s are often equipped with accessories that make them even more functional. Most models include a handy bottle opener to make opening beverages easy. Some hard-sided models also feature a molded fish ruler on the lid for fishermen, as well as two to four molded drink holders to prevent your drinks from getting knocked over. Ozark Trail’s medium and large hard-sided coolers are equipped with an interior wire basket to help organize your food.
Our sister site Alloutdoor.com recently reviewed a hiking backpack sold by Ozark Trail that had an overall stellar performance and it triggered a question among our staff. Is Walmart’s Ozark Trail brand a true sleeper, putting out products that deserve much more attention among outdoorsmen? With that question being floated, we decided to travel down the path of discovery and start to take a closer look at Ozark Trail and some of their products. We just completed a review of the Ozark Trail Tumbler line, which is not only budget friendly but also well performing.
In addition to this, Ozark Trail also has some more mainstream designs for those who are simply on a tight budget and looking for a product to pack their lunch or picnic in. I’ll be totally honest, I was not expecting this cooler to be as nice as it was. 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.
Every model will come with at least one separate zippered pocket and many will have multiple zippered pockets in addition to mesh side pockets. All models are super easy to transport thanks to multiple carrying methods including optional wheels, padded shoulder straps, and more. Ozark Trail, despite their best intentions, doesn’t quite live up to the level of ice retention and toughness of a Yeti. While they do have many of the same features, there are more notable quality issues with Ozark Trail models. This can include things such as premature leaking, warping of the lid, and stitching coming undone.
If it’s little ice, you can fit around 18 to 20 cans – but the ice will only hold for about one or two days. Technically, the Ozark Trail backpack cooler can fit 20 cans of drinks or food; however, this also depends on how much ice you plan on adding. Furthermore, the LipGrip handles makes it very easy to carry around without bumping into the cooler at every step. There are many camping cooler brands that are mainly aiming to compete with YETI’s market dominance.
For example, the capacity, the size, the ranging temperature, the brand, and the price of it. Yes, you will most likely see differing results when adding cans or bottles into the mix. If you are adding warm drinks to your ice, you will see reductions in the overall length of time your ice will stay cold. The coolers in competition were the Ozark Trail 45QT Rolling Thermocooler, The Pelican 45QW Elite Wheeled Cooler, and the Yeti Tundra Haul. I chose these coolers because they were the closest among the brands when it came to internal storage.
Ozark Trail is one of the most common brands we have been asked about as a potential “Yeti replacement”. We must admit that the huge price cut and supposed similar ice retention and features are tempting. The asking prices for the various Ozark Trail Coolers will fluctuate quite a bit depending on which model you are going with. But seeing how Ozark Trail is in the business of making cost-effective products, all models should be affordable (particularly when compared to their industry competition).
And the ice retention capability of these particular models varies from one to another. They are also commonly known for supplying soft/hard-sided high-performance cooler, and drink-ware. No, they are different brands and, therefore, different products. For your information, YETI is an Austin, Texas-based outdoor and lifestyle products manufacturer. However, the ozark trail chairs have the upper hand when it comes to pricing.
Currently, you can choose between a 6-can cooler, 12-can cooler, 24-can cooler, 36-can cooler, 42-can cooler, premium backpack cooler, and premium tote cooler. There have also been some other sizes available over the years but we are going to focus on these models. We use it all the time for picnics, hiking, and camping, and it keeps all of our stuff cold for hours.
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. Both of these cooler brands offer T-Rex lid latches, easy-to-use threaded drain plug, rotomolded construction, industry-standard gasket, and premium insulation on their coolers. Here the ice retention is pretty impressive if Ozark’s own numbers are to be believed. The smallest hard-sided cooler is supposed to last 4.5 days, the 52-quart one is supposed to last 7 days, and the largest one is supposed to last 9 days. Ozark Trail hard-sided coolers are made of plastic that’s durable, lightweight, and fully waterproof.