All categories/Outdoors/Coolers/YETI/YETI Roadie 24
YETI Roadie 24

YETI Roadie 24

Scored on 82 verified owner verdicts, from 522 comments read across 4 communities
TL;DR
Owners overwhelmingly praise the Roadie 24 for its excellent ice retention and rugged, compact build that fits easily in a vehicle and works well for one or two people on day or weekend trips. The common gripes are its weight when fully loaded, the premium price, and the lack of a drain plug paired with a handle some find awkward. A handful of buyers also received units with scratches or dents, and several note it runs small for feeding a group or packing several days of food.

76% of 82 verified owners recommend the YETI Roadie 24, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 14 owners report →

What 82 owners say
522 comments reviewed · scored on the 82 clearest verdicts
76%
Recommend
62 owners
7%
Neutral
6 owners
17%
Don't recommend
14 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
75%
79
Other forums
100%
3
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
38%
29
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
83%
6
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
1

Affiliate blogs here say 83% recommend, while the owner-based score is 76%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

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. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Holds ice and stays cold for days, even in a hot car or summer heat · 24 · 29%
  • Compact size fits easily in cars and trucks · 14 · 17%
  • Right size for 1-2 people on day or weekend trips · 11 · 13%
  • Tough, abuse-proof build that doubles as a seat · 9 · 11%
  • Nice, simple-to-use latches · 5 · 6%
What owners flag
  • Heavy and a chore to carry when fully loaded · 11 · 13%
  • Premium price for the size · 6 · 7%
  • Quality-control issues on arrival (scratches, dents, warped lid) · 5 · 6%
  • No drain plug, and an awkward handle that swings into your shins · 5 · 6%
  • Too small for multi-day or multi-person food trips · 5 · 6%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Solo campers and 1-2 person day or weekend trips
  • Truck and work-vehicle drivers wanting an always-in cooler
  • Kayak or tight-space packers needing a tall narrow shape
  • Users wanting multi-day ice that doubles as a seat
Look elsewhere if
  • People carrying it any real distance when full
  • Groups needing days of food for several people
  • Buyers who want a drain plug for easy emptying

Synthesized from what YETI Roadie 24 owners say — not a spec sheet.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

522 reviewed · 117 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
Reddit▲ recommend

I bought a Roadie 24 (their smallest hard cooler), and it keeps ice in the middle of the NC summer for a week.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I prefer the Pelican because the Yeti sucked. Ice stays in the Pelican the whole weekend, in the Yeti it was melted by Saturday. It was a Yeti Roadie 24.

Reddit— neutral

Originally we started with just the Roadie 24 thinking it would be good enough but Yeti coolers lose a lot of internal space to how much insulation they have. Once we added the 65 to the arsenal that solved all of our problems.

YouTube▲ recommend

Overall it's really well designed.

Reddit— neutral

Yeti Roadie 24 (which is honestly too heavy, I want to get a lighter Engels cooler for the SUP deck) for food and beer and a seat.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

Disappointing.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

10 lb ice bag melt the same day down here in Tucson AZ. Disappointed with it.

Reddit— neutral

I have the yeti roadie 24, but I use my dads 30 year old Coleman more because it holds the same, keeps ice for 5-6 hours, but it much smaller and lighter.

Reddit▲ recommend

If there are 2 of us, I usually take my Roadie24 to the beach...the 12 would be pushing it size-wise.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I have the roadie 24 and they never close and lock it. That drove me crazy lol.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have had my roadie24 and 45 hold ice for multiple days while traveling in a hot car.

Reddit— neutral

The Roadie 24 is nice for taking drinks somewhere, but (particularly when you start adding ice) is way too small for keeping 2-4 days of food.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

I much prefer the original Roadie

OutdoorGearLab (affiliate)— neutral

the specific unit we tested was not airtight, easily leaking both air and water along the gasket seam

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a friend who works in the trades and he keeps his YETI roadie 24 in the truck M-F and only brings it in on the weekends. He'll just bring the contents inside at the end of the day and throws in a fresh yeti ice blocks every morning with his lunch, should not be an issue for ya to do the same.

YouTube▲ recommend

works great!

Reddit— neutral

roadie 24 is great for the beach but lugging that around is a nightmare at times

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Let me explain why I hate my roadie 24 (context - also owned the 20, as well as 65) The new handle is weird. It’s not long enough for shoulder carry, and the lack of an adjustable slack to it is inconvient. It frequently swings and hits my shins. Two sides rope carry would still be ideal - this thing gets heavy and swingy. NO DRAIN PLUG - SUCKS FOR ME!

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

The Roadie 24 is in fact a chore to load up indeed. I would think otherwise compared to the Tundra 35, but I didn’t even have it filled and it seemed more bulky to move around.

Reddit▲ recommend

During a party, sometimes people don’t close coolers correctly. Those T handles on Yetis and RTICs can get caught and keep the lid open. That’s one of the reasons I love the Roadie 24.

Reddit— neutral

24 for trips and keeping in the room

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I personally own the yeti roadie 24, and IMO, its not that great. The ice retention is so-so. The latches are alright, the but above all else, it is heavy.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a roadie 24, which I brought to a party, stayed there over night, left the cooler in my hot trunk for 2 full days and pulled it out and there was still ice and the left over beers were still cold.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

That was what ultimately made me sell my roadie 24 and buy a tundra 35. I have no idea what Yeti was thinking making that cooler without a drain plug.

Showing 124 of 117

Common problems & things to know

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.

Redditⓘ good to know

I use a Yeti Roadie 24, but it's the cooler I use for everything not just on the SUP. The relatively narrow base and tall profile mean my sitting position requires more balance and core strength than standing lol. If you want one specifically for a SUP seat I'd go for a model with a wider base and slightly more squat profile.