I wanted to get a good sense of performance, not just after days but in hours, before any of the ice had even melted. If we’re going to talk about performance, we should talk about capacity first. Although some ice chest sizes are more popular than others (50-quart, for instance), there isn’t much uniformity among coolers as far as size and shape are concerned. Apart from determining how many cans of beer or soda each one will hold, size and shape will have an impact on performance too. After all, with the quantity of ice being equal, a 75-quart cooler like the Frosted Frog has a bigger job on its hands than the 45-quart RTIC.
I was also impressed by how much ice this premium cooler can hold. In the realm of insulated water bottles, discussions around Yeti and Hydrapeak often surface, highlighting the meticulous engineering and design philosophies of both brands. During drop-testing, Yeti Rambler 26 oz ended up with only a couple of dents on the bottom of its body. In other words, this is a very sturdy and well-made hiking water bottle, and I’ve expected nothing less from Yeti.
Another very durable part of this ozark trail chair is its locking plate, which was manufactured from industrial stainless steel. What does Walmart’s answer to Yeti’s superb cooler look like? In terms of build quality, this is a BPA-free mug made out of high-grade 18/8 stainless steel, so you won’t really have to worry about its durability. Unfortunately, it is available in a single color – burnished stainless steel – but hey, it’s four times cheaper than the Yeti Rambler 14 oz mug. Just like the other Yeti products I have analyzed in this comparison, the Rambler Mug also sports a very clean, modern, and appealing design.
Featuring a fish ruler and confirmed bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, it’s perfect for back-country adventures. Not to mention, it has a built-in bottle opener and four drink holders on the lid, so you can have a good time no matter the temperature. Depending on which model you go with, you will find the appearance of these ice chests to differ quite a bit.
What is more, it is available in 20 different colors, so it’s pretty safe to say that there’s a color variant for everyone. One particular thing I have to point out about this model is that, out of all the travel mugs I ever reviewed, this one has a shape that is most similar to a regular coffee mug. The budget-friendly alternative to Yeti’s popular Rambler tumbler is called Ozark Trail 30 oz. Due to its lower price, I expected this tumbler to sport poorer construction quality and performance, and…I was wrong.
For a high-end roto-molded cooler, the Ozark Trail 52-quart is the way to go. If you’re planning a summer road trip, this premium cooler has the ultimate storage space, along with side handles and anti-skid feet for transportation. Depending on which model you go with, you should see between 2 days and 5 days of ice life. That is still plenty impressive and should meet most people’s needs. But it does fall a bit short of the top-tier premium coolers in the industry.
The next essential piece to a cooler that can hold ice for long periods is a thick rubber gasket. Sure enough, Ozark Trail has sourced a freezer-grade gasket that is eerily similar to what you will find on much more expensive coolers on the market. As is typical of most other cooler brands, the smaller coolers will utilize an overhead carrying handle while the larger coolers will stick to traditional side rope handles. We will go into more detail about the specific features later in this review. Depending on what you’re using the cooler for, the leaky drain spout might not be a big deal. For us, however, we keep our cooler in our car while traveling and we often camp in bear country.