While it’s not perfect, the Ozark Kanga Pouch Cooler is a reliable companion for tailgates, barbecues, and golf outings. It’s affordable, making it a great choice for those looking for a budget-friendly cooler without compromising on quality. However, I did find that the zipper can be a bit tricky to use, especially when compared to other ozark trail chair high-end coolers like Yeti. And let’s not forget the removable shoulder strap, which allowed me to go hands-free while enjoying my favorite outdoor activities.
For us, however, we keep our cooler in our car while traveling and we often camp in bear country. I don’t want any cooler water intermittently leaking and leaving food smells. The other downside to the Ozark Trail cooler is that it weighs 31 pounds empty. It’s definitely heavier than its more expensive friends on the market. We ended up purchasing a YETI but let me tell you how we got there.
The lid supports up to 400 pounds, so it doubles as a stool for sitting or standing. You have a ton of options, including wheeled coolers, thermoelectric coolers, roto-molded coolers, powered coolers and even cooler backpacks. That makes it tricky to pick the one that’s best for your needs. To save you the effort, we’ve put together this list of the best coolers you can buy. Our picks are backed by hours of testing coolers in our climate-controlled lab to help you get the most out of your cooler budget. To achieve the extremely attractive price point that they did, Ozark Trail likely had to sacrifice a few things in the quality department.
The Kanga 12-Pack Kase Mate Cooler from Ozark is a game changer for those who love to entertain with ease. Between the hinges, the lid, the drain plug and the lid latch, the Bison cooler felt the most like a premium product to the touch. It didn’t hold cold air as well or as long as other roto-molded models and it costs about $150 more than our most affordable roto-molded pick, the Xspec 60qt High Performance cooler. The best cooler for your summer camping trips will make it easy to carry drinks and keep them cool.
We put that to the test during our capacity evaluations, where the entire cooler is filled to the top with water, and then ozark trail canopy closed. In its closed state, full of water, I sloshed it around without spilling a drop, so it’s safe to assume that leaks won’t be an issue. Our recent Magellan Outdoors soft-sided cooler (title holder for Best Soft-Sided Cooler) has the same zipper setup. On the topic of wheeled coolers, the Igloo Journey Trailmate 70-qt.
Still, if you happen to get an ice chest that has these kinks ironed out, you will enjoy a solid competitor. These are IGBC certified and that certification isn’t possible without a tough product. To achieve these asking prices, some shortcuts in manufacturing and quality were necessary. And Ozark Trail’s diverse selection of coolers means that we are going to have results that are all over the place. And to maximize how much squeeze the gasket produces, having strong latches that provide a lot of clamping force is necessary. You will find the popular “T-latch” design on Ozark Trail coolers.