It doesn’t have a drain plug so emptying it of water can be a hassle. It has 2 cup holders on the lid and a large, easy-carry handle. It is also made with the same durable fabric as the Yeti coolers and the majority of the seams are RF welded to help reduce breakages. For me the quality just isn’t there so I wouldn’t invest in an Ozark Trail but would instead buy another brand like Yeti, RTIC or Engel. The only area where Ozark Trail is better than Yeti is in the price. There is a great video where a customer who owns both a Yeti Hopper and an Ozark Trail does as ice test on them and compares the performance side by side.
Something that should stand out to you (because it stood out to me) is just how much cheaper Ozark Trail coolers are compared to other brands. Some products are made to order please allow up to 14 days for them to ship out. Consequently, unless you really need those extra couple hours of ice retention, you will be just as satisfied with an Ozark Trail as you would with a Yeti Tundra.
Another issue people have had is that these coolers go in and out of stock frequently. Obviously if you want you want to buy them for a discount, but it’s hard to know exactly when this will be. As I mentioned earlier Ozark Trail coolers are some of, if not THE, cheapest roto-molded coolers on the market. The 26-Quart version doesn’t have any drain plug at all, meaning the only way to empty the cooler is to tip it upside down. The offer similar features and sizes to the Ozark Trail and their performance is much better.
However, that kind of handle won’t work for the larger coolers, so they utilize side handles made of rope for those ones. However, if you treat it well you’ll get some good performance out of it for a tiny fraction of the price. Both coolers have leak proof zippers that are 100% watertight. Both of these coolers are packed with features and the Ozark trail has very similar features to the Yeti.
Having structure is important for protection in soft-sided coolers. A cooler without a hardliner is more prone to having its stored ozark trail cooler items be damaged while moving. Thankfully, Ozark Trail includes a removable hard liner in most of their soft-sided coolers.
For us, while a YETI required a larger initial investment, we will save money (and use less water) over time. Many companies and sporting stores make or sell rotomolded coolers. If you are interested in purchasing one, considering waiting for a sale, like the REI 20% off member sale. The weather was in the high 90s during the test, the coolers were in full sun for most of the morning, and we opened them several times throughout the day.
Yeti Coolers, on the other hand, has a rock-solid reputation. 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.
Ozark Trail’s medium and large hard-sided coolers are equipped with an interior wire basket to help organize your food. Ice life refers to how long a cooler can retain the ice you place inside. Ozark Trail’s larger soft-sided coolers usually offer a maximum of one to one-and-a-half days of ice life, which is plenty for a picnic. Ozark Trail soft-sided coolers are all designed to have multiple storage options.
Various wholesalers offer a variety of AC units suitable for all customer needs. Indeed, hard-sided Ozark Trail coolers are all roto-molded which means that they are fully built to perfection without any human contact. Indeed, these coolers are primarily constructed via dedicated machines that make sure everything is precisely where it belongs. In the beginning, it was hard to believe that a Walmart brand can beat all expectations until we tested it ourselves. Our subject was the 52 quart, which is the best-seller in this line of coolers and one which pulled some impressive reviews online.
Also, another practical aspect of these coolers is how easy it is to replace external pieces if damaged whereas other brands would give you no other option but to live with it. One of the hardest conclusions to digest was the fact that a brand like Ozark Trail can argue its rivalry to someone like Yeti. Impressively, Ozark Trail has pulled the trick of the century in the realm of coolers when they managed to create highly dependable coolers for a budget cost. While quality is paramount to the durability and performance of an ice cooler, design is still relatively important. Indeed, it would not make sense to design a Yeti the same way as some off-brand cheap copy because the look of a cooler says a lot about it.