Ozark Trail 73-Quart & 26-Quart High Performance Roto-Molded Coolers - "Real World" Test

If that was 73 degree id hate to see what it would do in 100+ degree weather. How well made do the latches seem?

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding as I fat-fingered that post but have since edited it. I meant that the 73qt cooler was the one that did it in direct sunlight; however, the weather was in the mid to high 80's.

The latches seem sturdy enough as they are what I've been pulling on to open the lid against a vacuum. I just don't know if they were barely snug from manufacturing and were able to work loose under normal use or not. Either way, I've snugged them down nice and tight so over the next few days I'll keep an eye on them to see if they remain snug.

 

Here are pics of what I was referring to regrading the top of the cooler. Just took these right now and current weather shows 81 degrees out now.



Again, it goes back down to normal after being in the shade.

I hope this isn't something that affects all the large coolers and if it does, the 5 year warranty will get exercised quite a bit I feel.

After my test is done, if there is another 73 in stock close by I will probably take this one back and exchange it.

 

Nice thread! I think competition in the high end cooler market is a great thing. My Roadie yeti has been relegated to being locked in the bed of my truck for beer duty, and it works out great. We'll see how well it holds up after a summer's worth of heat!

 

That is concerning. Makes me think you have a void in there. The Yetis are filled with foam, so I don't think that would be an issue with them. I'd take it back and switch it out for sure. Might just be they didn't get your lid completely filled.

 

My thoughts as well but I'll wait until the test is over. I'll also check for more of the same on the other sides of the cooler. Hopefully it's an isolated issue with my cooler or just the batch mine was a part of.

 

Oh wow. A lot of guys I work with have k2 and yetis that sit in the back of their truck 24/7 and Iv never seen such on them. It appears the inside foam did not expand to the full potential. Even though it seems to not have effected the cooling abilities, it would still concern me.

 

Wonder if there is a way for us to test for this at the store, before purchase?

 

Go to the hair dryer isle and take one for a test drive!

 

In all honesty I reckon you could go to the garden center and hang out there in the sunlight for some time.

 

When I take this one back to exchange, I will let Walmart know it's defective so they don't try to put it back on the shelf. I'll also look closely at the new one I exchange it for now that I know what to look for.

Also, once the cooler cools off and the plastic has a chance to "normalize", I'll see if it goes back down tight or if there's still any play. Looking at it now, it's back down but there's still a little bit of a rise in it currently.

 

I've seen tests with the laser-type "instant read" thermometers where you would fill it with ice, wait an hour or so and then scan all over it with the thermometer. Cold spots on the outside surface would indicate possible voids in the insulation.

No help to you in picking a replacement though. Can you thump on it like a watermelon and hear any difference in that spot?

 

I'd wager (of course I have no idea if true) that all the insulation is in tack, it appears to me that the "shell" of the lid is of course airtight and the heat is just ballooning it up with with the trapped air inside.

 

well.. my real world test failed.

Filled with Ice on Friday noon..

Was good until Saturday afternoon:

 

Latch handle failed? On both?

 

latch handle failure

 

Reading this thread like:

 

The latch handles on both of mine are still good and I've been pulling on them every day. Even to open the 73 top against a vacuum.

What happened to @ramonortiz55's cooler is definitely disconcerting. What circumstances led to the failure Ramon?

 

I would drill a hole in the under side of the lid and fill the whole lid with expanding foam if they're all that way

 

I hear that. I have:
Roadie 20
Tundra 45
Tundra 65
Three 20 oz ramblers
One 30 oz rambler
One 10 oz lowball
One can cooler

But the $90 growlers are just crossing the line...