Ozark Trail "High Performance" cooler - any good?
- Thread starter Blind_Io
- Start date
HenryJ
Expedition Leader
LOL, your phone is losing power. Not enough to power the decimal points in those pricesSeems legit....
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Walmart wanted a roto-molded cooler to sell and asked CI to make one...
Next question. How long until similar ones pop up for sale?
I'd stick with CI-made labels for quality's sake. But you gotta know that China always recognizes a market and hops on it fast.
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
My new Ozark 26 was made in China. Locally (So Cal), there have been a few lines of no-name rotomolded coolers popping up on some of the outdoor websites and on CraigsList, with sellers taking orders for future delivery. Probably buying by the pallet or container from China.
I like the Ozark well enough that if someone were to steal my Orca 58s, I'd probably replace with a fresh pair of Ozarks. This seems to be one of those rare cases where a WalMart house brand is actually as good as the name-brand competition.
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pyrate
Rollin' along
I think at the time we hoped Walmart could supply them sooner than Rtic. But as this thread has showed, finding one is very sporadic. I am glad I bought my Rtic in early summer (received it mid summer) and didn't wait on Walmart.
FosterWV
Baller On A Budget
Yeah I've decided on ordering Rtic. I'm good till spring so no rush, plus I'm not into chasing them down.
I know I'd never be fully happy w a WallyWorld cooler, I see absolutely nothing wrong with them.
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HARDTRAILZ
Certified
Damn. I should just buy and resell it seems. I see them all over the IN-OH-KY tristate area.
I found a 26 in Mass. 2 weeks ago and used it at the Vermont Overland Rally last weekend.
Day temp. was about 70 and night temps. were in the upper 40's.
I packed it on thursday morning and I still had ice when I was unpacking on sunday afternoon.
I'm happy with the performance and quality at the $96 price point.
Day temp. was about 70 and night temps. were in the upper 40's.
I packed it on thursday morning and I still had ice when I was unpacking on sunday afternoon.
I'm happy with the performance and quality at the $96 price point.
huachuca
Adventurer
I recently took a 73 on an eleven day trip from NC to SD. In full disclosure, the cooler was provided to me at no charge in exchange for my participation in an advisory round table discussion with Arctic Zone staff prior to this trip. Although it was not a condition for getting the cooler, I sent the following analysis to AZ and thought it might be of some use here.
09/25 - Filled the cooler full of frozen two liter milk/OJ jugs
09/26 - Removed jugs and replaced with six frozen two liter milk/OJ jugs that covered the bottom of the cooler. Loaded cooler with 36 pre-cooled cans/bottles of beverages over the jugs of ice. Added about 25 lbs of crushed ice to fill cooler to top. Put meat/cheese/veggies/condiments in cooler basket.
09/27 - Loaded cooler into the back of the Tacoma and headed northwest.
10/01 - Crushed ice was about 50/50 ice/water mix. Added ten pound bag of crushed ice. Water was not drained. Jugs had about 75 percent ice.
10/04 - Crushed ice was about 20/80 ice/water mix. Drained all water and added twenty pounds of crushed ice. Jugs had about 60 percent ice.
10/06 - Crushed ice was about 50/50 ice/water mix. Drained all water and added ten pounds of crushed ice. Jugs had about 25 percent ice
10/07 - Back home. Crushed ice was about 20/80 ice to water mix. Jugs had about ten percent ice left,
Cooler was opened an average of six to eight times per day.
Daytime temps in upper 70's with mid 40's overnight.
Beverages were replaced as used from stock at room temps,
I was well satisfied with the performance of the cooler. It stayed uncovered in the back of the truck the entire trip as we never camped more than two days at any one campground. I have no doubt it will keep ice for at least a week on our Portsmouth Island trips.
In addition to the performance, the rubber feet worked well. No movement at all even though the only thing holding it in place was a single bungee around the middle and we did a lot of driving on curvy mountain roads. The basket was another winner; no soggy meat or cheese. Guess I'll have to get one for my Pelican now ($60, aaaargh). Also, the top stayed open without having to hold it (the Pelican's hinge is more offset to the rear and it will close unless held). Note: this is with both coolers placed as far forward as possible in the truck bed. The drain system worked well although I didn't use a hose as none of my tools were stored under the bed platform on this trip. I didn't notice any leakage or condensation around the drain.
Negatives - I couldn't come up with a really good way to secure the cooler against theft. The best I could do was a cable lock through the padlock I used to prevent opening the cooler. This worked but I'd prefer to not have to fiddle with the cable when accessing the cooler. I'd also like to see some slots for tie downs on the upper body of the cooler and those might offer a resolution to my security concerns as well. The latching system worked fine but I still prefer the type used on my Pelican (don't know how much of a premium that's worth to me though).
I think the real benefit of this and the other rotomolded cooler offerings is their ruggedness. To the best of my knowledge, I still have every cooler I've ever purchased, even the bright yellow Igloo with the Schlitz logo from my sixties college days. All ten or so are still functional but the hinges, latches, handles and drains on each have been replaced numerous times and the lids have a less than optimal seal. Still, most would suffice for a Saturday tailgate or weekend beach trip. Now that we're retired and camping a good bit of the time, the Pelican 45 and Ozark Trails 73 are a much better solution.
09/25 - Filled the cooler full of frozen two liter milk/OJ jugs
09/26 - Removed jugs and replaced with six frozen two liter milk/OJ jugs that covered the bottom of the cooler. Loaded cooler with 36 pre-cooled cans/bottles of beverages over the jugs of ice. Added about 25 lbs of crushed ice to fill cooler to top. Put meat/cheese/veggies/condiments in cooler basket.
09/27 - Loaded cooler into the back of the Tacoma and headed northwest.
10/01 - Crushed ice was about 50/50 ice/water mix. Added ten pound bag of crushed ice. Water was not drained. Jugs had about 75 percent ice.
10/04 - Crushed ice was about 20/80 ice/water mix. Drained all water and added twenty pounds of crushed ice. Jugs had about 60 percent ice.
10/06 - Crushed ice was about 50/50 ice/water mix. Drained all water and added ten pounds of crushed ice. Jugs had about 25 percent ice
10/07 - Back home. Crushed ice was about 20/80 ice to water mix. Jugs had about ten percent ice left,
Cooler was opened an average of six to eight times per day.
Daytime temps in upper 70's with mid 40's overnight.
Beverages were replaced as used from stock at room temps,
I was well satisfied with the performance of the cooler. It stayed uncovered in the back of the truck the entire trip as we never camped more than two days at any one campground. I have no doubt it will keep ice for at least a week on our Portsmouth Island trips.
In addition to the performance, the rubber feet worked well. No movement at all even though the only thing holding it in place was a single bungee around the middle and we did a lot of driving on curvy mountain roads. The basket was another winner; no soggy meat or cheese. Guess I'll have to get one for my Pelican now ($60, aaaargh). Also, the top stayed open without having to hold it (the Pelican's hinge is more offset to the rear and it will close unless held). Note: this is with both coolers placed as far forward as possible in the truck bed. The drain system worked well although I didn't use a hose as none of my tools were stored under the bed platform on this trip. I didn't notice any leakage or condensation around the drain.
Negatives - I couldn't come up with a really good way to secure the cooler against theft. The best I could do was a cable lock through the padlock I used to prevent opening the cooler. This worked but I'd prefer to not have to fiddle with the cable when accessing the cooler. I'd also like to see some slots for tie downs on the upper body of the cooler and those might offer a resolution to my security concerns as well. The latching system worked fine but I still prefer the type used on my Pelican (don't know how much of a premium that's worth to me though).
I think the real benefit of this and the other rotomolded cooler offerings is their ruggedness. To the best of my knowledge, I still have every cooler I've ever purchased, even the bright yellow Igloo with the Schlitz logo from my sixties college days. All ten or so are still functional but the hinges, latches, handles and drains on each have been replaced numerous times and the lids have a less than optimal seal. Still, most would suffice for a Saturday tailgate or weekend beach trip. Now that we're retired and camping a good bit of the time, the Pelican 45 and Ozark Trails 73 are a much better solution.
onemanarmy
Explorer
Thanks for the write up.
Those results aren't much (if any) different from a regular igloo/coleman/whatever with 70 degree temps and opening the cooler from my experience.
The biggest draw to these coolers (besides the fashion statement) is the ruggedness and ability to hold ice with the lid closed for days on end. They are just too heavy for everyday use when having to physically carry them camping and beach trips.
Those results aren't much (if any) different from a regular igloo/coleman/whatever with 70 degree temps and opening the cooler from my experience.
The biggest draw to these coolers (besides the fashion statement) is the ruggedness and ability to hold ice with the lid closed for days on end. They are just too heavy for everyday use when having to physically carry them camping and beach trips.
Shlaytim
AZBADAZ
I got took!
Things didn't go so well with dailysaves.com, they seemed legit but things aren't always what they appear to be. Tracking number was fake and the third party shipping company was also fake. So I am out almost $300 until paypal refunds my account and I feel like an idiot for posting the info here on expo, was too excited to get a good deal, live and learn I guess.
Things didn't go so well with dailysaves.com, they seemed legit but things aren't always what they appear to be. Tracking number was fake and the third party shipping company was also fake. So I am out almost $300 until paypal refunds my account and I feel like an idiot for posting the info here on expo, was too excited to get a good deal, live and learn I guess.
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
I don't use PayPal, but I'm curious. Will they refund your money on a fraudulent deal like this?
This will solve your problem. We all use these same type coolers in the back of our trucks for work and this allows you to lock the ozark trail to your truck.
I cant post links as I am a new to this forum I suppose. Just go on ebay and do a search for "Yeti/RTIC Cooler lock bracket 316L Highest Grade Stainless Steel Kitchen Steel!"
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