Ozark Trail Coolers Review

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They have harnessed this into their small but potent lineup of hard-sided coolers. These coolers are available in 26-quart, 52-quart, and 73-quart and fall somewhere in the intermediate to lower premium price tier. Depending on which model you go with, you will find the appearance of these ice chests to differ quite a bit. The most affordable models, the non-premium soft-sided coolers, come in a very safe, solid color. There may be some subtle grays or white pieces of fabric but, for the most part, the primary color will dominate. A. Ozark Trail hard-sided coolers are the best option if you go camping regularly.

In our cold retention tests, it took 100 hours for the interior of the Orca cooler to pass the 40°F threshold. When you’re unwinding outdoors, the best cooler makes all the difference. From keeping your catch fresh on a deep sea fishing trip to keeping your cold ones chilly at the beach, coolers are essential. You have a limited amount of leisure time—don’t let a bad cooler ruin it. Several models come with an expandable top that can increase the storage height by up to 3”. This makes it large enough to easily fit a 16-liter bottle or even stack 12oz cans on top of each other.

ozark cooler

Ozark Trail also offers backpack and tote soft-sided coolers, which allow for hands-free carrying. Depending on the size you choose, you can expect two to five days of ice life, which is more than enough for a day at the beach or even a weekend camping trip. Ice life refers to how long a cooler can retain the ice you place inside. Ozark Trail’s larger soft-sided coolers usually offer a maximum of one to one-and-a-half days of ice life, which is plenty for a picnic. For a more on-the-go option, the $88.00 Ozark Trail 26-quart high-performance cooler offers the perfect size and capacity.

These are IGBC certified and that certification isn’t possible without a tough product. To achieve the extremely attractive price point that they did, Ozark Trail likely had to sacrifice a few things in the quality department. The result is a cooler that doesn’t have quite the level of fit and finish as, say, a Yeti or an Engel. To achieve these asking prices, some shortcuts in manufacturing and quality were necessary. To start with, you will find an oversized drain that makes short work of any melted ice that is inside. The threaded drain can easily be removed and will be held in place thanks to the mounted chain it is on.

But Ozark Trail coolers are roto-molded making them stronger than Lifetime coolers which are blow moulded. Both have similar ice retention, ozark cooler similar features and have some problems. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference which cooler is better suited to you.

It’s easy to get caught up in brand perception and often times very difficult to break away from what you think you know about a brand. I used the word “think” intentionally, because what I thought I knew about Ozark Trail was not correct. Ozark Trail is proving to be a really solid competitor for outdoor products. This cooler has a number of features that you would find on more expensive coolers and a few that you won’t find. Ozark Trail’s lineup of soft coolers tries to adhere to their “affordability first” approach.

As soon as we realized the Ozark Trail was not going to work I got online and ordered an RTIC. RTIC Coolers can only be purchased from their website, which is why they say their price point is much lower than YETI. I made this purchase nine weeks prior to our vacation and the cooler is scheduled to arrive only days before we leave. That’s a little closer than I’d like but we need a better cooler. Unfortunately, I realized a little too late that I purchased the wrong size and the larger size won’t be available until after we leave for vacation. In the beginning, it was hard to believe that a Walmart brand can beat all expectations until we tested it ourselves.