67% of 12 verified owners recommend the RTIC 45 QT Hard Cooler, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“To me these things are insanely overpriced. I assume the crack affects its ability to keep things cool so not really something I want.”
“Does no one else hate the rope handles on these things? Not to mention they don’t have a larger handle to carry one-armed.”
“Can’t complain too much for $100. Took it to the beach yesterday and everything was cool and no ice melted in the 3 hrs I was there”
“I got one of these RTIC coolers a couple years ago, it was grey/blue. It was leaking though the lid seal so I returned it.”
“I have the same cooler, it's so light I can actually carry it to the dock by myself even with ice and drinks in it!”
“They're nice, I got two of em. I've been meaning to get a set of wheels for mine too cause they get kinda bulky sometimes.”
“I have the same cooler, it’s great. Keeps ice all day in the heat. Looks good on my tracker grizzly.”
“Yeti and Rtic but you have to precool them first if you want the cold to last the longest.”
“Rtic actually makes some good options that are better than yeti for much less.”
“I have an rtic and it keeps food cold for multiple days with one bag of ice.”
“Coming up on my 3rd season with mine and i absolutely love it!”
“Absolutely great buy.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“I’ve always been curious what people use this specific size of cooler for. When you have ice in it, you can’t fit shit else except a 6-pack.”
“True if you put a whole bag of ice yes it’s too small but if you fill it about halfway it’ll fit plenty!”
“Day trip, should cover a meal for 2-4 and a few beverages”