Portability

If you’re planning to toss this cooler into your car, it’s a great size and easily fits in the trunk or in one seat (possibly under someone’s feet depending on the type of car you have). It measures 19” by 13.75” by 14.38”.

In terms of carrying the Yeti Roadie 20, it’s definitely possible for it to be done by one person. The empty cooler weighs fifteen pounds. Considering a twelve-pack of cans weighs about ten pounds, plus ice or ice packs, you’re looking at approximately thirty pounds.

The metal handle is thin and snaps into place in a small divot on each side. This is convenient for picking up and putting down the cooler but can take two hands to push the handle out of the divots so that you can open the cooler. There is a small padded handle that makes it more comfortable to hold. Due to the shape of this item, carrying it with the handle for an extended period of time can feel awkward. You may end up with a few bruises on your legs.

Additionally, there are two indentations on each side of the cooler that allows you to carry it in front of you using both arms. Unfortunately, there are no wheels. If you insist on rolling it, you could set it on a wagon.

Features

The “Fat Wall” design boasts two-inch walls made from polyurethane foam with Permafrost insulation. It can be used with dry ice if you’re looking for a super-fast super chill. The thick walls leave you with interior dimensions of 13” long by 8 ⅜” wide, 9 ⅞” high. As I mentioned before, this leaves you with enough space for fourteen cans and ice. You can fit a bottle of wine (or a few) in here also, but at an angle.

If you’re making mixed drinks, you can pull the ice right out of the cooler (assuming the drinks you put in it were clean). The materials are all food-grade. The flat top of the cooler can be used as a seat or a small table. However, there is no food tray included like there is with other Yeti coolers. There is also no bottle opener.

The rubber feet help to keep the cooler exactly where you set it. There is a rubberized seal along the top with shockingly strong T-latches that prevents any of the cold air from seeping out. These latches can be a bit stiff but I think they will loosen up over time. If you wish to keep people, or animals, out of your cooler, there two front corners can be locked. You’ll need to buy these locks separately.

If you need to dump out some water, you can easily unscrew the drain plug. You can count on the Roadie to keep your drinks cold for three to four days.

Durability

I’ve at least mentioned that this product is bear-proof, right? It has an IGBC (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) certification. This means that the Roadie can withstand an attack for up to 60 minutes. Luckily, most bears don’t even try for this long. However, it is important to note that it is only bear proof when you use a strong padlock on each front corner. Without these locks, the bear could rip the T-latches and steal the contents.

The durability of the Yeti Roadie 20 comes from the rotomolded single-piece body. You can drop it, punch it, toss it, and it will not break. The stainless steel handle isn’t the most comfortable, but it’s sturdy. If you are near a body of water, the Roadie does float, although it may rollover.

If that’s not enough for you, Yeti also offers a 5-year warranty.

Ease of Use

We have already discussed the ease of transportation, so here we will talk about pre-freezing your cooler. This is an easy hack that will help the contents of your cooler stay cool for even longer.

Instead of adding your contents and ice to a warm cooler, it’s better to cool down the cooler first. You can do this by storing it in a cold place or by sacrificing a bag of ice. A couple of hours before you plan to use it, pour a bag of ice into it to get the insulation process started. When you’re ready to go, dump this ice and fill ‘er up.

Yeti recommends a two to one ice ratio. This means that one-third of the space in your Roadie should be food or drinks and the other two-thirds should be ice. Remember, you can also use dry ice, which lasts much longer than regular ice.

Value

There’s no doubt that this is an expensive cooler. Most of Yeti’s products are expensive. But, they are so impressively durable that it just might be worth it. If you are looking for a cooler that you can use multiple times a week, in all different conditions, and that will keep your food and drinks cold for three to four days, the Roadie 20 is well worth the price.

Perhaps Yeti’s biggest competition is Ozark Trail. The Trail 26 is also rotomolded making it very durable. Oddly enough, it looks very similar to the Roadie- the shape, the handle, the T-latches, and even the color choices. When empty, it weighs one pound less than the Yeti.

One of the main advantages that the Yeti has over this product is the length of time that ice, drinks, and food stay cold. This chill of this cooler lasts about ⅔ as long as the Yeti. However, the price of this cooler is about ⅓ of the Yeti. It’s a give and take.

If the price is really getting to you, you might want to check out the Lifetime 28 cooler. This is bigger and cheaper than both products I have mentioned. On the other hand, it’s also the heaviest. It weighs just shy of nineteen pounds empty. You can fit up to twenty-eight cans in the Lifetime. It claims to keep drinks cold for up to five days but I’d say that’s a stretch.

You’ve seen the facts. The Roadie 24 is nearly indestructible, well-insulated, and oddly fashionable. It does weigh fifteen pounds with nothing in it, can be a little awkward to carry, and for a small cooler, it’s definitely expensive. However, if you want to buy a cooler that might even outlive you, it’s a great investment.

Did I mention it’s bear-proof?