mike813
Well-Known Member
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For anyone interested in a cooler that fits great in the frunk take a look at the Rugged Road 45. I posted a full review:
Rugged Road 45 - the (almost) perfect Frunk Cooler - (discount code included)
I've been on the hunt for a perfect frunk cooler solution since long before I brought my R1S home in December 2022. I found the Rugged Road 45 and this checks a lot of boxes for me. Link here - https://ruggedroadoutdoors.com/collections/coolers/products/rugged-road-45 use code "RUGGEDRIV10" for 10% off for the month of July for Rivian enthusiasts (details below on why they sent me a code).
When I first brought my first R1S home in December I tried to fit my Yeti Roadie 48 in the frunk. No dice. I love this cooler, but it weighs almost a million pounds. But it fits a bottle of Rombauer standing up, so it spends a lot of time travelling with us.
So here's what I settled on for my most frequent cooler use in my R1S - my Tesla frunk/subtrunk cooler from Tesmanian (https://www.tesmanian.com/products/soft-cooler-for-tesla-model-y ) dimensions Length: 23.5 in. Width: 14.5 in. Height: 10.5 in. , and my old RTIC 30-can (https://rticoutdoors.com/Soft-Pack-Cooler?size=30-Can&color=Blue-Grey) dimensions Length: 15.5 in. Width: 11.5 in. Height: 12.75. The RTIC 30-can has been a great go-to cooler with a good combination of size and quality. The Tesmanian has some quality issues, but it is a perfect size for our Model Y frunk and sub-trunk. These fit ok, but I really wanted something bigger to better utilize the frunk space.
So here's an image frunk-gating for a concert with the same cooler mix along with an added smaller RTIC soft cooler. After this, I said to myself "self, it is time to find a better frunk cooler."
This is just a picture of my dad's back bourbon stash, shared to see if Skyler is still reading. I don't drink much bourbon, but you should always have a bottle of Buffalo Trace in your sub-frunk just in case of emergencies.
Alas! I found it! the perfect frunk cooler, designed specifically for the Rivian! The problem is this doesn't exist yet. If this ever comes to market, I'm a buyer. Here is the link to the private forum site of a man named Gene, who it seems is doing some awesome things for a water tank and powered frunk fridge, but hasn't had enough interest to move forward on this cooler yet - https://rivian-aftermarket.proboards.com/thread/8/low-profile-chest-project-info
So, since Gene hasn't made the above cooler yet, I scoured the market for something that would fit. I really wanted something that would fit anywhere in the frunk and not impede closing of the hood. As my RS friend Will pointed out, the Yeti Tundra 45 (15.5" high) will fit. But, similar to the Yeti Tundra 20 that I'll show you below (14.38" high), you have to have these coolers centered, or at least far enough away from the sides, so the hood will close.
I drove around a while with a perfectly centered Yeti Tundra 20 in my frunk, but when my family tried to use it the cooler always ended up too close to the side to let the hood close.
I use milk crates for storage in my R1S - three fit great sideways behind the third row, even with the seats up. You can also stack two on top of two behind the third row longways with the seat up. I use them for travel, recovery gear, and leave them empty in the back of the R1S for grocery organization.
So while thinking about coolers, I turned a milk crate on its side, measured it, and moved it all around the frunk. I found that a 13" height seems to be the perfect height for an item in the frunk (sitting on top of the frunk shelf/floor) that will not impede closing of the hood. This begins the quest for the 13" high cooler. Shorter than that, like the Tesmanian listed above, you're loosing usable space. Higher than that, like the Yeti's mentioned above, the frunk won't close.
And that gets us to the Rugged Road 45. 27" wide, 17.6" deep, and 13" high. I emailed Rugged Road, told them my story about looking for a perfect cooler, and asked if they had any details or experiences with Rivian. I received a nice quick reply from customer service stating that they hadn't heard anything about fit in a Rivian, but that they would offer me a 10% off code. They also mentioned that they have free returns. So I gave it a whirl.
Shown here for comparison next to my Yeti 20 - the Rugged Road does not impede frunk closing no matter where you move it within the frunk, but the Yeti does unless it is centered.
As you can see, the Rugged Road height is perfect. The width of the Rugged Road also allows a 19"x13"x11" milk crate to fit next to it. That is my dog's food. And the beer is unopened - you should never drink beer until you're done driving for the day.
So here's the pros and cons of the Rugged Road cooler. Pros: Size is perfect for me. The weight is almost zero. Ice retention is really good. Cons: this cooler feels like a styrofoam cooler wrapped in a Vibranium shell, which is essentially what it is. What? Vibranium a con? My first thought was that it didn't feel as rugged and substantial as a $300 cooler should (I paid $269.99 for this cooler with a 10% off code).
Shortly after delivery I received a follow up email from Rugged Road asking how I liked the cooler. I responded "My first impression was that It felt a little bit fragile to me, so I want to run it through the paces of summer before handing out too many recommendations. I know the point of the design is to keep it light, so I’m gonna give y’all the benefit of the doubt and throw it into my cooler rotation." Rugged Road's response to that was "Put it to the test…It has a Lifetime Warranty!"
Well, that's good enough for me. The cooler is now in the frunk of my Rivian (well, in the frunk of the loaner R1S, waiting on mine to get back after Rivian fixes a few little issues) and we'll put it to the test this summer.
I replied to Rugged Road and asked if they would share a discount code for Rivian owners - "Thanks for the interest in our growing business! We could hook you up with a 10% discount on the RR45 to share on these that would run through the month of July (and would expire after that). They can use code RUGGEDRIV10 for a 10% discount on the RR45 for the month of July. "
So if you have an interest in a super light cooler that fits great in a Rivian's frunk, check out the Rugged Road 45: https://ruggedroadoutdoors.com/collections/coolers/products/rugged-road-45 and be sure to use the discount code RUGGEDRIV10.
If anyone has any experience with this cooler please post below. I'll also share details after using this cooler.
Rugged Road 45 - the (almost) perfect Frunk Cooler - (discount code included)
I've been on the hunt for a perfect frunk cooler solution since long before I brought my R1S home in December 2022. I found the Rugged Road 45 and this checks a lot of boxes for me. Link here - https://ruggedroadoutdoors.com/collections/coolers/products/rugged-road-45 use code "RUGGEDRIV10" for 10% off for the month of July for Rivian enthusiasts (details below on why they sent me a code).
When I first brought my first R1S home in December I tried to fit my Yeti Roadie 48 in the frunk. No dice. I love this cooler, but it weighs almost a million pounds. But it fits a bottle of Rombauer standing up, so it spends a lot of time travelling with us.
So here's what I settled on for my most frequent cooler use in my R1S - my Tesla frunk/subtrunk cooler from Tesmanian (https://www.tesmanian.com/products/soft-cooler-for-tesla-model-y ) dimensions Length: 23.5 in. Width: 14.5 in. Height: 10.5 in. , and my old RTIC 30-can (https://rticoutdoors.com/Soft-Pack-Cooler?size=30-Can&color=Blue-Grey) dimensions Length: 15.5 in. Width: 11.5 in. Height: 12.75. The RTIC 30-can has been a great go-to cooler with a good combination of size and quality. The Tesmanian has some quality issues, but it is a perfect size for our Model Y frunk and sub-trunk. These fit ok, but I really wanted something bigger to better utilize the frunk space.
So here's an image frunk-gating for a concert with the same cooler mix along with an added smaller RTIC soft cooler. After this, I said to myself "self, it is time to find a better frunk cooler."
This is just a picture of my dad's back bourbon stash, shared to see if Skyler is still reading. I don't drink much bourbon, but you should always have a bottle of Buffalo Trace in your sub-frunk just in case of emergencies.
Alas! I found it! the perfect frunk cooler, designed specifically for the Rivian! The problem is this doesn't exist yet. If this ever comes to market, I'm a buyer. Here is the link to the private forum site of a man named Gene, who it seems is doing some awesome things for a water tank and powered frunk fridge, but hasn't had enough interest to move forward on this cooler yet - https://rivian-aftermarket.proboards.com/thread/8/low-profile-chest-project-info
So, since Gene hasn't made the above cooler yet, I scoured the market for something that would fit. I really wanted something that would fit anywhere in the frunk and not impede closing of the hood. As my RS friend Will pointed out, the Yeti Tundra 45 (15.5" high) will fit. But, similar to the Yeti Tundra 20 that I'll show you below (14.38" high), you have to have these coolers centered, or at least far enough away from the sides, so the hood will close.
I drove around a while with a perfectly centered Yeti Tundra 20 in my frunk, but when my family tried to use it the cooler always ended up too close to the side to let the hood close.
I use milk crates for storage in my R1S - three fit great sideways behind the third row, even with the seats up. You can also stack two on top of two behind the third row longways with the seat up. I use them for travel, recovery gear, and leave them empty in the back of the R1S for grocery organization.
So while thinking about coolers, I turned a milk crate on its side, measured it, and moved it all around the frunk. I found that a 13" height seems to be the perfect height for an item in the frunk (sitting on top of the frunk shelf/floor) that will not impede closing of the hood. This begins the quest for the 13" high cooler. Shorter than that, like the Tesmanian listed above, you're loosing usable space. Higher than that, like the Yeti's mentioned above, the frunk won't close.
And that gets us to the Rugged Road 45. 27" wide, 17.6" deep, and 13" high. I emailed Rugged Road, told them my story about looking for a perfect cooler, and asked if they had any details or experiences with Rivian. I received a nice quick reply from customer service stating that they hadn't heard anything about fit in a Rivian, but that they would offer me a 10% off code. They also mentioned that they have free returns. So I gave it a whirl.
Shown here for comparison next to my Yeti 20 - the Rugged Road does not impede frunk closing no matter where you move it within the frunk, but the Yeti does unless it is centered.
As you can see, the Rugged Road height is perfect. The width of the Rugged Road also allows a 19"x13"x11" milk crate to fit next to it. That is my dog's food. And the beer is unopened - you should never drink beer until you're done driving for the day.
So here's the pros and cons of the Rugged Road cooler. Pros: Size is perfect for me. The weight is almost zero. Ice retention is really good. Cons: this cooler feels like a styrofoam cooler wrapped in a Vibranium shell, which is essentially what it is. What? Vibranium a con? My first thought was that it didn't feel as rugged and substantial as a $300 cooler should (I paid $269.99 for this cooler with a 10% off code).
Shortly after delivery I received a follow up email from Rugged Road asking how I liked the cooler. I responded "My first impression was that It felt a little bit fragile to me, so I want to run it through the paces of summer before handing out too many recommendations. I know the point of the design is to keep it light, so I’m gonna give y’all the benefit of the doubt and throw it into my cooler rotation." Rugged Road's response to that was "Put it to the test…It has a Lifetime Warranty!"
Well, that's good enough for me. The cooler is now in the frunk of my Rivian (well, in the frunk of the loaner R1S, waiting on mine to get back after Rivian fixes a few little issues) and we'll put it to the test this summer.
I replied to Rugged Road and asked if they would share a discount code for Rivian owners - "Thanks for the interest in our growing business! We could hook you up with a 10% discount on the RR45 to share on these that would run through the month of July (and would expire after that). They can use code RUGGEDRIV10 for a 10% discount on the RR45 for the month of July. "
So if you have an interest in a super light cooler that fits great in a Rivian's frunk, check out the Rugged Road 45: https://ruggedroadoutdoors.com/collections/coolers/products/rugged-road-45 and be sure to use the discount code RUGGEDRIV10.
If anyone has any experience with this cooler please post below. I'll also share details after using this cooler.
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