You can opt for some fun colors, like this Mardi Gras inspired theme. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
Summer is around the corner, and with the hot temps we aim for long days at the beach or campsite with an array of cold drinks. While there are seemingly infinite methods of enjoying a summer’s day and night, there seem to be just as many cooler options, all claiming to be the best. But is there a cooler out there that can do it all? The short answer: not really. But there are definitely a few coolers out there that can do a lot of things really well.
When I got my hands on the RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler ($249) to test, I knew what to do. Fill it up and see if it was all RTIC claimed it to be. And those claims are pretty substantial: a hard-sided, rotomolded cooler that is easy to maneuver, lighter than the competition, and can keep things cold for days. I’ve tested dozens of similar coolers over the past two years and have seen and heard it all. So did it live up to the hype? In a word: yes. It’s a fantastic cooler that worked well with the contents staying cold for over 5 days, with ice cubes to spare. That’s why it took the top spot in our Best Beach Coolers of 2024. I break down the RTIC Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler below.
| Pros | Cons |
| Durable construction | Handle protrudes out |
| Easy to maneuver | Still heavy when loaded |
| Solid wheels | Not bear-proof |
RTIC 52 Qt Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler: First Impressions
Insulation: Closed-cell foam
Capacity: 52 qt
Weight: 30 lbs
Pros: Premium quality with a great price point
Cons: Handles/Wheels make wasted space when packing
I tested the Mardi Gras special edition RTIC cooler, which offers the classic colors of our favorite cajun hootenanny to get the good times going year-round. It’s a nice diversion from the traditional uniform colors we find in most other cooler designs, giving a bit of festive flair to any occasion, no matter your location or penchant for cheap plastic beads.
Despite its “Ultra-Light” name, the construction of this cooler is solid, with a large handle that extends to one side and swings down when not in use. The cooler has silicone grips for easier transport, allowing either one or two people to carry it to your chosen destination. The large, puncture-resistant wheels made for easy rolling on bumpy, rocky terrain, and made it through dry sand without any issues. Although a large cooler, the handle and wheels combined to make moving it around easier than I expected.
All coolers work better if you pre-chill them the day before using them by sacrificing a bag of ice (or some artificial ice) to cool the inside before storing your goods. While this is great in practice, it’s not always something we remember to do in our busy schedule. As such, I didn’t bother to pre-cool the cooler, opting to test it with 30L of ice poured straight in with a 12-pack of beer, 12 sparkling waters, 8 mixed drinks, and four bottles of ginger beer. After four days of opening and closing, casually removing the drinks to consume, the contents stayed cold with ice to spare — there was even a touch of ice still frozen on the fifth day.
Check Price on RTICNotable Features of the RTIC Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler
The RTIC Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler comes with a host of extras that go beyond your usual cooler to make your day in the sunshine a pleasant experience. For one, there is a metal bottle opener fixed into one of the corners next to the lid so that you never have to smack your bottle cap against a picnic table. Inside the cooler is a silicone net attached to the lid to store dry goods, which helps keep food dry from the ice melt below.
As already mentioned, the large handles and wheels make for easy transport over rough terrain, and the cooler never gets stuck, even when fully loaded and rolling through the grass and sand. The entire unit has a solid build, and while the surface is vulnerable to scratches, it never affects the quality of the insulation, which comes from 2.5 inches of closed-cell foam. That insulation is impressive, especially considering this large cooler only weighs 30 pounds empty.
The large handle is great for transporting, but does stick out a bit when stashing. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
Drawbacks of this Cooler
RTIC opted for a large flip-up handle on this wheeled cooler, which does stick out a bit. I learned this the hard way after stubbing my toe while walking past. It also makes for a bit of wasted space, and the cooler is not perfectly square, so if you’re tight on space it might be frustrating to pack this up with other gear in the trunk of a car or in a smaller truck. It’ll be up to you whether or not the convenience of the flip-up handle is worth it or if you need something a bit more space-conscious to fit everything else along with you.
The cooler uses silicone T-latches to lock the lid in place. While these work great, they are not fully bear-proof, and the possibility of knocking them loose might result in a hearty snack for our Ursine cousins. That said, the cooler does feature two holes at the corners to run locks through. The silicone is also vulnerable to UV damage and over time, if not taken care of, will wear down and need replacement.
And while this is a lightweight cooler relative to its size, this RTIC wheeled cooler is still heavy when filled with ice, drinks, and food. When it was on the ground, rolling, we had no complaints, but lifting a fully stocked cooler in and out of the car was still tough without help.
Four days into the test, and there’s still ice inside. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
Final Thoughts
The RTIC Ultra-Light Wheeled cooler is a fantastic cooler for summertime adventures. It’s relatively easy to maneuver given its size and keeps the contents cold for much longer than a weekend (effectively for four days in my test). Following the guidelines of pre-chilling the cooler will presumably extend that ice retention by at least a day or two. At 30 pounds unloaded, it’s not exactly ultralight as the name suggests, but does come in lighter than similar models that boast days of ice retention. With its solid construction, it should last for many years, as long as you take care of it and keep it out of extensive sunshine (easier said than done with a cooler).
I only tested bottles and cans in the unit, so I can’t speak to how safely it keeps fold cold, but for a beach cooler, this is an amazing choice for any group needing cold drinks on order for days.
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Editor’s Note: Don’t miss our guide to the Best Beach Coolers. For something even more portable, don’t forget to check out our guides to Best Backpack Coolers and Best Soft Coolers. Need some shade for your beach day? Take a look at our Best Beach Umbrellas. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
