For a leak-proof, easily transportable cooler with excellent build quality, the 35-quart Ozark Trail premium is ideal. It also has lots of nifty features for versatility, from a waterproof interior light that can be removed for use as a flashlight to multiple tie-down points. As you can see, they do a pretty good job and certainly deserve your consideration the next time you’re out looking for a cooler. The next time you want a premium cooler and have to stick to a tight budget, try an Ozark. To be entirely honest, while Ozark tries, the ice retention isn’t quite on the same level as what you get with a Yeti. We still spent more money than I’d like but at least we saved 20%. Just as with the other cooler test, we purchased four bags of ice and put the Coleman and YETI Tundra 65 in a head-to-head test. We ended up purchasing a YETI but let me tell you how we got there. We really tried to buy a cheaper cooler but the universe wanted us to buy a YETI. Remember last summer when we spent over $100 on ice for our two week trip to Montana? You effectively need to manually empty your cooler (which can be very cold on the hands) then empty out the water before putting your items back it. The Ozark Trail has really mixed opinions when it comes to ice retention. While this is a decent range it is a much smaller range than a cooler brand like Yeti which has multiple different sizes. USATuff offers the best Ozark Trail cooler accessories for any cooler old or new. Refurbish an older cooler or protect and personalize your new Ozark Trail. 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. 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. REI had a member sale over Memorial Day weekend and we were able to save 20% on our cooler. For a completely customized wrap or pad, use our Custom Form here. Most of the models also come with an expandable top, which means you get plenty of storage space, being able to gain an extra three inches off the top. We know how premium Yeti Tundra coolers are, so the question is whether Ozark Trail coolers can match up. Also, you will find a larger variety of layouts and cooler types. For instance, you will have the small, simple coolers that are designed to hold people’s lunch for the day as well as higher-end premium coolers for those who are after longer ice life. 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 even longer than 3 days.