Arctic Zone Titan PRO 25Q Roto Hard Cooler
Kirk Deeter
June 3, 2024
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I love how rotomolded coolers retain ice. I’ve always been partial to the 24-25-quart sizes for a number of reasons: First, they’re just big enough to pack plenty of food and drinks for a one-day float down the river, or a day of fishing out of your vehicle. They’re not so huge that they’re hard to lug around. Secondly, for the overnight camping experience, they are the perfect height to sit on (use a folding trail chair, or stadium seat if you want back support). Heck, throw this cooler on a stand-up paddleboard, and you have a comfortable, fairly stable seat to fish and paddle from.
For at least a few years the YETI 24 has been my gold standard in this department, but last month I tested a new 25-quart rotomolded cooler from Arctic Zone called the “Titan PRO,” and it is indisputably better than any other cooler I’ve used in this size category. At $275 retail, it costs $25 more than the YETI 24, but it’s worth it, and here’s why…
It retains ice longer. I did a straight-up comparison between the Titan PRO and YETI and the Titan outlasted the YETI by a day-and-a-half, and that was without the “Ice Saver” thermal booster Titan touts as a “game changer.” The Ice Saver is just an insulated flap that you use to cover the contents, and by doing so, ice supposedly lasts even longer, but I personally think it’s overkill, and know it will end up a dirty sponge in the corner of my boat sooner, or later. (In fairness, my YETI 24 is blue, and the Titan is white, so that surely affected sunlight absorption and skewed the test to some degree.)
It has a drain plug, and that plug is on a built-in tether.
It has a detachable LED light that brightens up the compartment when you open the lid, and shuts off when you close it. If you want to take the light out, use it in other ways, you can.
Titan PRO is built with Microban®, which inhibits bacterial growth, and makes it easier to clean–Microban® provides antimicrobial additives that are incorporated into the cooler construction to help prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew.
It comes with accessories like a bottle opener, and bungee cords, which are detachable.
The carrying strap is detachable, so, if you want to just lift the cooler by the hand holds, you can.
It’s reliably bomb-proof and lockable.
So, I’ve been rolling with this cooler in my boat and in the back of my vehicle–I even leave it out on the deck filled with cold drinks–and the benefits listed above set it apart from almost every competitor.
Pros
Durable, bomb-proof construction.
Retains ice for several days, comparing favorably to other coolers of similar size.
Built-in drain plug on a tether.
Detachable components like LED light and bottle opener.
Larger “floor plan” to arrange bottles and cans, and tall enough to hold wine bottles.
The perfect height to sit on.
Cons
At ~19 pounds, it’s not the lightest option.
Detachable components are, well, detachable, which is awesome until you misplace something, or lose it altogether.
Bungee cords on the lid are nice for holding a jacket, or loose pack, but less comfortable to sit on (you can remove them).
$275 is the high-end price to pay for a cooler of this size.
Pricing
At $275, you’re spending more than you would for most other coolers in this size range, but I think the bells and whistles make it worth it. And in doing what a cooler is really meant to do–keep things cold–the Titan PRO is the best I’ve found.
Craftsmanship/Durability
The engineering detail is noticeable–this is a very smartly-designed cooler, and the construction/durability passes the eye test, but we’ll see if it passes the summer float schedule.
- Price: $275
- Dimensions (length, depth, height): 19.29-inches x 13.86-inches x 17.68-inches
- Capacity: 25 quarts
- Weight: ~19 pounds
- Interior LED light: Waterproof, removable
- Materials: Unbreakable, rotomolded construction, Microban® (inhibits the growth of bacterial odors and stains)
- Warranty information: Arctic Zone Warranty
Check out the Titan PRO 25Q Roto Hard Cooler:
Arctic Zone 5-year Limited Warranty.
“We stand behind our products. Our quality control team follows a specific testing protocol in order to ensure that the products we sell are top quality. However, rarely a product may slip through that is defective. In the event that your product is defective, we will replace it free of charge under our Limited Warranty.
The Titan Deep Freeze® High Performance Roto Cooler and its components are warranted to be free from defects in workmanship or materials for five (5) years from the date of original purchase. This warranty covers the original consumer purchaser only and is not transferable.”
Conclusion
This cooler size is where soft-sided totable coolers and hard-sided rotomolded coolers intersect. If you just want to take some wine and cheese to the beach to watch the sunset, or you want to stuff a bunch of sports drinks in something for the youth soccer team, a soft-sided cooler is probably a more user-friendly option.
However, if you want a cooler that’s literally solid–one that’s going to hold ice longer, even in direct, bright sunlight, the hard cooler, though a bit more cumbersome to lug around, is your best bet. Especially if you want to camp with it, sit on it, stick it in a boat or work with it out of the back of your vehicle.
In that realm, the 25-quart Titan PRO from Arctic Zone is best-in-class, at least from my standpoint. And it’s the engineering details that make all the difference and justify a $25 price bump over other options.
Some people will think that’s overkill–they just want a cooler to keep things cold. Totally understandable, but I’d pay $25 for the drain plug on a tether alone. The light, the detachable straps and the fact that it’s built with materials that can help keep it cleaner from bacteria and smells are all bonuses.
This one’s a winner, and it didn’t just edge out the field, it ran away.
Find the Titan PRO 25Q Roto Hard Cooler:
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