from the axis labels, bars for YETI Roadie 24 run right. RTIC 45 Hard Cooler: Performance 8.8, Value 8.8, Durability 8.6, Design 7.8. YETI Roadie 24: Performance 8.4, Value 6.8, Durability 9.2, Design 8.8.RTIC 45 Hard Cooler (left)YETI Roadie 24 (right)PerformanceRTIC 45 Hard Cooler — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8YETI Roadie 24 — Performance 8.4 out of 108.4ValueRTIC 45 Hard Cooler — Value 8.8 out of 108.8YETI Roadie 24 — Value 6.8 out of 106.8DurabilityRTIC 45 Hard Cooler — Durability 8.6 out of 108.6YETI Roadie 24 — Durability 9.2 out of 109.2DesignRTIC 45 Hard Cooler — Design 7.8 out of 107.8YETI Roadie 24 — Design 8.8 out of 108.8Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

Leads on Performance and Value.

  • 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

Take the YETI Roadie 24

Leads on Durability and Design.

  • Day trips and single overnights rather than a week out
  • Space is the constraint, not capacity
  • One person carrying it, loaded, some distance

What each one gets wrong

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

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

YETI Roadie 24

  • Group trips — this fills faster than you expect
  • The premium is hard to justify at this size

Specs, side by side

SpecRTIC 45 Hard CoolerYETI Roadie 24
ConstructionRotomolded, pressure-injected foamRotomolded
Capacity45 quart class24 quart class
CertificationIGBC certified at this size, padlocks required—
Design—Tall enough for wine bottles standing

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Is the 2020 YETI Roadie 24 the safer pick over the 2015 RTIC 45 Hard Cooler?
RTIC 45 Hard Cooler takes Performance and Value; YETI Roadie 24 takes Durability and Design. Neither leads on more axes than the other, so it comes down to which of those you care about. The 5-year gap shows in the totals as 8.3 against 8.5.
What does the 2015 model still win?
On Performance and Value, yes. Those axes still go to the 2015 model. The 2020 one answers with Durability and Design.
Which one ranks higher in "Rotomolded or not, the latches go before the shell"?
RTIC 45 Hard Cooler sits at #1 in "Rotomolded or not, the latches go before the shell", YETI Roadie 24 at #3.