RTIC cooler sale

[Kaido]

Kind of a random deal, but RTIC coolers are on sale for the cheapest I've ever seen them. Things to know:

1. They are roto-molded (super insulated)
2. They are Yeti knockoffs (the Kleenex of roto-molded coolers)
3. They are stupid expensive (even as a knockoff product, even on sale)

Website here: (also available on Amazon)

https://www.rticcoolers.com/

Tons of features, including a drain valve. fwiw, they are dry-ice compatible. Full feature list here:

https://www.rticcoolers.com/features

Sale includes free shipping:

20-quart: $101
45-quart: $123
60-quart: $145

Two additional notes:

1. Users recommend pre-chilling the coolers with ice, like overnight the day before you need to use it, to get the interior environment cold enough so that when you fill it with ice/food/drinks/fresh-caught fish/freshly-hunted meat, it stays cold for longer.
2. No product ever works as advertised, so take their "ice for X amount of days" marketing with a grain of salt.

Here's a good comparison video to the Yeti, as well as what the cooler can do:

They also sell some other good products, including soft-pack bags & double-wall vacuum-insulated tumblers. If you're not familiar with the newer insulation tech, it does a pretty good job of keeping your food & drinks hot or cold for hours on end, unlike the old Thermoses that would only do them for a few hours max. I first learned about this stuff from my Zojirushi vacuum-insulated thermos mug; it keeps ice all day!

https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-KHE48AG-Stainless-Steel-16-Ounce/dp/B005PO9T44

 

[mdram]

30 day warranty, no thanks

 

[Kaido]

30 day warranty, no thanks

So the Yeti has a 5-year warranty & RTIC just downsized their warranty last year to 30 days. I did some reading about that online, because it was an immediate red flag as far as quality goes...if you drop your warranty to a laughable length (not to mention, they apparently start the warranty on the purchase date, not the actual delivery date), that usually means they've cut costs in production quality & materials.

However, the general consensus online seems to be that (1) they are trying to stay price-competitive, (2) by lowering it to just a month, they get rid of the consumers who abuse the warranty right before it expires (rather than through regular wear & tear), and (3) due to the nature of the manufacturing techniques, you kind of either get a good unit or you don't. There's not a lot of parts to break on it...it's a giant roto-molded tub with a lid & some rubbery handles. If it shows up & won't hold ice & falls apart, then you've got a dud, so return it within the first-month window & get another one.

I also thought about the numbers. I bought the RTIC 45 on sale for $123 with a 30-day warranty. The Yeti 45 is $350 with a 5-year warranty. Factoring in the roto-molded design & the fact that if it's good upon delivery, it will probably last a good long while because it's not like there are electronics or parts to rust & stuff, I decided that for a $227 savings (I could almost buy 2 more RTIC's for the same price & just put them in storage in the event of failure, haha), it was worth a shot, especially given all of the reviews online & videos I watched on Youtube. Some good discussion over on /r/buyitforlife.

The market for high-end coolers is pretty big, too. Yeti is actually a ripoff of Engel. Plus there's Pelican, Orca, Grizzly, Yikon, Taiga, Esky, and a bunch of other competitors out there. Some of them are even making their own unique designs like the Orca Pod cooler backpack. There are also other competitors available at an even steeper discount, like the well-reviewed Coleman Xtreme Marine Cooler. Lots of great options out there. I went with the RTIC because they're basically a clone of the Yeti, with good reviews, at almost 1/3 the price on sale, with free shipping.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm confused. They are dry ice compatible? How do you put them on your CPU?

 

[Kaido]

I'm confused. They are dry ice compatible? How do you put them on your CPU?