Whether youre camping, adventuring off-grid, or simply setting up for a long ride, its pretty common for cyclists to bring along food and extra hydration. You could just toss it in your car and hope for the best, the majority of us will opt for something like a cooler to keep those necessities at the right temperature until theyre needed. Even if youre not bringing a full cooler, every cyclist should have plenty of water on hand when you need it most, it probably wont be readily available. To those points, RTIC reached out to us recently to see if we wanted to test out some products. Ive wanted to try a cooler with wheels, so I opted for the 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler and leveled up my water-carrying game with their 1-gallon Outback insulated jug. For the price, both are impressive performers but not without faultsRTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Cooler ReviewWhen you think of wheeled coolers, many people are going straight to the YETI Tundra Haul. The RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light is clearly going after that market, but it goes about it in a different way. Thanks to a different construction with 2.5 closed-cell foam insulation, the cooler can offer multiple days of ice retention while coming in 30% lighter than the competition. On our scale, the RTIC cooler checks in at 29 lbs 1 oz, while the YETI Tundra Haul claims to be 37.5lbs. Note that to get the full cooling performance of the RTIC (up to 5 days), they recommend prechilling the cooler with ice a full 24+ hours ahead of time, and making sure all your provisions are prechilled as well. The 52 QT cooler has a 78 can capacity, and can be divided into two separate compartments with the Freezable Divider accessory ($18.74). Inside on the lid, there is also a silicone cargo net that can be used to store smaller items, or you can easily remove it to fit bulky items. The cooler closes with silicone T-latches, and a silicone gasket keeps it airtight. Note that RTIC does not list their cooler as bearproof, so if you intend to leave a cooler out in bear country, the YETI might be the better option (when used with extra-long shank Masterlock padlocks). On the outside, youll find a powder-coated aluminum handle with silicone grips for easy toting to your destination. When you let go of the handle, it gently lowers to prevent slamming, and its pretty comfortable to pull around. The wheels are puncture and impact resistant, and seemed to work well everywhere I tried, including on loose beach sand. RTIC calls out their patented chassis design which protects the stainless steel axle and rolls on premium wheel bearings. Youll also find a built-in bottle opener in case you dont already have 6 different options in your vehicle and on your bike, plus non-skid rubber feet and tie-down slots to keep the cooler anchored in place. Additional accessories include a dry goods basket ($17.24), and an external cup holder kit ($16.99).The one area where the cooler is lacking is in the drainage department. Because the drain is raised off the bottom of the cooler and offset from the side, it is impossible to fully drain the cooler without just turning it upside down while open. It will allow you to drain the majority of water out during a trip, so you can refresh the ice without keeping the contents submerged in water, but to fully drain it at home youll have to tip it over. Also, the leash for the drain cap comes off far too easily. On a recent trip, I had packed the cooler so full that there wasnt any room for ice. In spite of that, the cold food that went into the cooler was only 1 warmer after an 11-hour drive. Overall, the performance of the RTIC cooler has been great, and the ability to wheel it around is a game changer when its fully loaded. At $279, the RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler is priced extremely competitively vs. the $450 YETI. As long as you dont need a bearproof cooler, it seems like the drainage issues are easy enough to live with given the price difference. Currently, the cooler is offered in five different colors (plus one other clearance color), but the Beach tan color shown above is currently not available. RTIC 1 Gallon Outback Jug ReviewI keep extra water in my car at all times you never know when youre going to need an extra bottle, your kids or pets need some extra water, or maybe you need to clean something off real quick. With the RTIC Outback, Ive now doubled the amount that I carry around, and overall the jug has been a nice addition to my equipment. The double-walled, vacuum-sealed insulation claims to keep drinks cold up to 24 hours or hot for 6 hours, but it also works well to keep your water from getting too hot while in the car even if you havent iced it down. The inside of the jug is ceramic-lined to make it easy to clean and keep your water tasting like water, and its BPA-free. Even better, its dishwasher-safe (top rack only) so you can easily clean it. The lid leash is meant to stay tethered to the lid with a stretch-fit around a peg. But it comes off very easily and flops around. The leak-proof lid features a burly handle that can be used to spin the lid open or closed, and the spout makes it easy to pour into smaller bottles. Kind of like the cooler though, the cap leash comes off way too easily and can get in the way when youre pouring (so you may just want to remove it completely when pouring). Other than that, the cap is very easy to open and close, and the lid is very easy to remove and install. On the bottom, a silicone base helps it stay put quietly. The Outback is offered in 1/2 gallon or 1-gallon sizes ($39.99 or $59.99), and six different colors (plus one clearance color). I opted for the Stainless steel color because I thought it would hold up the best in the long term, but Im a little disappointed that its already showing small rust spots. While the Ultra-Light coolers have a 3-year warranty, the drinkware warranty is only 90 days. RTIC has confirmed that this would be covered under warranty (within the first 90 days), but Id still suggest going with one of the powder-coated colors instead. Again, the RTIC Outback 1 gallon jug isnt perfect, but it does perform quite well at a substantial price difference from competition like YETI. I wouldnt hesitate to throw one of the powder-coated bottles into my gear rotation for mobile hydration needs.