YETI Roadie 24 Hard Cooler Review

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The YETI Roadie 24 cooler is new to the YETI product line for 2020 and is an upgrade from the YETI Roadie 20. This cooler fits 24 cans of your preferred beverage as the name implies and is also big enough to fit taller drink containers such as 2-liter soda bottles and wine bottles.  As YETI continues to innovate and focus on product performance, they were able to reduce the total space the cooler takes up while increasing the internal capacity without sacrificing cooler performance. 

One of the most notable updates from the YETI Roadie 20 is that this cooler is more narrow and sits taller. This allows the Roadie 24 to fit in the backseat of most SUVs/cars/trucks. I tested putting the cooler behind the front seats of a 2019 Toyota RAV4 and found that while the cooler can fit on the floor between the front and rear seats, I had to move the front seat up a lot. This is okay if you tend to sit really close to the steering wheel, but for most people, the cooler is a little too big to sit on the floor between the backseat and front seats of an average SUV/car/truck with average size people sitting in the front seats. If you have a full SUV such as a suburban or a full-size truck with more space, the cooler Roadie 24 will likely fit better without having to push the front seats up too much.  

YETI Roadie 24 Cooler Features

The Roadie 24 has a few notable features that help this cooler stand out from less expensive coolers.  The feature that I find most notable is the Quicklatch system that makes opening and closing the cooler super simple. The Quicklatch allows for you to open the cooler with one hand and it’s effortless to open. This makes it easy for kids or people with less hand strength, but it still provides a secure seal.

The barefoot non-slip feet allow this cooler to grip slippery surfaces such as a boat deck, helping prevent the cooler from sliding around during abrupt slowdowns. This also keeps the cooler from moving on uneven surfaces.

For carrying, the YETI Roadie 24 has a flexible nylon strap with YETI’s HeftyHauler handle that keeps the strap from digging into your hand. The strap allows the cooler to fit better into tighter spaces compared to a plastic or metal rigid handle that doesn’t flex.  

PermaFrost Insulation – Keep the inside contents cold

As we all know by now, YETI does a great job when it comes to keeping your goods inside their coolers cold.  One tip that I learned when their coolers first came out is that it helps to pre-cool your cooler when possible.  It’s similar to preheating your oven in that you wouldn’t expect your food to get cooked in the allotted time if you threw your food in a cold over and started the timer.  You need time for the oven to heat up and get to temperature before you start your timer.  The same goes for coolers.  I’ve been using the YETI Ice 4lb which fits perfectly at the bottom of the Roadie 24 and helps bring the cooler down to temperature to help keep the inside contents cold.

Another way to help get your YETI Cooler down to cool down is to store it in a cooler place if you plan on using it. This means instead of keeping it in a warm garage before use, you might consider bringing it inside your house with the lid open if you have A/C. I also recommend using ice or ice pack in the middle and or top of your cooler contents. Just because it has a YETI label on it, doesn’t mean it’s an automatic refrigerator and you can ignore the general practices of keeping your food and drinks cold.  Check out YETI’s tips for keeping your hard cooler cold for longer. 

Downsides – Heavy and awkward to carry 

While I like this cooler for keeping what’s inside cold, I find it to be heavy and a little awkward to carry for long distances. The cooler weighs 12 pounds, 13 oz and if you add 24 can’s of your favorite beverage, that is close to 31 pounds. When you are carrying this amount of weight in a rectangular hard-sided cooler hanging off your hand down by your knees, it tends to be awkward to carry.  

On most days, my wife almost always wants me to carry the cooler as it tends to be too heavy for comfort for her.  A few factors that are important to note is that she is 5’9 and we typically aren’t loading it with 24 12oz cans, but rather a few drinks and the rest food. 

YETI Roadie 24 Dimensions and Volume

Total Volume – 24 Liters (1464 cubic inches)

Final Thoughts

Overall, the YETI 24 Roadie hard-sided cooler is what you would expect from YETI hard sided cooler.  It’s definitely more robust compared to your typical $20 dollar cooler you’re going to pick up at Walmart.  There is no detail in the design of the cooler that went unnoticed unless you YETI is somehow able to significantly reduce the weight of their hard-sided coolers down the road.  At a cost of $199, I think you need to think a little harder about what you’re going to use the cooler for.  I personally would find it hard to justify the cost because my primary uses for the cooler are taking it to social gatherings, weekend car camping trips and extended car trips where a more traditional and less expensive cooler will meet my needs.  

I think instances where you are using the cooler much more often such as boating and rafting and it’s important to have a quality cooler is where the Roadie 24 cooler will shine.  See more information on the YETI Roadie 24 hard-sided cooler.