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Outdoors head-to-head

RTIC 45 Hard CoolervsYETI Roadie 24

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler vs YETI Roadie 24, scored side by side on all 4 Outdoors axes. Overall 8.5 to 8.3.

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

Two products can average the same and still feel different, because the shape of the scores differs. Left of center is RTIC 45 Hard Cooler, right is YETI Roadie 24.

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler

Axis

YETI Roadie 24

  • 8.8
    Performance
    8.4
  • 8.8
    Value
    6.8
  • 8.6
    Durability
    9.2
  • 7.8
    Design
    8.8

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
CertificationBear-resistant on some models—
Design—Tall enough for wine bottles standing

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

RTIC 45 Hard Cooler or YETI Roadie 24 — which should I buy?
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.
How far apart are they overall?
RTIC 45 Hard Cooler scores 8.5 and YETI Roadie 24 scores 8.3, a gap of 0.2. The total is the plain average of the 4 axes used in Outdoors.