I do think the Pelicans pull handle is the lowest on my list of the three. The coolers in competition were the Ozark Trail 45QT Rolling Thermocooler, The Pelican 45QW Elite Wheeled Cooler, and the Yeti Tundra Haul. I chose these coolers because they were the closest among the brands when it came to internal storage. Bought this for backpacking because it is lightweight and packs small, but it is a complete waste of $45. Even with clothes, a thin liner and a fleece liner inside it, the bag could not dispel the cold. There was zero insulation properties as far as I could tell.
Cooler’s have become somewhat of a status symbol in the outdoors and many equate the bigger brands with better quality. A higher price tag should mean a higher quality product, right? No, that is not always the case and any outdoorsmen, gear junkie, or general abuser of products will tell you the same thing. 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. Browse Ozark Trail’s top-rated sleeping bags and pads and more.
It is water resistant, but not waterproof, and it stores extremely well. When it’s in the compression sack it comes with, it’s about 12 inches tall and 5 inches wide. The Ozark Trail cooler is made from polyethylene, which is the most common kind of plastic in use today. The coolers remained in the same location for the duration of ozark trail canopy the 6 day test, only being opened to snap daily progress pictures. As far as color options go, you can purchase this in one of two colors, Greystone which is the one featured in this article and a lighter grey. The constant color feature among the two are the orange rimmed wheels which I don’t love but, it is not a deal breaker.
The bag is machine-washable and the lightweight design fits easily in both the washer and dryer. I was on a budget so I figured I would go with a less expensive bag. I got in the bag, tried to zip it and the zipper tore immediately. Get Backpacking Light news, updates, gear info, skills, and commentary delivered into your inbox 1-2x/week. Please note, a stock image is included to provide you with a visual snapshot of this item that we could not capture otherwise. I think the expensive bags are just marketing and overengineering, unless you are going to the arctic.
If you have a boat and bring kids or friends on the water, you know that once you leave the dock the requests for drinks start rolling in fast and furious. Sure, you can load a cooler out each morning packed with fresh ice, but it is just so much easier to cut down all that work with a cooler than can keep ice for days on end. I used this bag two nights last weekend and found it was too cold on its own—lowest temp was 51 degrees each of those nights. The bag is very lightweight and comes with a compression sack. It’s compact, and keeps you warm and comfortable throughout the night.