Ozark Trail "High Performance" cooler - any good?

JandDGreens

Adventurer
I just picked up my 52 Qt. cooler from Walmart, They have them marked down for $109.00. I wanted to get one around February but really did not have the $159.00 laying around. I am so glad I moseyed over to take another look at them.
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
I spied this at a local Wal-Mart, looks great! (See image)

They also had examples of the original and updated revisions in grey. I like the removal of the handle retainers, won't do me any good to buy a new one though as I already removed mine along with the handle. That is a big one on reducing the production costs for no sacrifice in utility.

The updated bottle owners are nice, but I'm not really a beer drinker. Look for that if you are though.

Cool to see you guys tweaking the design and making improvements. And adding a new color. Just don't cheap out on the insulating qualities!
04cb5f433085d0459f8d44e633bb7ca2.jpg


Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
 

tlin

Adventurer
Picked up two 52-qt. units from WalMart in September when they were ~$127 ea. Iced down 30 individual water bottles instead of loading with loose, bagged or block ice. I kept the lids closed for 10 days before opening up to inspect and there was still probably 33% of the ice remaining and the interiors of both was nice and chilly.

This was performed late September, White Mountains (Arizona) during my elk hunt - stored in shade, daytime max temps 75 and evenings in the 40's. Very happy with the buy, haven't had reason to use since but first impressions were excellent. It's nice to see @CamFromCI actively following people's inputs here.

No affiliation, just a guy who enjoys the outdoors.....and unfortunately one whose freezer remains empty.

--t
 

CSG

Explorer
My local Walmart has the small one (25 qt?) in gray for $78 currently but I'd just taken advantage of the RTIC sale and bought their version in white for $101. As much as I like the OT 20 and 30 oz mugs (even over the one Yeti I have), I would have bought the OT in gray for the $78 and spent the rest on beer.
 

CruiserManny

New member
Are the 26-qt ozark trail hp coolers supsposed to be watertight? I just bought one this week and I want to know if it falls on its side, will water leak out?
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
Are the 26-qt ozark trail hp coolers supsposed to be watertight? I just bought one this week and I want to know if it falls on its side, will water leak out?

Hard to say, I've never tried to see. Fill it half full of water and set it on it's side....

I'd say it probably won't spill out but if left on it's side for longer periods it might seep. I'd guess if it does tip over and does leak, it won't be a very big mess.
 

SportsmanJake

Adventurer
I have the small 26q cooler.
I never add loose ice to it. I only use frozen water bricks to provide the refrigeration.

I have been pleased with it. Keep it in the shade and try to avoid opening it too often and it will work well.
All in all, it is still a cooler. The price is right. I know Yetis are now a status symbol, but for the same price, you can buy a 12v fridge!

The OT cooler has been a good purchase.
 

CruiserManny

New member
Hard to say, I've never tried to see. Fill it half full of water and set it on it's side....I'd say it probably won't spill out but if left on it's side for longer periods it might seep. I'd guess if it does tip over and does leak, it won't be a very big mess.

The reason I asked about the roto molded OT 26-qt HP cooler being watertight is because mine leaks a lot of water immediately when you put it on its side. I sent an e-mail to customer support including a picture of the cooler and they told me it was not watertight. That didn't make sense to me that they claim it's airtight, but not watertight. My understanding is that if something is airtight, it should also be watertight because water molecules are larger/denser than air. So, it's easier to make something watertight than airtight.

Anyways, I was asking customer support if there's a fix to repair the water leak, and they said no. It appears to me that the black rubber seal around the top lid is pressed too far in on one side and this causes air and water to leak out. I don't know how to gently pull out the black rubber seal to make a better seal.

I bought this cooler thinking that it would be great to have a spill proof cooler inside my SUV. I might have to return it and buy another one that has a better seal in the lid.

This is from the Walmart description of the cooler:
* Premium insulation keeps ice for more than 4.5 days
* Roto-molded, seamless, one-piece construction with UV-resistant exterior
*Air-tight super-seal gasket keeps the cold in and the heat out
 

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CamFromCI

New member
The reason I asked about the roto molded OT 26-qt HP cooler being watertight is because mine leaks a lot of water immediately when you put it on its side. I sent an e-mail to customer support including a picture of the cooler and they told me it was not watertight. That didn't make sense to me that they claim it's airtight, but not watertight. My understanding is that if something is airtight, it should also be watertight because water molecules are larger/denser than air. So, it's easier to make something watertight than airtight.

Anyways, I was asking customer support if there's a fix to repair the water leak, and they said no. It appears to me that the black rubber seal around the top lid is pressed too far in on one side and this causes air and water to leak out. I don't know how to gently pull out the black rubber seal to make a better seal.

I bought this cooler thinking that it would be great to have a spill proof cooler inside my SUV. I might have to return it and buy another one that has a better seal in the lid.

This is from the Walmart description of the cooler:
* Premium insulation keeps ice for more than 4.5 days
* Roto-molded, seamless, one-piece construction with UV-resistant exterior
*Air-tight super-seal gasket keeps the cold in and the heat out

@CrusierManny,

We can chat further in email, but I thought I'd chime in here.

Like most rotomolded coolers on the market today with a freezer-style gasket, the seal should be comparable to that of a fridge or freezer. Contact should be made between the gasket and the base to lock in the cold and keep hot air out, but not so tight that a strong vacuum seal occurs every time the cooler is used preventing the cooler from opening. With the 26qt model this is especially important as it does not have a drain like the larger sized coolers we manufacture which can help relieve the pressure when loosened.

Sometimes when they are tilted on their side, the pressure of the water may cause some leakage; however, your gasket should be coming in contact with the base of the cooler to properly lock in the cold and achieve the desired ice retention performance.

This gasket feature also can act as a one-way exchange allowing for some ventilation of gases out of the cooler if dry ice is used; however, we recommend all proper safety precautions are followed when using dry ice.

The gasket can be removed or adjusted by pinching the rubber with your fingers and pulling outward. This will pull the gasket from its seat in the lid. The gasket is made to be removable / replaceable. It shouldn't tear or permanently stretch, but if it does, we can send a new gasket free of charge under the 5 year limited warranty which can be found in the official product booklet. I will look further into the website listing and review with the web team.

That being said, as I mentioned in the email. The leak you are describing does sound abnormal. So adjusting the gasket, or perhaps even a new gasket might help achieve a better seal. It is worth checking the alignment of the lid as well. If anything is misaligned or warped, I can have the team review and issue a replacement cooler (if you haven't already exchanged or returned it to Walmart).

I hope I was able to help! It's nice being back on the forums, I'll go back through this thread to see if I can help with any other support related issues that have come up since I've been gone.

- Cam
 
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CruiserManny

New member
Awesome reply. I got your email and I’m gonna try pulling up the black rubber seal when I get home tonight.

I will try to take pictures so that others can see if it works.

You are an excellent resource in handling customer issues.
 

CruiserManny

New member
Well, the leaking wasn't due to the black rubber seal. I exchanged the cooler at Walmart and got another one.

The replacement cooler is also blue and also leaks water on the opposite side when I tilt it sideways, but only a quarter as much as the first one. I'm just gonna strap it inside my SUV.

The lid looks like it's in there solid. Overall, it's a good value so I'm going to keep it and just be careful that it doesn't flip on the side that leaks.

Cam was very helpful and gave me options to fix it, keep it, exchange it, or return it. I appreciate the support, so I'm gonna keep it.

I'm heading to Death Valley in a couple days, so I need this cooler to keep my drinks cold.
 
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