5 Best Ozark Trail Backpacks June 2024

Before you know it, they’ll be ready to shoulder a load on an overnight trek. Get started planning your trip by exploring our trail offerings or using our Trip Planner tool. Walmart has up to 50% off select Ozark Backpacks and Daypacks! Grab a hydration compatible backpack for $13.96 or Go Bag for $15.53. I also liked how my head wasn’t directly beside the door, which often occurs for an end-door tent.

Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top daypacks. I’ve had this pack for 2 years and I’ve beaten the living daylights out of it and it still performs just as well as the day I bought it. I don’t make it a habit of buying my gear from Walmart, but this was a excellent purchase.

So there you have it, when looking at just the ability to keep ice cold over a period of 6 days the Pelican has just slightly won, but we are talking about decimal points. I have to say that I am very impressed with the performance of the Ozark Trail 45Q cooler. This cooler is not only smaller in its overall size but also a fraction of the price of the competition. Pelican is a newer entry in to the world of rotomolded coolers and have taken their own spin on design and function.

A great way to ask questions of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts is to check out the Ozark Trail Section Hikers and Backpackers  (OTSHAB) Facebook page. You’ll find numerous advocates eager to answer your questions and aid you in planning your thru-hike. 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.

ozark trail backpack

For water and OJ I use Vapur anti bottles which aren’t bulky at all. My glucose meter and keys went in the small outside pocket. I did instantly notice the difference of carrying a lighter bag.

Along the way you’ll cross paths with fewer people than you can count on two hands—just keep an eye out for mountain bikers and horseback riders who frequent the multi-use sections of the trail. I tried actually sewing one on, but I don’t have the right size buckle to go with the strap, so might won’t hold tight. I also use a Marmot 20 liter pack which does have a thin hipbelt, but it is more limited space-wise and weighs a couple of ounces more. By default, this unexpectedly ended up being my go-to daily bag for several months. It’s been stuffed to capacity with almost everything I had to carry, including, but not limited to, outerwear, lunch, groceries, laptop, iPad, a Bose speaker, and combinations thereof. I am a 6-foot tall male, weighing 185 lbs and it fits just as well as other day packs I’ve tried.

Size is perfect for day trips, smaller individuals, and teens. Great for hiking in warm weather, thanks to the breathable construction, mesh straps, and hydration bladder hook up. Material is durable and will stand up to heavy duty use. We like that this pack has a lot of pockets including a zipper that allows you to access the middle of the pack without opening the top. Includes Trekking pole attachment points, compression straps and a sleeping bag compartment. With access to the Ozark Trail available year-round, hikers will need to prepare differently for each season.

I’ll be totally honest, I was not expecting this cooler to be as nice as it was. It’s easy to get caught up in brand perception and often times very difficult to break away from what you think you know about a brand. I used the word “think” intentionally, because what I thought I knew about Ozark Trail was not correct. Ozark Trail is proving to be a really solid competitor for outdoor products. This cooler has a number of features that you would find on more expensive coolers and a few that you won’t find. It was one of those planned events in 2020 that was delayed for years, from what else, but the Covid-19 pandemic.

But if you add another family with at least one kid in roughly the same age range, like magic the hike seems to get shorter and the climbs easier for everyone involved. For student engineers, the process of gaining real-world experience through internships or part-time employment can be onerous and disheartening. ozark trail canopy Lastly, I haven’t yet had a chance to test its waterproofing in a huge down-pouring of rain, but it did hold up in some strong winds surprisingly well. Future users may want to seal or waterproof the seams a little better. On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack.