The Ozark Trail soft coolers feature a leak proof zipper that is 100% water tight. It won’t let water in or out so you don’t have to worry about water spilling if you knock your cooler over or water splashing out and wetting your car seat. To me this just says the Ozark Trail soft coolers are hit and miss. Overall the quality is poor but there is a chance you may get a good cooler that lasts you years. But there’s also a solid chance that your cooler might break within the first few weeks or first few months.
It’s definitely heavier than its more expensive friends on the market. 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.
First of all, this Yeti cooler features the so-called rotomolded construction, which makes it very durable. When it comes to premium coolers, travel mugs, and insulated tumblers, Austin-based Yeti is probably the most well-known name in the game. Ozark Trail, on the other hand, is a Walmart-owned brand under which the company sells similar products, although at much lower prices. Ozark Trail soft-sided coolers usually have a durable polyester exterior and an FDA-compliant polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) hard liner that’s fully waterproof to prevent leaks. If you are looking for a functional and durable air conditioning unit look no further than the wholesale range at Alibaba.com.
Having a soft sided cooler that holds ice for almost two full days is better than most budget hard sided coolers. So for the price I think the performance isn’t too bad, not as good as premium soft sided coolers but not too bad. Ozark Trail soft sided coolers come in multiple different sizes and the price point is extremely cheap compared to other similar premium coolers. However, the ice retention performance the build quality and durability is not as good.
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. Hence, you can expect this cooler to get slightly heavier once fully loaded; therefore, it is definitely not meant for hikers. So, instead of directly jumping into this gigantic review of the brand, let us take a moment to detail our main points here. If you do opt for an Ozark ozark trail canopy Trail my advice to you would be to treat it carefully and not assume that it’s as durable as the Yeti because from what I can see it definitely isn’t. When it comes down to it Ozark Trail is a cheaper rip-off of the Yeti Hopper series of coolers. The Yeti coolers are all equipped with tie down straps so you can strap down your cooler to your car, van, truck or boat and make sure it doesn’t move around at all.
Remember last summer when we spent over $100 on ice for our two week trip to Montana? If you would like to read about how not to pack a cooler click here to read about it. Check out our review of the Coleman Atlas Series 65-Quart Cooler with Wheels. The Ozark Trails Cooler is perfect for your camper van adventures due to it’s rugged nature and size.
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. The final feature of this phenomenal bottle is its wide mouth – it makes cleaning easy and allows you to throw as much ice into it as you want. This tumbler is vacuum-sealed and made out of double-walled, high-grade stainless steel – in terms of construction quality, it is just as well-made as Yeti Rambler.
Depending on which model you go with, you will find the appearance of these ice chests to differ quite a bit. The most affordable models, the non-premium soft-sided coolers, come in a very safe, solid color. There may be some subtle grays or white pieces of fabric but, for the most part, the primary color will dominate. And while we are on the subject of the premium soft-sided coolers, there are a few additional features specific to them. They include built-in bottle openers, daisy chain attachment points, compression strap, thicker insulation, and a wash-friendly 600D outer coating.