If you would like to read about how not to pack a cooler click here to read about it. After traveling and working with an old Igloo cooler for the last year and a half my parents surprised us with a brand new cooler and we are loving it! Here’s our take on the Ozark Trail 26 Quart Cooler which we think is perfect for van life. The coolers remained in the same location for the duration of the 6 day test, only being opened to snap daily progress pictures. The Pelican also features a different pull handle than the Yeti and Ozark coolers as well. I do think the Pelicans pull handle is the lowest on my list of the three.
Every so often a brand will fly under the radar producing products that are not only a great value but also great quality as well. You can also unscrew the larger plug and drain your cooler ultra fast. The larger drainage plug is also large enough that you can drain a lot of the ice out of your cooler at the same time. WalMart has A LOT of private label brand names that they sell in their stores and online.
The water turned warm in both coolers fairly quickly after the ice melted. Click here to see more ozark trail chair with free shipping included. It’s made of heavy-duty polyethylene that is virtually unbreakable. The construction rivals that of the Yeti cooler and yet it’s a fraction of the price. We’ve put ours through the ringer the last several months and it’s stood up to daily use from van life. The smaller sized Ozark Trail coolers don’t have any handles other than the shoulder strap.
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. You will find both low-cost models as well as a “premium” lineup. The low-cost model won’t wow you with features, build quality, or long ice life but instead tries to find a happy medium while still being extremely cost-effective. The premium lineup will cost more but will also utilize features that help it to hang with other premium soft-sided coolers.
If I’m trekking into the woods for a weekend with a couple of pals, I’m going to take the Rovr, no question. If I’m headed to the beach with the family for a day, I’m probably going to opt for the Igloo. To do that, I started with a modified version of the ice retention test. Instead of a full load of ice in each cooler, I went with ozark trail canopy an amount of ice equivalent to 10% of each cooler’s total volume. If you want great performance with a friendlier price tag than its competitors, you can feel safe picking up this RTIC. CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
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.