ProView – Rugged Road 65 Cooler Review

This cooler arrived just in time for my last camping trip of the season down to Buena Vista, Colorado. While the dead heat of summer had already passed and despite the cold nights, the Colorado sun packs a powerful punch when it’s out mid day … ice hates to see it coming. However, I was thrilled to skip my usual routine of picking up an extra bag of ice mid-weekend to top off my cooler.

Look/Style

One thing that sticks out to me about the Rugged Road coolers is how different it looks compared to most coolers on the market. I think the word “wow” escaped my mouth when I opened it for the first time—the amount of interior space is impressive! This is also just a generally good looking piece of gear, with a clean yet functional design. 

Features

Let’s talk about features! Rugged Road thoughtfully includes both a snack rack and sliding divider with each cooler purchase. The snack rack is great for produce or other small food items you don’t want to get lost in the ice, but I do wish this was made out of a more durable material – it’s essentially plastic. The sliding divider is incredibly useful for organizing food and drinks or separating meals by day. It was great not having to dig through ice to find what I needed.

You can also easily remove and flip the lid of the cooler to reveal 4 cup holders and a flat area that can be used as a cutting board, all while keeping your cooler tightly sealed. Rugged Road also includes an 18oz. Insulated water bottle in each cooler. While I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet – I hear this cooler floats upright! It’s also got an easy to use drainage system, which is a must-have feature on any cooler. 

Weight/Packability

One of the major selling points for Rugged Road coolers is how lightweight they are, while still maintaining the ability to keep ice cold for extended periods of time (up to seven days!). Other coolers on the market are bulky in both size and weight, but the Rugged Road 65L took up little space in the back of my vehicle while allowing ample space inside of the cooler for a weekend’s worth of food & beverages for two. Weighing in at just over 14 pounds empty, this cooler is just a fraction of the weight of competitor coolers. Even when fully packed with ice, food, and beverages, I could easily pick it up and move it on my own—something I can’t say for many other coolers of this size.

Function/Performance

This cooler works great! I was able to make it from Friday mid-day through Sunday mid-day with minimal ice melt. The temperature was high in the low 60’s during the day with low temps in the 30’s at night. I would’ve been fine not re-filling on ice for at least another 2 days. 

Durability/Construction

So far, this piece of equipment has held up quite well after being transferred in and out of my vehicle, placed on rocks, gravel, pavement, etc. I do have concerns about the long-term durability of this cooler though. Friends who own Rugged Road coolers and have subjected them to more intense use have experienced minor dents. However with it being a piece of outdoor equipment, I expect some wear and tear as time goes on and don’t foresee the integrity of the cooler being compromised.  

The Final Word

This cooler exceeded my expectations. I spent a lot of time researching various coolers to see what would be best for car camping, road trips, floats, and days under the desert sun. I kept coming back to Rugged Road because of the lightweight design. I was delighted by all the other features this cooler offers, and it’s proven to meet my needs. 

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