Cooler Throw Down: Does Ozark Trail Stack up with Yeti and Pelican?

Another cool feature of the Ozark Trail standard Cooler is that most of them come with a fish ruler on top of the lid. But, as the top of the YETI coolers is flat, you still can use that as a table. However, it will not be as reliable as drink holders for safely keeping the water and the drinks. From that perspective, both the YETI and the Ozark Trail Cooler are good enough. As the Ozark Trail Cooler series can also retain ice for up to 10 days depending on the models and the external conditions. Portability is a crucial factor to consider when you are buying a new cooler.

They offer greater capacity than soft-sided models, so there’s plenty of room for the food and beverages you need for a two- to three-day camping trip. Ozark Trail’s hard-sided models are also extremely rugged and durable for holding up to the rigors of a camping trip. In fact, they’re certified by the USDA’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee to be bear-resistant. Ozark Trail soft-sided coolers are all designed to have multiple storage options.

Both these coolers come with rotomolded construction, stainless steel handle, and a rugged body. However, still, from our experience, we can tell you that the Yeti is the best option when it comes to the built quality. This is because Yeti coolers, ozark cooler tumblers, and mugs, and other products typically have a better construction quality and can keep beverages hot or cold for longer. After all, this brand is not a favorite of millions of outdoor enthusiasts all over the world for no reason.

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. 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.

There are two on the small one and 4 on the medium and large ones. The only group that isn’t served here is the group of people looking for coolers over 100 quarts in capacity. However, that kind of handle won’t work for the larger coolers, so they utilize side handles made of rope for those ones.

ozark cooler

Featuring a fish ruler and confirmed bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, it’s perfect for back-country adventures. Not to mention, it has a built-in bottle opener and four drink holders on the lid, so you can have a good time no matter the temperature. I’ll be totally honest, I was not expecting this cooler to be as nice as it was.

If it doesn’t get filled fully with ice, it could be prone to heating up more quickly than a smaller cooler that’s filled to the brim. On the interior, there’s a 2.8-gallon drink dispenser with a spout on the outside of the cooler. While this is a fun feature, keep in mind that it also cuts into the storage space.