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. I’ve tried tents with the door on one end and it is cumbersome. For the end-door variants, one has to toss their sleeping bag down the tent when getting ready for bed. Other items that you may want to keep at the foot of the sleeping area are also hard to access or reach if your head is near the door.
This cooler, when compared to the Pelican 45Q Elite and Yeti Tundra, has the smallest profile while still providing 45Q internal storage. It features rubber latches which I am a huge fan of for boating applications. When you are out ozark trail chair on the water, people often sneak over to grab something from the cooler and may not latch it back up. With a hard plastic latch, you run the risk of brushing by the cooler and hitting your shin, which I have done and is awful.
The Ozark Trail cooler is made from polyethylene, which is the most common kind of plastic in use today. 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 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Controller is an icon of the 1980’s and a symbol of the video gaming industry.
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. Overall, it could have been roomier, but the weight savings were attractive to me with only one spar instead of two. Furthermore, I didn’t plan on being in the tent other than during the nights, so a roomier but heavier 1-person tent wasn’t desirable. The weather was going to be great and the hammock was where I wanted to be during the restful moments of the day. Some 1-person tents will have two major spars or spines that cross for the main support structure.
For day hikes this is just as good as (and lighter than) my Osprey Daylite that retails for almost four times more. The one downside with integrated rain flies is the lack of ventilation and ozark trail canopy temperature control. We had great weather – not too hot and not too cold – but it did rain for about 5 minutes.
You can also select free store pickup on many items, which might even be available the same day. At a price point of $79, it’s unlikely you’d be able to find anything else that’s brand new, competes with its features, and costs less than $100. You can likely find this pack at your local Walmart or online at Walmart.com. On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack.
I priced other internal frame daypacks before my trip and this was by far the cheapest. I took this pack on a 5-day mountain bike ride from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Washington, D.C., and it performed very well. The coolers remained in the same location for the duration of the 6 day test, only being opened to snap daily progress pictures. 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 have lost a couple of drain caps in my day which makes the cooler unusable until a replacement arrives. My own personal beverage drama every summer has really pushed me to do this review. To me, worrying about the temperature of the drinks I have on my boat is the absolute last thing I want to be thinking about when I am heading out on the water. I also liked how my head wasn’t directly beside the door, which often occurs for an end-door 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. 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.