Ranking pretty high in our overall testing, the RTIC 65 brings a lot to the table. Though it was a few hours shy of tying for first in our insulation testing, its rugged and robust design and ease of use help even the scale. Like so many coolers out there, the RTIC touts a familiar design with some impressive functionality that makes it both durable and incredibly useful. With two drains, comfortable handles, a large capacity, an easy to use design, the RTIC might be the cooler you've been looking for.
REASONS TO BUY
Very durable
Good insulation
Comfortable handle grips
REASONS TO AVOID
A bit large for one person
No leash for plug
Latches are scarily stretchy
It Costs How Much??
RTIC's tagline of "overbuilt, not overpriced" is more variable than we expected. While it's commonly sold at online retailers for a significant discount below its list price, it also frequently spikes higher than the competition, making the timing of your purchase more important than usual. If you find a great deal, we definitely think this cooler is worth the money, but price hasn't been consistent here.
Very durable, good insulation, comfortable handle grips
Lightweight, easy to use, great features
Good insulation, great features, useful shape, reasonable weight, less expensive
Lightweight, excellent insulation, relatively inexpensive, thick and durable walls and lid, comfortable handle
Super lightweight, decent insulation for the price, surprisingly large capacity, inexpensive
Cons
A bit large for one person, no leash for plug, latches are scarily stretchy
Flimsy latches and hinges, leaky lid
No internal basket, not IGBC rated
Doesn’t seal against water/air, hinges not sturdy, rubber latches catch against your leg
Not airtight, not particularly durable, uncomfortable handles
Bottom Line
A high-performing and durable cooler with solid usability features at a lower price than expected
A lightweight and colorful update to the RTIC line that includes nice accessories at a more accessible price
Great look, feel, features, and performance without the high-end price tag
A well-performing, personal-sized cooler for a fraction of the price of its competition
A functional cooler for a mere fraction of the price of the competition
Rating Categories
RTIC 65
RTIC Ultralight 52
Xspec 60qt
Igloo BMX 25
Coleman Xtreme 5-Da...
Insulation(50%)
6.0
7.0
6.0
4.0
4.0
Durability(20%)
7.5
6.0
7.0
7.0
3.0
Ease of Use(15%)
8.0
8.5
8.0
6.0
6.0
Portability(10%)
8.0
9.0
5.0
9.0
8.0
Features(5%)
7.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
Specs
RTIC 65
RTIC Ultralight 52
Xspec 60qt
Igloo BMX 25
Coleman Xtreme 5-Da...
Shelf Life of Food (Measured Days Below 40ºF)
5.7 days
6.0 days
4.7 days
2.6 days
3.7 days
Measured Weight
34.8 lb
21.4 Ib
30.5 lb
11.3 lb
11.4 Ib
Measured Capacity
67 qt
50 qt
61 qt
25 qt
68 qt
Advertised Capacity
65 qt
52 qt
60 qt
25 qt
70 qt
Days of Cold Beverages (Measured Days Below 50º F)
6.5 days
6.8 days
5.3 days
2.8 days
4.9 days
Internal Maximum Body Height
12"
12"
13"
11.75"
12.25"
Does it Fit a Wine or 2L Bottle Standing Upright?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes - indented lid
Yes - indented lid
Exterior Dimensions (L x W x H)
32" x 18.5" x 17"
27" x 13" x 14"
28.5" x 17.5" x 18"
20.25" x 12" x 15.25"/20"
28.5" x 15.5" x 17.5"
Construction
Rotomolded
Rotomolded
Rotomolded
Blow-molded plastic (non-rotomolded)
not specified (not rotomolded)
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Take a load off your mind - and maybe your wallet - with the RTIC.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Insulation
As a beefy rotomolded cooler with a freezer-style gasket, it's no surprise that the RTIC performed well during our intensive insulation testing. Despite being in temps that hit over 100º F, it maintained FDA-approved safe food temperatures of less than 40º F for 5.7 days. No need for burgers, but a thirst that can only be quenched by craft brews? The RTIC kept its contents at a refreshing 50º F or less for 6.5 days.
However impressive these numbers are, the RTIC lost to just a few extremely impressive coolers. It also didn't live up to its claim of 10 days at ice-cold temperatures, though that claim is under far less harsh conditions than how we torture-tested these coolers. Still, this will get you through a long weekend and any day trip outing.
All loaded up and ready to go.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Durability
Despite having a visually similar appearance to many products certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, the RTIC is not. However, it still stacks up to be a pretty tough cooler. We had a 225-lb tester jump on all the coolers we reviewed, and the RTIC had no problem clearing this hurdle. Its lid gasket makes the unit airtight, and both drains have rubber gaskets as well to prevent leakage. The integrated hinges are strong and withstood all our pushing and yanking.
RTIC 65 lid makes a nice cutting board, table top, and chair.
Credit: Gena Bradshaw
The sheer stretchiness of the rubber latches on the RTIC gives us concern for their durability and longevity. Though we yanked on everything, including the flexible rubber latches, we couldn't get them to break, which gave us hope. We do worry that they may stretch a bit during regular use, becoming looser over time. We're not sure if this would become an issue after years of love and abuse. Additionally, when we left all the coolers for hours in the hot sun to see how they reacted, the RTIC's lid bowed the most of any model. As with all the coolers, though, some time spent back inside a cool garage put it back to normal, so we didn't count this against it too much.
The non-skid feet on the bottom of this cooler aren't attached with incredible durability in mind — one of them fell off during our testing period, though it was easily reattached. In general, we find the RTIC to be pretty darn durable, but not the most.
While visually similar to latches of many other top-performing options, the RTIC's rubber grips are far more flexible and elastic.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Use
The RTIC earned one of the highest scores in this metric, as we find it exceptionally easy to use. It has not one, but two drain plugs to quickly empty liquid contents. Its flexible rubber latches also set it apart, as they are easier to maneuver than the similar rubber latches of several other models. We asked a four-year-old to open and close every cooler we tested, and the RTIC was one of the few she deemed "easy." The lid easily stays open for quick loading and unloading, and we measured the capacity of this icebox as a bit larger than advertised - 67 quarts, rather than 65. This extra volume translates into fitting more delicious things inside your cooler, and the simple interior shape facilitates fitting all kinds of different-shaped food items.
While we appreciate the efficiency of having two drains, only one of them has a channel to help get every last drop out of the RTIC. Additionally, there's no included dry bin with this cooler, like there is with numerous other models we tested. Overall though, we think the RTIC is a very user-friendly cooler for people of many ages and with a wide variety of stuff in their hands.
The RTIC has two large drains to facilitate easy cleaning.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Portability
Just like the other coolers of its size and lacking wheels, the RTIC will never be your favorite piece of gear to cart around. Empty, it weighs nearly 35 pounds. Though the indented side handles make this doable for a single person to move an empty RTIC from shelf to shelf in the garage, two people best handle the weight and width of this cooler.
Fortunately, the RTIC double-carry handles are fitted with squishy foam grips to make carrying this fully-loaded beast a bit more doable. These handles were favorites among our testers as being useful and comfortable, easily used with one hand or two, and sweat-wicking for those hot days. Despite its overall size and bulk, the RTIC isn't too bad to carry - as long as you don't have to go too far.
We love the soft, foamy grips of the RTIC that make it stand out among the crowd.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Features
A simple design, the RTIC has several features that we find helpful, including non-skid feet (though one fell off during testing) and tie-down slots that still allow you to open the cooler while it's secured. It's also dry ice compatible and has a slightly textured lid, adding a small amount of traction to items placed on top.
Importantly, the RTIC, along with many other high-end coolers we tested, does not come with a leash for either of the two drain plugs. At the time of writing, RTIC offers a simple 1-year warranty against manufacturer defects, compared to three and five year warranties offered by other manufacturers.
A simple design with useful attributes, but accessories will cost you extra.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Should you buy the RTIC 65?
Though the RTIC is still a few hundred dollars, it's significantly less than other similar models while performing better. Despite its fluctuating list price, it's often sold for much less at other retailers. However, its price seems to change just about every week, ranging from a really good value to a price higher than some better-performing models we tested. But if you can time your RTIC purchase just right, you're in for a high return on investment and a cooler that's built to work well and for a long time.
A durable, high performing cooler and sometimes costing far less than most of its competitors.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
What other coolers should you consider?
The Rovr RollR 60 is one of the more unique options in our lineup. It has hefty back wheels that can easily roll over sand, gravel, and asphalt. Additionally, it has some of the best features we've seen, including pop-up lid storage. For a budget-friendly option, the Coleman Xtreme 5-Day is a decent weekend companion. Though it's not a top performer, the money saved can be put towards filling it up with all sorts of goodies.
An excellent performer with a wide-ranging potential price tag that sometimes is an incredible deal.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
—
Genaveve Bradshaw, Maggie Nichols, and Rebecca Glades
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
