Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Roto Molded Cooler Advice

Anyone tried a Wal mart, Ozark trails 50 qt roto cooler? $137.00 bucks?

TBREW401: I believe aheider above has one and he seems to like them. I looked at the Ozark 52 today - you can see my comments above.

I bought a 75 qt Pelican a year ago and a 165 qt Igloo a few months ago but on the next western trip I am buying those Coolers. DOes anyone think that the Yetti or other Chinese made cooler is any better ? Honestly

I have read so many tests that the results are all conflated in my mind. They all seem to come to slightly different retention results. This is the bottom line. Ice retention will be good enough no matter what high end cooler you go with. Real world durability will likely be similar as well. It may boil down to the exterior shape or size for the place you anticipate keeping it. If you are going to strap it down somewhere does it have tie down points. What about rubber feet if you may be keeping it on the deck of a boat and don't want it to slide if you don't tie it down.

I have an Ozark Trail and it has been great in the short time I have owned it. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the Lifetime and then the Igloo Sportsman.

FWIW

https://www.fieldandstream.com/arti...n-12-top-end-coolers-ranked-and-reviewed

Oldelkhunter: I looked at the Lifetime 55 and the Ozark 52 today, I would purchase the Lifetime ($97.00) before I would consider the Ozark. The Ozark latches were not at all easy to manipulate. The Lifetime is USA made and the latches are a much better design and are easy to operate. As far as the high end coolers being "better" the answer is clear-cut in my mind; however, it may be somewhat subjective for others. In head-to-head testing, there are clear winners, which include Pelican USA, Orca USA, Engel USA/Phillippines, Otter Box USA and Canyon USA. But as seattlesetters stated, real world results are likely fairly close for all the high-end coolers. Compared to Ozark, coolers such as Yeti, Orca, Canyon, etc. are made with considerably more attention to detail i.e. the mold seams on both the Ozark and the Lifetime were not trimmed flush and the lid did not fit as snuggly and as flush as with the more expensive coolers. I also noticed that the lids themselves were not as rigid as the more expensive a coolers, which may be a concern if you plan on using it at a platform or a seat. The more expensive coolers are trimmer, have more features such as divider slots, dry baskets, bottle openers, freezer grade seals, a provision for tie down and locks, etc. What it all boils down to is are you willing to pay a premium for premium quality or are you willing to settle for a cooler that is built to a price point and is made in China - would you rather have a Mercedes or a Yugo - both will get you from point A to point B (well, that's debatable with a Yugo). I learned long ago to purchase the best quality I could afford, which has served me well over the years.

Additionally, Canyon, Pelican Otter Box, and Orca coolers have a lifetime warranty and are made in the USA, both of which are important to me.

I avoid anything made in China if at all possible. Every single time I have purchased a product made in China I've been terribly disappointed. Perhaps your experience with Chinese-made products is different than mine, but I have been burned way too many times by Chinese products, which fail with alarming consistency. While some of the Chinese made coolers may last for a season or two, if I am going to spend more than a hundred dollars (or over $200.00) on a cooler, it damn well better perform for as long as I care to use it, something I could not rely on a Chinese made cooler to accomplish. Since you've owned a Pelican cooler I'm not sure you'd be happy with a lower-quality Chinese made cooler, but of course, only you can determine the answer to that.

I still own the Pelican Cooler , let me repeat I see no difference in the quality between any of the Chinese coolers. I was not aware of Lifetime coolers and glad to see they are built in the US. If Otter box builds coolers like they build Iphone cases I want no part of that product.

Oldelkhunter: I mean you no offense at all, but if you cannot see the difference between a Chinese made cooler, such as the Ozark and the more expensive USA made coolers such as the Pelican, Canyon, Orca, etc., then nothing I or anyone else can say will make the differences obvious. Obviously, there is a market for Chinese made coolers and if you think you'll be happy with a Chinese made cooler then go for it. USA made, lifetime warranty, build quality, features, etc. are more important to me than saving a few bucks on a Chinese made cooler that I'd be afraid to rely on over the long haul.

I have the Lifetime and the Ozark Trail. Used the Ozark Trail for a year, just never really liked it. Wish I had used the $137 towards an ORCA or something similar. I've had the Lifetime about 2 months. Like the lighter weight, latches seem ok, footprint in the truck bed is good. Ice retention seems ok, would like one more day of ice but for the money.

Read this thread.

I am spent.

Mine leaks rain water through the lid seal, which makes next useless to me.

Yep, you get what you pay for. Personally, I'd rather pay more for premium quality, buy once, and not have buyer's remorse.

My top contender right now is the Canyon Outfitter 55: USA made, lifetime warranty, very sleek/trim design. Essentially the same size as the orca 40, but it has 14 additional quarts of capacity. The price is decent as well - $229.00 including shipping. I've not seen another cooler that has the same or similar capacity with such small (relatively) exterior dimensions.

Where did I say that I saw no difference between a chinese cooler and a US made cooler?

The Pelican is made in USA. The way in which you composed the above sentence makes it seem that you see no difference between the USA made coolers and the Chinese made coolers, but I see now that I may have mistaken your meaning. To me, there are definite and obvious differences between an Ozark (Walmart brand made in China) and a Pelican or Canyon, for example.

I read that Yeti, RTIC and Cold Bastard coolers are made "overseas", which generally means made in China. There's definitely a difference between a Yeti and Ozark coolers as well, if in fact, Yeti is made in China.

Just picked up my Lifetime cooler, seems very well constructed and isn't all that heavy for a roto molded cooler. I'm planning on throwing a couple bags of ice in it and leave it in the garage for a few days to see how long the ice holds up. The latches are super easy to use and the rope handles are more comfortable than I thought they would be. For $97 this one seems like a no brainer so far.

AkMtnHntr: I also like the latches on the Lifetime 55 and it's definitely a deal for $97.00. Please report back on your ice retention test.

***

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a Canyon. I'm probably going to get the 55, which is only 4 inches wider than the 35.

When I was at Academy yesterday I thought the Yeti 45 (37 quart capacity) looked like a fairly good size but I felt it was a bit too small, not to mention too expensive at more than $100.00 more than the others I have listed below. I've been comparing the dimensions of the Yeti 45 with the Canyon 35 and 55 and the Orca 40. The only two coolers in the running right now are the Canyon 55 and the Orca 40 - the Orca 58 is too tall and a bit too expensive for me right now. I think the Otter Box and the Pelican IM Elite are too bulky, while the Canyon and the Orca have a more trim/sleek design, which is preferable if space is limited.

In order of preference:

1) Canyon Outfitter 55 (55 quarts) $239.00 inc. shipping
Ext. W 27 1/2" x H 16.25" x D 15 1/4"
Int. W. 21" x H 13" x D 10 1/2"

2) Orca 40 (40 quarts) $229.98 inc. shipping
Ext. W 26 1/4" x H 17 5/8" x D 18 1/8"
Int. W18 13/16" x H 11 7/8" x D 11 7/16"

3) Canyon Outfitter 35 (35 quarts) $199.00 inc. shipping
Ext. W 23 3/4" x H 17" x D 15 1/4"
Int. W 17 1/2" x H 12.5" x D 9.75"

Yeti 45 (37 quarts) not in the running - only listed as a reference for size
Ext. W 25.3/4" x H 15 3/8" x D 16 1/8"
Int. W 18 3/8" x H 10 5/8" x D 9 3/8"

As you can see by the internal measurements, The Canyon 55 & 35 and the Orca 40 are all very close. Perhaps the Canyon 55 would be the best choice since it offers a true 55 quart capacity - at least that is what I'm thinking...

I got a 100 quart Grizzly with airline points and it works great

I’ve looked several times at the lifetime cooler. Doesn’t seem to have the heft of rotomolded. Esp the lid.

The from googling the canyon is made in Thailand. Not quite China, but close.

BigDave39355: I'm glad you pointed that out. I originally thought Canyon coolers were made in the US of US materials. Canyon coolers are constructed from American made materials but are assembled overseas. This is highly disappointing and will likely influence my decision to purchase one as I want a true made in USA roto molded cooler. Canyon does, however, offer a lifetime warranty.

Also, I too noticed that the Lifetime lid wasn't very rigid at all and it made me wonder if it might warp.

Too bad Orca doesn't make a 50 quart.

I'll probably end up with an Orca 40, but I'll look around a bit more.

One Lifetime plant right here in Tennessee too.

Yeti is not made in China. Some are made in the USA and some in the Philippines.