RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler

Review by Erin Trail

The RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler is a waterproof, heavy duty cooler that makes bringing cold drinks and food with you hands free and easy.

Details

• 24 can or 48 can size options
• 24 can size has padded adjustable straps and a horizontal load balancing strap
• 48 can size has padded adjustable straps, a horizontal load balancing strap, and a waist belt
• Breathable webbing on the back side of the cooler
• Leakproof design: welded seams, waterproof zippers, puncture-proof interior
• Elastic drop in pockets on both sides of the cooler
• Elastic shock-cord on the lid
• Webbed attachment points on the front
• RTIC Cold Lock Press Lid, making it so the cold stays inside the cooler, without zipping it closed
• Exterior Box Pocket with waterproof zippers
• Capacity of 24 can cooler: 14 lbs of ice / 14 liters total volume
• Capacity of 48 can cooler: 23 lbs of ice / 26 liters total volume
• Both coolers can float in water

Performance

I often find myself in situations where I need to bring ice and cold drinks somewhere but I don’t always have a free hand to carry a cooler or smooth surfaces to wheel a cooler to where it’s needed.  I often go camping or set up a club tent to spectate at triathlon races, and both of these situations don’t lend themself to a traditional cooler.

RTIC sent me both the 24 can and the 48 can Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler for testing.  My main testing of these coolers was during a 3 day long triathlon training camp, where we camped at the venue and trained during the day.  The coolers were left outside for over 48 hours straight. Each cooler had 16 lbs of ice placed inside during the duration of the camp.

Out of the box, these coolers are incredibly well made.  The exterior and interior are made from a smooth, heavy-duty waterproof material.  The zippers are substantial.  They are waterproof, which makes them a little challenging to open and close without a little muscle (I would expect that this gets easier over time).

The RTIC Cold Lock Press Lid is well designed.  The lid has the same depth of insulation as the walls, and you press the lid down into the top of the cooler to obtain a seal that’s good enough to keep things plenty cold for when you are in and out of the cooler frequently and don’t want to fuss with the zipper.

Carrying the RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler is very easy.  Both cooler options have the same padded, adjustable backpack straps.  Once you’re at your venue, each cooler has a smaller strap, located near the top of the backpack straps.  This strap is big enough to grab and lift the cooler, say from the ground to bring it up to a table.

Also impressive is the insulation for the RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler.  I over-estimated how much ice we would need for training camp (5 x 16 lbs of ice for 3 coolers).  Each RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler (24 can and 48 can) got 16 lbs of ice placed inside it Friday evening.  This ice would be used for drinking and filling water bottles (versus keeping drinks cold).  This wasn’t a complete apples-to-apples comparison, as the 24 can cooler was FULL of ice and the 48 can cooler was about 2/3 of ice (there was air taking up 1/3 of the larger cooler).  When we packed up Sunday at noon, the 24 can cooler still had most of the 16 lbs of ice intact after staying outside for nearly 40 hours, which is really impressive.  The 48 can cooler had about 1/3 of the original ice remaining by Sunday, but I feel strongly that if we had fully loaded it with ice, the results would have been similar to the 24 can cooler.

RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler 24 Can Cooler Ice after 40+ hours

The RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Coolers remained leak free during the testing.  Any dust on the outside easily wiped down.  Once home and drained of liquids, both coolers cleaned up easily via evaporation and a quick wipe down.

The main consideration in choosing the RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler is which size to get.  The 48 can cooler is obviously larger, which means there’s more room for ice + drinks, but it is also substantially bigger, and as a result heavier.  Wearability is also a consideration, as the larger cooler is longer.  The 48 can cooler takes this into account by including a weight-loading waist belt, but shorter users may still find the cooler a bit overwhelming.

For sizing and wearability comparison, I’ve taken photos of each backpack on both myself and my husband, Will.  I’m 5’4″ and he’s 5’11” as a point of reference.  I find that I can handle both coolers, but I’m also used to wearing ridiculously large backpacks.

Closing Thoughts

The RTIC Ultra-Tough Backpack Cooler is a fantastic option for when you need a hands-free way to bring ice and cold things to your summer activities.  This cooler is great for camping, gatherings away from a parking lot, or time at the beach.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race