If there are stubborn stains on the cooler, make a paste with baking soda and warm water, and rub it over the stains until they lift. As you can see, they do a pretty good job and certainly deserve your consideration the next time you’re out looking for a cooler. The next time you want a premium cooler and have to stick to a tight budget, try an Ozark.
In terms of color options, however, you only get silver and white. Everything from their bucket to their cargo box to their coolers are made super tough and their soft sided coolers are no exception to this. The Ozark Trail Soft Cooler lineup is a solid contribution to this ever-growing company.
Reviewing a product like this can be hard because the same issue doesn’t happen for everyone. Even the highest quality products sometimes have issues or manufacturing defects and customers leave poor review. At the end of this review you should have a much better idea as to the quality of these coolers and whether or not you want to buy one, or if you would rather opt for a different brand.
However, if you’re on a tight budget and want something that’s pretty good for the price, then you can’t really go wrong with Ozark Trail. We know how premium Yeti Tundra coolers are, so the question is whether Ozark Trail coolers can match up. Because of this, their coolers are certified bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) and join the club of other well known, bear-proof coolers. That means you don’t have to worry about a grizzly bear gaining access to your cooler contents.
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. So no matter what type of bottle you tend to carry, they have you covered. 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. Learn about the products you’re wondering if you should buy and get advice on using your latest purchases.
And the construction utilizes proven rotomolding technology and stainless steel hardware. Yeti Coolers, on the other hand, has a rock-solid reputation. Its ice life is among the best in the industry and its products are designed to last a lifetime. Also included in the 52 and 73-quart models is an internal wire basket.
But it does fall a bit short of the top-tier premium coolers in the industry. The ice life, well not bad, was not near what Ozark Trail stated in their specifications. We have a hunch this is because their testing was performed under more optimal conditions.
Third place is literally filled by the gigantic Ozark Trail 73 quart which is a cooler for everything. Indeed, this cooler is designed for serious anglers, hunters and overall outdoor lovers with a large capacity that can handle your cargo for almost a week. Hence, this cooler approximately measures 33 x 20 x 19 inches, costing you a significant 40 pounds load while empty. First cooler is the 26 quart which is mainly targeted towards adventurous folks who enjoy a relaxing night at the woods, beach hang-outs and the occasional small catch angling. Accordingly, this is relatively a compact cooler, measuring 23 x 15.5 x 14 inches while in the package, totalling in an impressive 14 pounds.
Let’s start this review by looking at the price of these coolers and comparing them to some other soft-sided coolers that I have reviewed in the past. Most soft coolers from this provider have a removable hard liner while the backpack cooler and the tote bag have an EVA compression molded base. They also have daisy chain attachment points, built-in ozark trail cooler bottle openers, thicker insulation, a compression strap and a 600 denier outer coating that’s easy to wash. 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.
It can keep drinks cold for several days and the wheels on the bottom are great for hauling it from place to place. It has anti-microbial properties and it’s strong enough that a bear can’t break into it. Yeti coolers are a well recognized brand and they are backed by a 3-year warranty. If you’ve got the money then this is probably going to be your best option. But when it comes to value for money, given how bad the quality of some of the Ozark Trail coolers are I don’t feel they offer great value for money compared to a Yeti. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners.