Depending on if you go with an Ozark Trail hard-sided cooler or an Ozark Trail soft-sided cooler, you can expect different features. We will break down the specific features for each type of ice chest in the sections below. As is typical of most other cooler brands, the smaller coolers will utilize an overhead carrying handle while the larger coolers will stick to traditional side rope handles. We will go into more detail about the specific features later in this review. We take it disc golfing and our last few beers are as cold as the first ones. If you don’t love your purchase in the first 45 days, you can get a full refund with our hassle-free return process.
There is a large insulated area in all of the soft coolers and also plenty of pockets, both on the front and the sides. The pockets on the front have a zipper while the side ones are mesh pockets. We have been receiving a lot of complaints as of late from people who are mentioning that the zippers on their soft-sided coolers are going out after ozark trail chair 6 to 12 months. We are looking into this problem in more detail and may adjust this review accordingly once we get to the bottom of it. While these aren’t “budget” coolers, compared to their competition, Ozark Trail ice chests are a bargain. And many of them utilize essentially the same construction techniques, features, and ice life.
An example of the color choices for the popular 24-can soft cooler is shown in the image below. But you can anticipate the walls to be between 2.5” and 3” thick. Yeti soft sided coolers are actually one of these best soft sided coolers out there. I’m not saying that Ozark Trail soft sided coolers are horrible.
The lower end coolers are mostly designed to retain ice for several hours at best. So you have a strong gasket, but you need it to squeeze very tight if it’s going to be useful. In this case, the most popular latch design among premium coolers is the T-Rex Latch design. We have the 26-quart cooler, the 52-quart cooler, and the 73-quart cooler. When it comes to the handles, they have followed the same kind of pattern you see in other types of coolers.
This model also contains a wire basket, four cup holders, and easy-open latches. For a high-end roto-molded cooler, the Ozark Trail 52-quart is the way to go. If you’re planning a summer road trip, this premium cooler has the ultimate storage space, along with side handles and anti-skid feet for transportation. Whichever you go for, you will enjoy the numerous storage options you get.
Also, there is nothing in the way of custom colors, decals, etc. Below you’ll see a comparison of the Ozark Trail soft sided coolers as well as the cost for some of the other popular soft-sided cooler brands. Ozark soft sided coolers struggle to keep ice for more than 2 days, whereas the Yeti soft sided coolers can keep ice for 2-3 days and sometimes ozark trail chair even longer than 3 days. They have harnessed this into their small but potent lineup of hard-sided coolers. These coolers are available in 26-quart, 52-quart, and 73-quart and fall somewhere in the intermediate to lower premium price tier. The hard-sided coolers are designed to try to compete with the top-tier of the premium cooler world.
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.