YETI Roadie 24 Review: YETI Makes a Great Cooler Even Better

The YETI Roadie 24 is one of those upgrades that actually matters. The brand didn’t change much because there wasn’t much needed to make it better. But by adding a drain plug and swapping the old handle for a shoulder strap, YETI made its already excellent mid-size cooler noticeably better in day-to-day use.

You’ll often see this updated Roadie 24 referred to as the “Roadie 24 2.0,” even though that’s not its official name. No matter what you call it, I tested the new Roadie 24 for 6 weeks during the fall in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley.

In testing, daytime temps ranged from the mid-50s to mid-60s but occasionally felt warmer under that relentless mountain sun. The Roadie 24 came along for campouts, tailgates, and backyard hangs, performing flawlessly through it all.

From ice retention to durability and carry comfort, the 2.0 version delivers everything you’d expect from YETI — along with a couple of smart fixes that make life a whole lot easier.

In short: The YETI Roadie 24 ($250) builds on one of the brand’s best designs with two small but significant changes. The new strap and drain plug make a great cooler genuinely better, and it’s now my go-to for weekend adventures and short trips.

See how the YETI Roadie 24 stacks up against the competition in our guide to the best coolers.

YETI Roadie 24 Cooler Review

YETI has spent years perfecting the art of overbuilding the ordinary. Its coolers are the gold standard: rugged, heavy-duty, and capable of surviving everything from cross-country road trips to backcountry bears. The company’s lineup has grown over time, but the Roadie series remains one of its most balanced designs, blending premium performance with useful size.

The updated Roadie 24 continues that legacy. It’s small enough to carry solo but substantial enough to keep a weekend’s worth of drinks and food cold for days. Like most YETI gear, it’s not cheap, but the craftsmanship and real-world performance justify the price. With this latest version, YETI didn’t overhaul what was working. Rather, the brand made smart refinements that fix the little annoyances, making a really great product even better.

Cold, Hard Facts: Ice Retention

We all buy coolers for one reason: to keep our food chilled and safe to eat, so we don’t end up puking our guts out on the side of the campsite. Amiright? To that end, the YETI Roadie 24 2.0 surpassed manufacturer expectations.

I ran the Roadie 24 through GearJunkie’s multiday ice retention test that we use on every single cooler. I filled it roughly 85% full with cubed ice I bought at the grocery store, placed it outdoors in a shaded area that still caught several hours of direct sun daily, and checked once every 24 hours.

It was fall here in the Rockies for our review, so we aren’t looking at crazy warmth. Daytime highs pushed into the mid-60s, but surface temps in the sun were a bit warmer; pretty standard for October in Colorado at altitude. I’ll admit that I didn’t prechill the cooler. Let’s be honest: Most of us forget to do that before tossing in the drinks anyway.

One of the biggest usability upgrades this time around is the new drain plug, which made it way easier to empty meltwater between checks. On the original Roadie, you had to tip the whole thing over, which was awkward and messy. The new plug lets you drain without lifting or losing any cooling power. I didn’t see any drop in insulation performance as a result.

According to YETI, the Roadie 24 will keep contents cold enough for food for roughly 3½ days. Good news: My test backed that up, and then some.

After 72 hours, the internal temperature was holding steady at 33 degrees Fahrenheit, with about half the ice still remaining. A few hours into the fourth day (around 100 hours), the ice had melted completely. But, the water was still chilly enough that the cans of Spindrift inside were delightfully refreshing.

In my book, the Yeti Road crushed the ice retention test. No, it doesn’t hold ice as well as its larger brethren, like the YETI Tundra 45, but it did a touch better than YETI claimed. Any time a product goes above and beyond the manufacturer’s claims, I call it a win.

Build Quality

YETI’s calling card is durability, and the Roadie 24 2.0 carries that tradition. The rotomolded construction feels bombproof, the walls are thick and rigid, and the hinges and latches operate with a satisfying resistance. After weeks of use, it literally looks new. I can’t find a single scratch, ding, or dent.

I even put it through an unintended durability test, and it escaped unscathed. Our 1.5-year-old rescue mutt has the enthusiasm of a toddler on espresso, and he routinely exorcises his demons with zoomies in the backyard.

During his 472nd lap, he crashed full-speed into the cooler, knocking it down a spiral staircase that runs from the top of our back deck to the cement patio of our walkout basement. He was scared, I was scared, but the YETI didn’t flinch. The latches didn’t even pop open. There wasn’t a single sign of stress afterward.

YETI doesn’t list this particular model as bear-resistant like some of its larger Tundra siblings. But after seeing it survive that collision, I’d trust it to handle just about anything short of claws and teeth.

Portability

This is the upgrade that sold me. The old Roadie’s rigid handle was annoying; it made carrying the cooler feel like I was doing a weird farmer’s carry at the gym. But YETI listened and replaced that clunky handle with a new shoulder strap. It’s thick, comfortable, and adjustable so the cooler hangs at your side instead of smacking against your legs, no matter how tall you are.

When it’s filled with ice and cans, it’s still heavy; there’s no getting around that. But the strap makes it dramatically easier to manage. You just sling it on like a purse and start hoofing it.

Updates like this strap are evidence that YETI is listening. In the grand scheme of things, a shoulder strap isn’t that big of a deal. We’re not talking about a technological redesign. But the clunky handle was an annoyance for many, so YETI came up with a simple solution that made the Roadie better. What a win.

Capacity

Whether it’s a backpack, a glove box, a purse, or a cooler, I’m the queen of cramming too much inside. And on paper, the Roadie’s 24-quart capacity doesn’t sound like much. But YETI makes smart use of space, and I didn’t even have to do much cramming.

The taller shape means you can fit bottles and cans upright; I easily stashed a bottle of wine upright without any issue. And once again, I managed to exceed the limitations claimed by YETI. The brand says the cooler can hold up to 33 cans, but yours truly squeezed in 34.

Sure, it was packed strategically, but they fit — and the lid shut. Of course, that left very little room for ice, so I wouldn’t recommend it for most things. For real-world use, my sweet spot was about 26 cans with a healthy layer of ice. That combo kept everything cold for days without feeling overstuffed.

Room for Improvement

YETI finally added a drain plug to this model, which is a huge win. The BestDam Drain Plug is small but mighty, letting you empty melted ice water quickly without awkwardly tilting the cooler. But, I have a small complaint; the cap isn’t attached. It’s a tiny piece and easy to misplace if you’re distracted or clumsy like me.

I’ve already come close to losing it twice after setting it down mid-drain, walking off, and absolutely forgetting what I was doing or where I put it. It feels like this could be an easy fix for version 2.1.

And, of course, there’s the price. At around $250, it’s firmly in premium territory. But the truth is, YETI isn’t competing on price. If you use your cooler regularly, it’ll justify the investment.

Final Thoughts

After several trips and countless melted ice cubes, I get why the YETI Roadie 24 has such a loyal following. It’s tough, thoughtfully designed, and actually practical for weekend adventures. The new drain plug and handle updates make a noticeable difference in everyday usability, especially when you’re packing and unpacking solo.

That said, it’s still a YETI: heavy, pricey, and built to outlast the end of the world. You can absolutely find cheaper coolers that’ll keep your drinks cold for a day or two. But if you care about legitimately cold temperatures and want something that will likely outlive you, the Roadie 24 earns its space in the back of the truck.