Featuring a fish ruler and confirmed bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, it’s perfect for back-country adventures. Not to mention, it has a built-in bottle opener and four drink holders on the lid, so you can have a good time no matter the temperature. I’ll be totally honest, I was not expecting this cooler to be as nice as it was.
They also have limited sizes, no wheeled version and only come in one color. But given how affordable these coolers are none of these issues are deal breakers in my opinion. Both coolers have feet that can be both anti-skid as well as easy slide feet. Lifetime coolers only come in one color – a grey color with black and blue accents.
In our experience, mechanical latches like this have the potential to rust out or break, and we read a few reviews online that back this up. All in all, the Coleman Ice Chest is a good choice designed for light usage on beach or lake days, but it’s not as heavy-duty as our No. 1 pick. We found the Orca 40-quart cooler to be a playful cooler, with details like t-grip fasteners for the lid that are shaped like little orca tails. This Orca cooler also has a mesh bag on the outside for increased storage. Finally, the flexible handles on the side make tandem carry a cinch. We have been receiving a lot of complaints as of late from people who are mentioning that the zippers on their soft-sided coolers are going out after 6 to 12 months.
Pelican is a newer entry in to the world of rotomolded coolers and have taken their own spin on design and function. Overall the Pelican coolers have sharper edges and a bit more of an industrial feel than the competition. One of the first things to note about it’s design is that it has a larger drainage hole and a tethered drain cap, which is a nice feature. I have lost a couple of drain caps in my day which makes the cooler unusable until a replacement arrives. This cooler, when compared to the Pelican 45Q Elite and Yeti Tundra, has the smallest profile while still providing 45Q internal storage. It features rubber latches which I am a huge fan of for boating applications.
So imagine our joy when we stumbled upon this little gem of a brand. The Ozark Trail cooler brand is sold mostly in Walmart stores. Yes, you will most likely see differing results when adding cans or bottles into the mix.
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 ozark cooler on end. Cooler’s have become somewhat of a status symbol in the outdoors and many equate the bigger brands with better quality. A higher price tag should mean a higher quality product, right? No, that is not always the case and any outdoorsmen, gear junkie, or general abuser of products will tell you the same thing.
Last but definitely not least is the largest 30 can leak-tight Ozark cooler, which is supposed to be a party design. In fact, the cooler at hand would require some serious effort to carry around as it measures 21 x 16.5 x 8.5 & weighs 3.75 pounds while empty. Indeed, this is a large cooler, measuring around 35 x 18 x 18 inches & compiling a total weight of 36.8 straight out of the box.
Both coolers have pull down rubber latches, but they work in different ways. So first I’ll outline some of the good features they both have and ozark trail tent then we’ll look more closely at the differences between them. Check out our review of the Coleman Atlas Series 65-Quart Cooler with Wheels.