There are no compression straps or other means of securing anything to the outside of the pack, aside from the “daisy chain” on the front. My only knock on it would be the lack of a small water bottle pocket. Aside from the main pack bag, there is a small zippered compartment on the front, that, depending on how much you have stuffed inside, is pretty tight. I managed to fit my headlamp, lighter, map, compass, and some tp in the pocket. Fit and finish were pretty good — no loose seams or stitching. Stitches appeared evenly spaced and of uniform distance from the fabric edges.
Join Outside+ to get access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. If you’re searching east of the Rockies for stunning scenery, technical terrain, and a long hike option sans the AT crowds, this is your pick. Try out unlimited access with 7 days of Outside+ for free. You may encounter some natural hazards when hiking through the wilderness, but it shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the outdoors. The Ozark Trail Association maintains a number of maps to help you traverse each section of the trail. If you are using your phone for navigation, pack a paper copy of a map in case you lose signal or find yourself without battery.
During those five minutes of rain, he was a little more stressed as the risk of a wet sleeping bag had not been completely mitigated and he rushed back to the campground. I, on the other hand, could have stayed out longer. True, I wasn’t able to remove the rain fly to watch the stars or let the wind ventilate my tent, but I was able to enjoy the day hikes without any sort of worry. In essence, I had committed to the permanent rainfly option by default and there was a certain contentedness that came with that. The first good design feature is the placement of the door on the side, and more specifically on the long side of the tent.
Keeping the load under 15 pounds seems to be the key. I really wanted to use it for our fall two-nighter on the AT, but was unable to fit my bivy with a 20 degree Kelty Cosmic down bag inside. I contemplated stepping down to the 45 degree bag, but thankfully, did not. Before you leave home be sure to let a friend or family member know where you’re going and what you’ll be doing. Indicate how many days you will be gone and approximately where you plan to stay each night. If you’re on a multi-day hike, toilet paper and a cathole shovel are necessities.
In a sheer stroke of luck for this test, we are having a very aggressive heatwave in Southeast Michigan with temperatures around the 90’s during the day and staying in the 70’s overnight. I’m using my North facing deck as the staging area which receives direct sunlight at almost all hours of the day. I also placed a small weather system on the deck rail to help get a sense of how hot surface temperatures are in the area. On one of the hottest days, the remote sensor reported temperatures exceeding 107 Degrees Fahrenheit while the air temp was in the high 80’s. When I first got the bag, I had issues with shoulder straps that pulls the bag up higher/lower on the back. But now it’s settled and almost never moves on me.
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. If you need a good cheap bag you need to see if the Ozark Trail Back Packs will work for your needs. I checked all the hook and loop connections, the straps, the plastic clips. Get Backpacking Light news, updates, gear info, skills, and commentary delivered into your inbox 1-2x/week. Visit our Trail Directory for an overview of the sections.
As always, make sure to bring the “Ten Essentials”, extra food and water, sunscreen etc. Our sister site Alloutdoor.com recently reviewed a hiking backpack sold by Ozark Trail that had an overall stellar performance and it triggered a question among our staff. Is Walmart’s Ozark Trail brand a true sleeper, putting out products that deserve much more attention among outdoorsmen? With that question being floated, we decided to travel down the path of discovery and start to take a closer look at Ozark Trail and some of their products. We just completed a review of the Ozark Trail Tumbler line, which is not only budget friendly but also well performing.
But I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Ozark Trail 45 Liter Backpacking Backpack. It’s hard to guess which kids will take to hiking like a fish to water and which ones will beg off. My kids were toddlers the first time we went backpacking on a short, level trail where I carried everything and I knew they could do the hike with no problem. My four-year-old wanted to know when we could go again but my three-year-old was uninterested in another trip. Now he’s 12 and carries almost the same weight as I do and loves to help me plan trips with 10-mile days.
It is important to be considerate of hikers and preserve the beauty of the Ozark Trail so it can be enjoyed by future generations. Follow the signs to stay on established paths to reduce your chances of getting lost. Staying on the trail also helps prevent erosion ozark trail chair and damage to fragile plant life. Water sources such as rivers and streams may only be available seasonally. Ozark Trail maps are a great resource to help identify places where you can access water. Browse Ozark Trail’s top-rated backpacks and more.
The only issues I have with the bag is that the stitching isn’t as good as you might find on the more expensive bags and its weight. The more expensive will use higher quality materials that are generally stronger and lighter weight. All this means that your bag will be a little heavier than a premium bag when fully packed. I did some quick adjustments and gave the bag a try.