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

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

Rounding out the exterior is a lid that features 4 cup holders and inch notches for measuring your catch of the day. I spend a great deal of time on the water every summer boating and fishing in Northern Michigan. I will often load a large cooler up at the beginning of the week and leave it on my Pontoon packed with drinks and ice. 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. You will find both low-cost models as well as a “premium” lineup. The low-cost model won’t wow you with features, build quality, or long ice life but instead tries to find a happy medium while still being extremely cost-effective. The premium lineup will cost more but will also utilize features that help it to hang with other premium soft-sided coolers. This is a much larger and diverse selection of products than the Ozark Trail hard-sided coolers. The asking prices for the various Ozark Trail Coolers will fluctuate quite a bit depending on which model you are going with. But seeing how Ozark Trail is in the business of making cost-effective products, all models should be affordable (particularly when compared to their industry competition). Currently, you can choose between a 6-can cooler, 12-can cooler, 24-can cooler, 36-can cooler, 42-can cooler, premium backpack cooler, and premium tote cooler. There have also been some other sizes available over the years but we are going to focus on these models. It’s made of heavy-duty polyethylene that is virtually unbreakable. But all models could make do with a few additional color choices. Also, there is nothing in the way of custom colors, decals, etc. Yeti is a premium brand cooler with premium quality and sells for a premium price. The 26-Quart version doesn’t have any drain plug at all, meaning the only way to empty the cooler is to tip it upside down. The old Pelican coolers were some of the heaviest coolers with the old 35-Quart weighing in at around 33 lbs. But they have since been redesigned to be lighter and more in line with other coolers. The 52-Quart version weighs 31.1 lbs when it’s empty and the 73-Quart versions weights even more at 35.3 lbs.
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. Most soft coolers from this provider have a removable hard liner while the backpack cooler and the tote bag have an EVA compression molded base. They also have daisy chain attachment points, built-in bottle openers, thicker insulation, a compression strap and a 600 denier outer coating that’s easy to wash. Whichever you go for, you will enjoy the numerous storage options you get. There is a large insulated area in all of the soft coolers and also plenty of pockets, both on the front and the sides. If getting a great cooler at a great price means making some sacrifices, like not having it made locally, we know there are people who are willing to pay that price. However, if you treat it well you'll get some good performance out of it for a tiny fraction of the price. The M30 also has 2 side handles for carrying with two hands when the cooler is full and heavy or for carrying with a friend. The smaller Yeti Hopper Flip coolers are each equipped with a strong carry handle on the lid of the cooler for easy carrying and also for something to grab onto when opening the zipper. Truthfully if it breaks it's probably going to be cheaper for you to simply buy a brand new Ozark Trail cooler rather than to go through the trouble of getting it fixed. You might get lucky, save hundreds and your Ozark cooler will last you years. Or you might use it for 2 months and have something important like the zipper or shoulder strap break and then you're stuck with a broken cooler. As you can see the Yeti line of coolers are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than the Ozark Trail line of coolers. Join to get special offers, free giveaways, and once-in-a-lifetime deals. We think it’s right up there with Yeti and at just a fraction of the cost. After all, this brand is not a favorite of millions of outdoor enthusiasts all over the world for no reason. Just like most of the other Yeti products in this comparison, this one is also made out of 18/8 stainless steel. In other words, you won’t have to worry about the model’s durability – it will hold up in the wilderness. The construction is also BPA-free and features the so-called no-sweat design that keeps the user’s fingers dry.