For a cooler of more manageable size and only $97.00, the Ozark Trail 35-quart hard sided cooler is a great choice. Its premium insulation makes for impressive ice retention, and the freezer-grade gasket is removable for quick cleanup. This model’s interior bin features a handle, along with a locking ozark trail chair plate on the outside. Ozark soft sided coolers struggle to keep ice for more than 2 days, whereas the Yeti soft sided coolers can keep ice for 2-3 days and sometimes even longer than 3 days. This is a much larger and diverse selection of products than the Ozark Trail hard-sided coolers.
They utilize strong T-style latches to keep the lid securely closed, too. Ozark Trail soft-sided coolers usually have a durable polyester exterior and an FDA-compliant polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) hard liner that’s fully waterproof to prevent leaks. Ozark Trail hard-sided coolers are made of plastic that’s durable, lightweight, and fully waterproof.
Thankfully, Ozark Trail includes a removable hard liner in most of their soft-sided coolers. And the premium cooler backpack and cooler tote take this up a notch by having an EVA compression molded base. The Engel HD30 has the best ice retention of any soft sided cooler on the market.
The top entry is zipper-sealed so there’s no risk of anything falling out. It doesn’t have a drain plug so emptying it of water can be a hassle. It has 2 cup holders on the lid and a large, easy-carry handle. It is also made with the same durable fabric as the Yeti coolers and the majority of the seams are RF welded to help reduce breakages.
Temperature, how many times the cooler is opened, whether or not the cooler was pre-cooled, the type of ice being used, the type of insulation in the cooler, ect. If you’re on the fence about spending the money, consider how long you will be gone and what it would cost to add ice to your cooler everyday. For us, while a YETI required a larger initial investment, we will ozark trail canopy save money (and use less water) over time. Many companies and sporting stores make or sell rotomolded coolers. If you are interested in purchasing one, considering waiting for a sale, like the REI 20% off member sale. The weather was in low 90s during the test, the coolers were in full sun for most of the morning, and we opened them several times throughout the day.
If you have a boat and bring kids or friends on the water, you know that once you leave the dock the requests for drinks start rolling in fast and furious. Sure, you can load a cooler out each morning packed with fresh ice, but it is just so much easier to cut down all that work with a cooler than can keep ice for days on end. Cooler’s have become somewhat of a status symbol in the outdoors and many equate the bigger brands with better quality. A higher price tag should mean a higher quality product, right? No, that is not always the case and any outdoorsmen, gear junkie, or general abuser of products will tell you the same thing.
We enjoy the premium soft coolers and hard-sided coolers the most. But all models could make do with a few additional color choices. Also, there is nothing in the way of custom colors, decals, etc. Yeti is a premium brand cooler with premium quality and sells for a premium price. They are one of the most expensive soft sided coolers on the market.
We are committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. The Ozark Trail cooler is made from polyethylene, which is the most common kind of plastic in use today. Yes, you will most likely see differing results when adding cans or bottles into the mix.
The hard-sided coolers are measured in quarts while the soft-sided coolers are typically measured in how many cans that they can hold. We will break down the size selections available to you in the next section. A. A personal-size Ozark Trail soft-sided cooler works well for taking lunch to work or school.