Rugged Road 45 Cooler Review: Lightweight Ice Chest That Floats!

Let’s be real – unless you’re surviving on MREs, you need a cooler for your next adventure. No ifs, ands, or buts. And if you’re anything like me, you’re sick of hauling a heavy, awkward box with garbage handles, filled with ice that melts too fast and leaves your food floating in a mini lake. That’s the problem.

Enter the Rugged Road 45 cooler – lightweight, insanely tough, and (yep) it floats. We put this thing through the wringer on camping trips, in blazing heat, and even used it as a seat. Now it’s our go-to. If you’re looking for a cooler that actually keeps up with you, this review’s worth your time.

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Meet the Rugged Road 45

The rugged cooler for camping and tailgating arrives in a beautiful Sahara Tan colour. For the camo lovers, you know it’s a colour similar to the military’s Coyote. And if you want to boring, let’s call it a darker shade of an Englishman’s khaki. Because let’s face it, how many more white coolers can we own. And white doesn’t look so clean and sterile once you use it – literally every spec of dirt shows up on a white cooler.

After months of testing the RR45, it still looks brand new.

Who Is Rugged Road?

Up until now, we never heard of Rugged Road. They found our blog and wanted to do something together so we basically did our put your money where your mouth is and said send a cooler for us to test. They proudly did. Oh, and yeah, it blew us away!

For starters, Rugged Road is an American company. That alone can mean a lot of goodwill to a lot of people. What I really like is their story, how they took a “military-grade blast-proof spray” from a high school chemistry class and used that to invent an ultralight cooler that is tough as nails.

And now for what I love is their humble start through a Kickstarter campaign. It goes to show the good old adage that a little ingenuity coupled with a lot of hard work can get you somewhere. Even with no money! In other words, it’s a good American success story that personifies the American dream. As Warren Buffett wisely stated, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” This sentiment resonates with Rugged Road’s commitment to quality and innovation.

Now that we know who we are dealing with (and it comes with the warm and fuzzies), let’s get on with the Rugged Road cooler review.

First Impressions of the Rugged Road 45 Cooler

First and foremost, the Rugged Road 45 cooler is as light as a feather. No seriously, you pick up such a big object and expect weight which simply isn’t there. It has a rugged, textured finish that is matte and not only feels great, it’s antislip. The handles are good and the latch opens and closes solid with confidence. Fit and finish is excellent.

Once you open the portable cooler for outdoor adventures, there’s a bonus snack tray for dry good storage options, a water bottle and an insulated can sleeve. So far so good! Oh, and it oozes in spaciousnous.

Rugged Road Cooler Ice Retention Test Results

This is always the million-dollar question, isn’t it? We own a YETI cooler and there’s a big name for you. YETI suggests a 1\3 to 2\3 ice-to-contents ratio. Ie. They want one-third of your contents to be ice, at a minimum. Two-thirds ideally, which is probably how they calculate their longevity stats. In fairness, Rugged Road also suggests 2 to 1 as an ice to food ratio.

But I’m sick and tired of having more ice than food in my hard cooler. So on our recent camping trip, I decided to push things a bit. I threw only 1 bag of ice along with 1 ice pack in the Rugged Road 45. It was just enough to go under the snack tray and the other half of the cooler. So about 40 percent ice.

That lasted for days at which time I removed the ice pack… Bearing in mind, it was the last week of August – hot! The lightweight cooler for cmaping spent a lot of time in the trunk of a hot car so as to not attract animals. Safe yes, smart cooler management no – but you don’t have many choices in the rules of many a campground.

Over the course of the trip, I replaced the ice twice – ice that was now only 25% of the cooler. As to thermal retention – cream for the coffee survived the 5 days and all the contents were really cold. This of course is not the right way to do things, and repeat those results at your own risk, but it worked and I couldn’t be happier. I feel the Rugged Road 45 has a definite edge over our YETI and a landslide over our several Coleman coolers. In fact, I’ve never been happier in terms of a coolers ice retention.

Rugged Outdoor Cooler Performance in the Wild: Real-World Camping Review

We had a Monday-Friday camping trip in the last week of August. Assuming 45 quarts, I grabbed the Rugged Road 45. We needed enough food for 3 adults and 2 kids over the course of 5 days and 4 nights.

Of course, we ate out a couple of times and did a small re-supply with some small additions like frozen burger patties. But for the most part, we made it. Now realizing it’s only a 29 liter cooler, that’s pretty cool!

We left the snack tray in to hold items that needed to stay dry, like a carton of eggs and deli meats. A bag of ice slid nicely under the snack tray, while the other side of the cooler held the rest of our food.

The only con I have is that I wish the Rugged Road 45 cooler was a just a bit taller. It would allow for cans to tuck right under the snack tray.

The Rugged Road 45 is a versatile size good enough for shorter camping trips, like ours. Enough space to hold quite a few ducks for the hunter, and so on for the fisherman. But it’s not overkill, even if that means helping a few grocery items get home from town when it’s hotter than hell outside. The Road 45 cooler is light enough that it’s not a burden to haul even when its capacity is underused.

Design Features That Matter on the Rugged Road Coolers

The Rugged Road 45 cooler has an awesome shape to it. It spreads its 29 liters over a wider and longer body. It’s not your typical tall and narrow ice box. This makes packing and organizing so much easier and it reduces the time you need to get in and out, helping your ice last longer.

The shape is so good, I thought this 29 liter cooler was 45 liters. The Rugged Road cooler 45 feels that open and airy in its design which is outstanding.

Size and Dimensions

The assumption here, as a Canadian would be 45 liters. And we can picture our American friends assuming 45 quarts. But in actuality, the internal volume is based on 12 oz cans:) As you guessed, 45 cans for the RR45 model but with room to spare for ice.

Having had this durable hard cooler for quite a while now and using it extensively, curiosity is demanding a size here. Since the inside walls are slightly angled, I had to average the length and width of the Rugged Road 45, but was able to roughly calculate 1777.5 cubic inches. That’s 29.12 liters or 30.78 quarts. Let’s just say 29 liters / 31 quarts for simplicity.

How Ultralight Are We Talking Here?

The Rugged Road 45 cooler comes in at 9 lbs. But that doesn’t mean anything without perspective does it? So let’s compare to the YETI Tundra 45 because it’s a similar price point. Let’s try to compare apples to apples as best we can.

But there’s a problem: Rugged Road says 45 cans, including ice. But we dont know how much ice they left room for. The YETI Tundra 45 advertises 54 cans, but can’s only. So again, this blogger is whipping out the calculator and doing some math based on inner dimensions. So the YETI is actually just under 32 quarts. In other words, 1 quart or 3% bigger than that of the Rugged Road. But it weighs in at a massive 24.6 pounds. If that doesn’t strike you, this will: the YETI of almost the same capacity is 273% heavier!

Build Quality and Finish

The Rugged Road is definitely built tough. From lugging food to sitting to even using the 45 cooler as a step stool to tie down canoes – this cooler does not flex! The Rigorite shell is a textured protective spray made from polyurea, which probably won’t mean anything to you. Bascially, the coating is blast-proof and developed for military applications.

Yes, you read that right! Rugged Road Outdoors sent over a video on how their blast-proof cooler survived a firework show and being dropped from a massively tall bridge into a rocky river.

Although it’s ultralight, I have to say, the Rugged 45 rotomolded cooler feels sturdy and strong as does the snack tray and handle grips. There are two ways to carry the Road 45, one via the rope handles or you can use the handle grips.

I would even go so far to say, that it’s the best lightweight cooler for camping and hunting. You won’t have to worry about your cooler should you miss. 😉

Cooler Float Reversible Lid

Rugged Road advertises that the cooler comes with a 4-cup reversible, multi-purpose lid.

On arrival, the flat side was up on the portable ice chest. Great for doubling as a camp table, cutting board or measuring out your catch with the engraved notches. We flipped ours right away, just because we are so used to having cupholders thanks to some Coleman programming. And as a seat, it doesn’t matter either way. When you are camping, your cooler can wear many, many hats:)

When flipping the lid over, you actually remove it from the cooler box. Ie. it detaches 100%. I usually wash my coolers inside out with the garden hose, and this removable lid makes cleaning SOOO much faster and easier.

The locking mechanism on the Rugged Road cooler is solid and holds the lid down tightly against the rubber gasket on the cooler box.

Side Drain Plug

Going back to our camping trip, we made a point of draining water once a day. We never had to deal with a big pool of water this way, nor having our food floating in it. I think we can all agree, that is gross and the most hated part of typical cooler useage if not all of camping!

Cooler ice packs are great, by the way. They don’t leak at all. You just can’t replace them when on a multi-day trip! So you end up with ice sooner or later.

The point is – draining is super easy on the Rugged Road 45. In fact it can be done without even opening up the lightweight hard cooler from the outside. Simply unscrew the cap and problem solved.

Floating Cooler – Seriously?!?

Can your cooler float? When it’s full of food? It seems crazy but it’s certainly not silly. We yachted for years and there are a lot of coolers going down marina gangways, or riding on the back of boats. Or perhaps you’re the hunter in search of waterfowl. One way or another, water is everywhere and you wouldn’t want to lose your $300 investment, would you? Make that even $600 when you add in the cost of food these days.

Now what about your life? More people than there should be don’t wear a life jacket. So when you fly out of a boat dazed and confused only to find your cooler floating beside you, is this even remotely viable? Let’s find out if this cooler floats for beach outings!

Testing the Rugged Road’s 45 buoyancy has to be my favourite part or reviewing this product!

Whether empty or full, the Rugged 45 floats upright! When opening the lid, expect some water droplets to get inside.

So, there you have it, the Rugged Road really is a buoyant cooler for beach trips, going to the sandbar, or river fishing – just don’t forget to anchor it!

Cooler Comparison: Rugged Road vs YETI: Is It Worth It?

We absolutely love YETI products and own many pieces, but I have to say, the Rugged Road 45 has YETI beat on weight, comes with a lifetime warranty, and dare I say interior space. While we can’t say for sure that YETI would hold up to a firework show, we can for certain say the RR45 floats.

*Rugged Road 45 vs YETI Tundra 45

New Accessories: The Rugged Road Just Got Smarter

We all know that one guy that is constantly checking the ice status or the overwhelmed camper who forgot to pack some games. Fear not my friends, Rugged Road has got your back! They’ve recently added a couple of smart, practical upgrades to take your cooler up to the next level.

Drain Plug Thermometer

Yep, that’s right. That one guy can now stare at his phone instead of measuring ice! Welcome to the digital age, where even your cooler for camping food can tell you how it’s feeling. 😉

Thanks to Rugged Road’s Ice-Timator – you can now install this temperature reader right into the drain plug. No more guessing if your meat is still cold enough or wondering how long that ice will last. It’s a game-changer for anyone who needs to know, hunters, food preppers, campers or even that dreaded hot summer grocery run.

GameLidz

Tic-Tac-Toe or Chess anyone? Rugged Road also offers GameLidz, which is a play mat insert for the cooler lid. Whether you’re tailgating, at the beach, camping with kids, or using it as a picnic cooler, this adds a fun and functional twist to your setup. It’s part table, part game board, which makes the Rugged the best cooler for weekend camping – now how’s that for some summer fun!

These accessories aren’t just gimmicks. It shows that Rugged Road really cares and listens to real-world users and builds around how we ACTUALLY use coolers. Just don’t forget to take the gameboard off when using your lid as a prep board!

FAQ’s

Final Verdict: Is the Rugged Road 45 Worth Buying?

We love our lightweight, floating cooler, so much so, that we also own the compact Rugged Road 25, which we also reviewed here. For thhose who struggle with back pain or just can’t stand to waste energy on heavy loads, the RR45 is the best solution for camping, tailgating, the beach or even that hot summer grocery run.

Even packed, the cooler is lighter than most and with features like buoyancy, it makes the Rugged Road 45 v2 a fun cooler for the lazy days out on the water or in! There is no need to send that one unlucky soul for a drink run!

Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to own the best lightweight cooler! For a limited time, use discount code ‘BUSHLIFE10’ at checkout to snag a fantastic 10% off on the Rugged Road Cooler. Experience its incredible floatability and lightweight design firsthand!

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