Rugged Road 65 V2 Cooler
Great for picnics, road trips and camping weekends, the Rugged Road 65 V2 cooler is extremely lightweight and durable. Plus, it holds ice for days so you can keep fresh food and cold drinks handy.
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- Ultralight design is less than half the weight of comparable coolers
- Floats upright, even when fully loaded with ice and drinks
- Durable Rigorite™ coating is strong enough to support the weight of an entire Jeep and tough enough to survive a drop off a mountainside
- Nonslip Get-A-Grip exterior finish
- Unique Kick Flip Lid™ is detachable and reversible
- Double Up handle system gives you 2 types of handles for ease of carrying
- High-density Fridgite™ cooling technology holds ice for days
- Cooler space holds sixty-five 12 fl. oz. cans
- Manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty
Imported.
| Best Use | Camping |
|---|---|
| Gear Capacity (L) | 42 liters |
| Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 2,563 cubic inches |
| Material(s) | Polyurea/EPS/plastic/stainless steel |
| Dimensions | 27 x 16 x 15.5 inches |
| Weight | 13 pounds |
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A fierce contender in the cooler arena.
“I received these products for free from the REI Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review.” I tend to associate the need for a cooler with the notion that a large heavy object must be accommodated into my available travel and destination space. Simply stated, the more perishable items you intend to have the larger and more cumbersome the needed cooler will be. While necessary the cooler is not my favorite item to manage during an adventure. That opinion is still fairly true of the Rugged Road 65 Cooler, but there is several attributes about this cooler that make the most of the inevitable hardships that plague all coolers. First, this cooler is very well constructed. Throwing this in and out of my truck bed revealed nearly no abrasion and an accidental drop onto the concrete from the truck bed barely scratched it. Rugged Road LLC refers to the proprietary exterior coating on this cooler as Rigorite(TM), which reminds me a lot of spray on bed liners in trucks. It is very resilient and I expect that it would endure any adventure on land or in water that I could expose it to. It has a flat color sheen, which is nice at limiting any reflection that can occur especially when using over the water. The second attribute I really like is the closure system. It is a cantilevered closure handle with metal parts that is easy to grip for opening but positively snaps shut when you lock it down. When you close this handle there is absolutely no doubt whether it's secured or not, and since it has metal hinge parts I suspect this has a very long life of usage. Along with the robust closure system on the front of the lid are plastic hinges on the rear with metal parts in all the places that count. The third feature I really appreciate is the optional handles on the sides. There is the hardened plastic handle that is tight to the cooler preventing any sway during handling, and in that same location is a secondary roped handle. The heavy rope has a rubberized grip and provides extra length allowing a more comfortable posture of your back and arms when walking the cooler. Another nice features of the RR 65 is the kick flip reversible lid. The lid can be easily removed from the rear hinges and flipped over to create a working table with four drink holders. At first I was skeptical of the plastic clips being stressed over and over when flipping the lid but the type of plastic and design tolerance leads me to believe this is not an issue. There is no drain plug on the RR 65 but this in my opinion is a good thing because it eliminates an area of mold growth and leakage. I felt compelled to test the claim of the RR 65 floating upright when in the water and indeed it does as claimed with or without contents. Inside the cooler is some very thoughtful designs, which include a sliding wall food separator and a perforated floating bin that allows contents to sit above whatever you have in the bottom of the cooler. Both features are very good for separating contents and preventing something from getting wet. Very simple but very effective. The RR 65 also came with a metal ~20 ounce thermos. The body of the thermos is metal lined and the lid is plastic with a fixed two to three finger handle. It's a very basic in design and I was little confused to its purpose. Was it meant as a bonus or is it part of the cooler system concept. I'm not sure, but I don't really think this was any added value. The insulating properties of the RR 65 are very good. It was either as good or better than my collection of coolers in ice longevity and I suspect that has something to do with the tight tolerance seal and closure system. Overall the RR 65 is well thought out and a very robust product, and the lifetime warranty by the company seems to adequately support this. If you are part of the cooler craze then the RR 65 may not have the curb appeal that some of the competition has but in terms of practicality this cooler really hits the mark.
The road may be rugged, but so is this cooler
Took the Rugged Road 65 Cooler on the road! We packed up the cooler with sandwich makings, drinks and snacks and headed up to Redwood Regional Park to enjoy the forest, playground and picnic. The cooler fit everything, including our personal water bottles, and large bottle of sparkling water, upright. My favorite part of the cooler is the extended handles. They make it very easy to carry, especially over uneven trails. We used blue ice so there was no melting, but noted there is a screw cap drain at the bottom. The interior includes a divider to create compartments with a handy rack that will keep items upright and out of melted water. We used the main compartment for drinks and kept the sandwiches in the second compartment so they wouldn't get squashed. Worked great!
Is it better than a Yeti? Maybe
Any cooler review will likely illicit questions about wether the cooler is better than or equivalent to a Yeti cooler simply because a Yeti seems to be the most popular and common "high end" cooler on the market. I own a Yeti 45 which is roughly equivalent in size to the Rugged Road cooler, so I could do a head to head comparison. The Rugged Road cooler purports to be as durable as a Yeti cooler at half the weight, while being as durable. When I first pulled it out of the box, it definitely was noticeably lighter. Having been used to weight of the Yeti, when I pulled the Rugged Road out of the box it nearly flew out. Included with the RR cooler was a basket, a divider, and a water bottle. The Yeti only included a basket. I've included photos of the Yeti and the RR cooler and the are roughly the same size externally. The Yeti is slightly longer, the RR is slightly deeper, and taller. Despite the similar external dimensions the RR is listed as a 65 liter capacity, while the Yeti is listed at 45. I connected both coolers to a luggage scale, and the RR weighed in at 11.8 lbs, while the Yeti weighed in at 20.5 lbs. So, similar external size, higher capacity, and roughly half the weight as advertised, but is as durable and does it hold temperature as well as a Yeti? I sat on both coolers, as expected, the Yeti, with its stiff plastic construction held up well, and the RR cooler felt stable as well. As I was sitting on the RR cooler, I noticed when I pushed my thumbs into the cooler, it had some give to it. Pushing my thumb into it didn't leave any permanent dents, but the material is not as stiff. It seems like it is made out of some type of foam with a "ruggedized" coating over it. I stood up on the RR cooler and jumped up and down on it as high as I could, and at 170lbs, it was perfectly stable and withstood that abuse without flexing or feeling like it would cave in. Since it seemed like it was made of coated foam I decided to see how puncture proof it was. Taking a pocket knife, I was easily able to push through the coating and embed the knife blade. I stopped before pushing all the way through because I did not want to completely ruin the cooler. I also took a golf club and hit it fairly lightly, and it did leave some small dents in the cooler as pictured. I imagine, if I used more force the dents would be bigger. After these tests I would say it is not as durable as a Yeti, but this is pretty extreme abuse, and I would guess it would stand up to 99.9% of the use people put a cooler through. Does it keep temperature as well as a Yeti? I put a 7lb bag of ice in each cooler, and opened the lid after roughly 55 hours. I expected there to be a decent amount of ice left in both coolers but it had mostly melted through in each cooler. There was however a scant amount of unmelted ice still left floating around in the Yeti, which you can see in the photo, while the ice in the RR cooler was completely melted out. An instant read thermometer place in the water left over showed 36.1 degrees, while in the RR cooler the water was 59 degrees. So, the Yeti wins the temperature control test. In conclusion, the RR is cooler is significantly lighter and has more capacity than the Yeti at a similar external size. It is not as durable, at least at the extremes, but is durable enough for most people's use. It does not seem to hold temperature as well as a Yeti. So is it better than a Yeti? If weight is a priority, and you don't need extreme durability, and aren't depending on extended cooling then yes. I think for general weekend campout or day use, it is probably better just because of the weight. If you are going to be out for an extended period or need extreme durability, the Yeti is probably the better option.
You can't beat this organization & ice retention!
We have tried what feels like all the coolers on the market and Rugged Road Coolers are hands down our favorite coolers, we actually have numerous sizing of their coolers as we are switching to all RR. The organization and snack rack is one of my favorite features, helping keep your cooler organized, items easy to find and up out of the ice. The divider makes grabbing your drinks or food easily accessible, giving you that much more time to enjoy your time outdoors. The ice retention is not only competitive to other cooler brands but better. We have put this to the TEST here in Utah during the summer. Not to mention the durability while out on the rugged roads while exploring, hunting or floating in the lake. Yes, it truly floats upright every time! I recommend these to everyone!
RR Light Weight Rough and Ready Cooler
The cooler is beautiful, it comes in three colors, and we selected the steel, vibrant blue. The dimensions are H 15.5" L 24" W16", it holds over 5-12 packs of cans, with ice. The interior and exterior are made of a light weight durable plastic finish, the cooler has two types of carrying handles, making it easy for one person to carry or a longer rope style when you have two people doing the heavy lifting. Additionally, the cooler has a shallow basket, and center divider that can be easily inserted into the center of the cooler to keep items separate. We used it camping, and loaded with drinks, food and ice, everything stayed cold for over 48 hrs. Also, the lid can be turned over on the cooler creating an end table, capable of holding four cups. The cooler is very durable and can take rough treatment we are defiantly enjoying using it, and expect it to last for years.
Great for hunting/camping
This is literally the best cooler I’ve ever had! I have to of them I take elk hunting in Colorado. They are extremely light but keep ice for a very long time. I also use one in my boat. I love these cooler’s!
Poor durability
Dented within the first week. Rugged road warranty will not repair. Durability is questionable.
An all around useful cooler.
I have this cooler and love how lightweight it is. Keeps everything cool in a much lighter and more manageable package. The reversible is so nice to have. Cup holders when you need them and a flat work surface when you don’t. Having 2 kinds of handles is very nice as well. It was fantastic on the ice. With the separator in, I could keep ice and beverages on one side and the fish I caught on the other. Very easy to rinse out and clean with the removable lid too.
I'll Never Buy a YETI Again!
This cooler is an absolute game changer. Upon first opening, I thought--no way this cooler will be both functional and durable while weighing only 13 lbs. Boy was I wrong!! Kept my things frozen solid for days, extremely tough, and my lower back has never been happier!
SO light, keeps ice 3-4 days, best cooler ever!
this cooler was a long time coming - seriously THE nicest cooler i've ever owned. it keeps ice for my 3-4 day summertime car camping trips, and weighs an absolute fraction compared to Yetis, etc. yep - you can easily lift it with one hand! i will never ever own anything else. ALSO by far some of the best customer service experience. i broke two different components of the unit (the latch, and the basket), and the company literally replaced both of them for me for free, even though it was my mistake. i'd give RR a 10 stars if i could, instead of 5!