ozark trail cooler review 

All coolers are rated full of ice and nothing else in it and never opened. And this says in the book it came with.tested with block ice. Great video and just as I expected in the outcome. Same as as my yeti, bout a day and 1/2

I've been looking at a lot of video tests of coolers...glad you did the real world test since a lot of users will be packing a cooler last minute or at least the same day as heading out to wherever. So I'm confident now that I can go with the lower priced coolers, that are built pretty much like Yeti and such, and still be happy with my purchase.

If you went out and bought one of those high dollar Yeti's and you didn't ice it down the night before you left and the next morning drain out the water and top off the ice it wouldn't do any better than yours. Try precooling your drinks the next time and see if that doesn't make a huge difference.

This or any other cooler works best under the right circumstances. The instructions say to chill the cooler the night before use by filling it with ice, drain it in the morning, and use ice blocks instead of cubes. It also helps to make certain everything going into the cooler is already cold. IMO, for $200 less than a comparable YETI cooler, it is well worth it even if the ice does not last 8 days.

You are absolutely right, this is how most folks use a cooler. Unless you are carrying one to a job site daily and are flipping the ice out and draining the water each day then more than likely you are not going to have a pre-chilled cooler I do not care if it is a Yeti or an Igloo. I know pre-chilling may be the correct way but convenient it is not and that is what we lean towards especially on short notice.

I appreciate an honest review thank you, I got same results

I always freeze a gallon bottle of drinking water and use cold drinks ice will last 5 to 6 days with steady use that way

The manufacturer probably tested it in ideal conditions. Like maybe in northern Alaska in the Winter, LOL. Real life testing and the review is EXACTLY what you did. The way they blow their product up with hype may very well come back and bite em hard. If they get enough returns from disgruntled customers, it will cost them more than if they had been honest to begin with. Great review!

I would say two days is about all you're going to get when the cooler sitting in the back end of a pickup truck with a black bed liner in it sitting in the sun the most people would put it in the shade and keep it in the shade so the cooler doesn't have to work so hard to keep things cold that's just my thought

Kevin brother, thank you for the video. Its video's like this that make your channel my favorite channel. You didnt keep it in a cool spot in the shade or keep it closed or any kind of protecting the cooler from the elements. You USED it like anybody would and then give a great review on it. Thank you very much for your honesty. Looks like a great cooler still yet. Have a blessed day.

I have a ozark trails 110 paid $250 load the bottom with blocks on sides then 60 lbs of ice. I tranfer ice to a 20qt from there every day lasts 5-6 days in the 110 but live out of the 20qt

I believe that was the best cooler review I've seen on here

Try putting ice in the cooler the night before you leave to cool everything and drain the water in the morning and top it off with ice again or put your drinks in a fridge the night before to get all of them chilled then the ice doesn't have to get everything cold it just has to keep them cold

I know I'm like real late on this video but. I bought me one of those lifetime coolers and to me they work out pretty good I prechill it and I got about 4 days while opening getting my beer and drinks out on a normal basis when camping. I bought me another lifetime cooler for foods and that lasted about six days because we don't open the lid we just open it to grab whatever we going to eat, that's it so yes the more you open the lid the less the ice it's going to last that's just plain and simple. But hey buying two coolers for under two hundred bucks and having one cooler for the drinks and the other for food is better than spending $300 or more on just one cooler. Try prechilling it overnight before camping and it will work. My friend got the Ozark Trail and it did just as fine as mine but remember if you want it to last more you have to not open it too many times

The more ice in the cooler determines the length of time the ice remains. This was a real use example and was spot on. I would expect that all the other brands would not meet their marketing expectations as well. It’s all about price performance. I just purchased this cooler because I got the tray and it had solid wheels for transporting which I need at 58 years old. I think Coleman extreme is the best price performance hands down at $50 from Walmart but the wheels and handle look to weak for a full load in comparison. This Ozark was in the middle. It’s at the right price point and my guess is you will enjoy it for years to come.

Start with cold drinks, place cover over cooler unless in back of truck bed with cover or underneath truck bed if you have full size truck not midsize 1/2 ton and fill it to the very top with ice. You should get 3-4 days with normal use. Cheers!

I'm guessing, as many others have said, no pre-chill and warm beverages? I just learned about pre-chilling and am doing some testing on my new lifetime 55qt so see how much of a difference it makes for me. In any case thanks for the great real world/average joe review. Looks like she did pretty good all things considered, much better than your average ice chest, which would have been water the next day. If it were me I would just throw in another bag of ice and let it roll, bet the 2nd bag would last longer with the cold cooler and drinks. again, thanks for the review

"UP TO seven days" does not mean your ice will last seven days. You got 2.5 days of retention out of it so it actually did what it claimed to do. There is no cooler out there that's going to give you seven days of ice retention unless you're up in the cold, snowy wilderness in freezing temps. And if that's the case then you probably don't even need the cooler. People always take these cooler claims out of context.

You really need to pre-chill these coolers. I have the 60 quart with wheels. I'm crazy impressed with it!! I chilled it Monday, packed it Tuesday morning to go fishing. I got home Saturday, still had ice, didn't have to add any at all!! Today is Sunday and my cooler is still sitting on the back porch, minus the food and drinks, with 2 blocks 1/2 melted and 1 bag 1/2 melted crushed ice. I'm so glad I bought my cooler before watching this video!!! I love it so much I'm going to get another one! The real key to any of these coolers is PRE-CHILL before use!!

Other reviews show just ice stored in cooler. That lasts several days. Perhaps we could keep our drinks separate and have ice handy to put in cup whenever we want to chill our drink.

Kevin, did you start with cold drinks or was it all warm to begin with. That makes a huge difference.

Great test job Kevin. That is how most people use a cooler.

With all due respect, even if you don’t precool it, make sure to put cold drinks. Even your electric refrigerator will change temperature if you stick lots of room temperature drinks. Another thing I do is I put my drinks in a smaller good quality cooler so I minimize opening the one with the food since I camp for long periods.

It's still a awesome cooler back in the olden days they wouldn't even last a day keep up the reviews and your trip

I put a one gallon jug froze in mine it was still half froze after 3d day that was just one gallon jug didn't pre chill it ether

I have a Coleman xtreme that works very well. Thank you for sharing!

You need to prime it or it simply will take work. I fill mine with ice and water 2 days prior and then it will hold ice for atleast 5-6 days. I always stand on mine for a sec to get a good seal. Tip: get some Yeti freezer blocks and use them and WOW I spent 8 hours on my boat and the ice was a block after 8 hours. That was the 27 qt I used

Rain on the beginning of a vacation is a sign! makes a difference if the drinks were cold up front.

Thank you!

what was the temp range outside? was it ever in the sun? how many lbs of ice. were the cans cold. how many times did you open it. etc etc

Nice real world review. Thank you!

Hey buddy, how'd this cooler do long term? I'm guessing not much use over the winter though. I have a few trips coming up this summer and looked at them the other day but thought I'd ask you first.

People ,start usin dry ice for longer lasting.

Kevin you had commented on one of my knife making videos that you wanted me to make a video on how I made my home made 2X72 belt sander. I made a video explaining how I made the sander and I mention you name and put a like to your page on it. I guess you didn't see it because I don't see as subscriber to channel any more. I wanted to let you know because I made the video because of you. I really enjoy the videos you make.

Direction says pre chill

So any high dollar cooler out there will do the same as this cooler even if you use cold drink and pre chill? So basically you'll pay maybe $200-$300 dollars more just for an extra day or so? So would y'all recommend this cooler for someone that does always use a cooler but maybe 2-4 times in a month?

I have the ozark trails 110 & the 70 the 110 is rated at 12 days it is a far better made cooler!

Hi Kevin, nice videos, I watched a video of yours , you made a small digging shovel, Long story , short, I Need one, no hurry, end of year would be nice, thank you.

Good review

Did the drinks go in warm or cold?

Thanks for the much needed real world test!

Get the arrows in Ark if you can't afford a 3-year warranty Yeti

sub $200 + a couple more bags of ice > $500 plus cooler that "might" keep the ice little longer.... I'll save the $300 bucks and just buy another bag of ice... great test and coverage btw!

What's the point of locking it if I can just take the hole thing..

Mine has held ice for 5 days of normal use. Yours don't do worth a shit cause you don't know how to pack a damn ice chest.

The cooler sucks didn’t last a day 90 out took it back and Ordered a artic 20

I own the ozark 73qt. I fish catalina island typically a 2 day trip for me. I put 1block of ice along with 5, 7lb bags ice when I get home I still pull condones out on the 4th day but it's just water by then. I do not regret buying a yeti. The anti NRA thing turned me off of them. Ozark trail rules! I use it more than my Pelican 44, the 73qt ozark is massive! I put 30 beers and 1 bottle of water in it and have cold ones all day...

Indiana

If you can find it, block ice will last longer.

Who actually uses locks on their cooler that's too much work I rarely even use the latches

I bought one and used it for a week . I had to add ice every single day .It worked no better than a cheap igloo and much heavier . I do not recommend it, complete waste of money. .

I have one of these. I agree. If you paid all that money for a yeti. Your goofy as hell.

They are on the low scale for holding ice. The lifetime cooler does better

Yours did better than mine does. Not worth the money at all

Nice review! I just posted a video putting an Ozark vs an Orca and Yeti. Check it out when you can!

mine will last 3 days at most but i like it alot

Fix the typo in your video title!

I can get two days out of my Igloo

Did you PRE-COOL that cooler? Did you put HOT or WARM cans & bottles in it? Your review is worthless as ANY kind of verified test!

Wtf is pop