Alternatives To Ice In Coolers

With all the innovative products out there like Hydroflask containers that keep stuff cold for 20 hours and beyond I was wondering if there are ice packs or specific coolers that provide similarly impressive performance for chest coolers. I day trip all my hikes so I always have a moderate sized marine cooler (a Coleman I believe) in car with food for drive up and drive back. Ice and ice packs just don't seem to do all that impressive a job.

I figured if my Hydroflask growler can keep 5 beers ice cold for 15 hours on a hot June day there must be some sort of cooler out there or ice pack alternative for similar performance on a larger scale. I've tried the traditional ice packs, actual ice and even made up some PVC tubes from a camping "hack" I saw on Pinterest but the results are all marginal.

The VFTT community has brought my attention to a lot of innovative products and ideas these past few years that I had never heard of before. If anyone has any suggestions for keeping a cooler cold I'm all ears. Thanks.

Usually the tops of coolers have the least insulation. I usually put a wool blanket over the top. You can also cut a piece of that foam insulation stuff to go inside on top off all your cold stuff. I have no idea of which cooler is best, but they all work better with a blanket over them.

I hadn't heard the name "hydroflask" before - turns out it's just a vacuum-insulated bottle. Not exactly a new invention. Vacuum is the ultimate insulator, but it's tough to build a vacuum bottle that's a) not round in cross-section and b) much bigger than, oh, a gallon, unless you want it to be tremendously heavy and expensive.

As a rule of thumb, the thicker the insulation, the more effective it is. Try putting your cooler inside another cooler.

Second best, instead of increasing insulation, increase the amount of melting needed to reach ambient temperature: add more ice for a given amount of food. Or switch to dry ice instead of regular ice.

You can also pre-cool the food/drinks before placing it in the cooler: stick it in the freezer overnight. Food with low water content usually survives freezing well, and if you slice it beforehand you can just let it melt in your mouth in case it's still frozen when you need it.

A marine cooler should stay fairly cool even if you open the lid from time to time, but you might consider carrying two coolers - one for the drive up, and one that you don't touch until after your hike.

Actually, you really don't need a cooler for stuff you're eating on the drive up. If your car is at room temperature (e.g. you're running the A.C.), your food will be fine for a few hours.
Even for the stuff you'll leave in the hot car during your hike, only use the cooler for stuff that needs refrigeration (will spoil quickly or might melt: chocolate, milk, cheese, lettuce) or that you really enjoy cold (drinks). That will leave room for lots more ice / ice packs.

A marine cooler with enough ice should easily last all day even in a hot car.

The foam plug trick works but fundamentally the standard cooler is doomed from the start as the its built for easy access to food versus optimal cooling. The cube type coolers work the best where the cooler is quite deep unfortunately they don't make small versions.
Buy block ice not party ice. The blocks last far longer but don't cool stuff as quickly. Definitely precool everything before inserting, adding in a few warm drinks can really burn up the ice.

I use one of these style (made by another company) and it works for long trips. http://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Cube-Ma...&qid=1404152715&sr=1-3&keywords=igloo+maxcold

I have used dry ice in the past. Its difficult for me to get but available in some areas. It keep things cold for days but inevitably freezes beer and breaks the bottles.

nartreb said:

I hadn't heard the name "hydroflask" before - turns out it's just a vacuum-insulated bottle. Not exactly a new invention. Vacuum is the ultimate insulator, but it's tough to build a vacuum bottle that's a) not round in cross-section and b) much bigger than, oh, a gallon, unless you want it to be tremendously heavy and expensive.

Click to expand...

I read about HydroFlask (the brand) on VFTT and have been EXTREMELY impressed with their performance. I have an 18oz (for coffee and other liquids), 40oz (generally I use for meals like soups) and 64oz beer growler and they are excellent. I put 5 beers in my growler last Friday night around 9:30PM, drank approximately half and at 11:30AM following day (after sitting unrefrigerated all night and on a bench in the sun for so long it was hot to the touch) the beer was still ice cold when I packed it in cooler to drive home. Realize the concept is not new but that brand I find to be superior to others I've tried.

I may try the two cooler idea. I can get by with a fairly small cooler (or no cooler) for stuff I eat on the way up. The blanket idea also sounds smart. Thanks all.

Of course there is always one of these

http://www.vericormed.com/product/vaccine-transport-cooler-cool-cube-50-varicella-vt-50v/

I expect the cost will be commensurate with the cooling ability

When I go deep sea fishing overnight, we usually put a bunch of salt water on the ice. This gets much colder than just regular ice. It is like using rock salt when making ice cream.

I have several different size Igloo coolers that I use. I fill nalgene bottles and freeze them over night. Chill everything that is going to go in the cooler over night also. Make sure you don't fill bottles completely and keep the caps off so there is room for the freezing water to expand. Can take a nalgene or two for the hike which unthaw in a few hours. Have a couple cold ones when I get back for the ride home. I often forget to clean out the cooler till the next morning and the remaining nalgenes still have substantial ice. Have never had a nalgene break in the freezer, but if you leave them in there 24 hrs or longer the bottoms will push outward from the expanding ice and they won't stand up on their own until the ice melts, but even then they have never broken. Anything left in the cooler during the hike is still always nice and chilled when I get back.

When we fish, we do the same thing - if you add salt to the mixture, you can actually begin to freeze your catch, so too much salt will possibly freeze things unexpectedly.

Tim

For day trips, even the cheapest cooler will hold the cold if you put plenty of ice in it. In Red Rocks (Nevada Desert outside Vegas) I park the car all day in 110F sun. On the way out to the canyon, I stop at a convenience store and throw in the cold beverages and a bag of ice. I use a disposable $3 Walmart Styrofoam cooler. I still have ice at the end of the day. If you don't still have ice at the end of the day in NH, something is wrong.

Hello DayTrip,

There are already plenty of replies here to consider, but I thought I would throw out some very cheap and very expensive suggestions.

I use Fla-Vor-Ice as an alternative to ice. It comes already attached and I can wrap it around objects that I want to stay cool. I reuse these artificial wonders until the seam finally goes and they leak. The packaging creates a series of "waves" and therefore you have a lot of trapped air to use as insulator. I usually line the bottom of my Igloo with two or three layers of Fla-Vor-Ice warp up some goodies and finally have a few layers where it is needed most on cheaper coolers. Finally, I dump half a bag of ice and have yet to be disappointed.

Another alternative, albeit polar opposite price-wise, is a Yeti cooler. They are seriously pricey but still considered by many fisherman as the industry standard. There are several other brands that are essentially using the same design and principles, Orca, Pelican, etc. Flip Pallot and Jose Wejebe are just a few fishing legends who have offered their name to this brand that boasts that their coolers are "wildly stronger (bear proof), keep ice longer (days apparently)".

I personally cannot justify spending over $200 for a cooler, but if I were an offshore fisherman who counted on my cooler to keep my food from spoiling I would want the best system available.

FWIW: The styrofoam solution is, monetarily if not ecologically, sound and the Fla-Vor-Ice might add a couple hours of coolness in addition to ice.

Good luck and stay cool,

Z

FWIW, I fill all the extra space in my cooler with ice from my refrigerator and keep my cooler in the toolbox in the back of my truck. The aluminum deflects some heat and it is way co3oler than the interior of my truck. In winter I do the opposite. Leave the lid open (without ice) until I turn off the truck off. Haven't had a frozen beverage yet.

I keep rectangular 1/2 gallon juice bottles frozen in a chest freezer in the basement. It saves energy to keep the freezer full anyway. The bottles fit flat on the bottom and sides of the cooler making a nice insulated border. I always have ice left after three days in summer. And, the water is fresh and drinkable in the bottles so it's extra water. I occasionally will buy a bag of cubes to throw on top after a couple days but I prefer not to pay someone to freeze water for me if possible either. Don't open the cooler more than needed.

You can find styrofoam coolers with thick walls at www.mrboxonline.com

Or, order some steaks from Omaha Steak and keep the cooler they ship your order in.

Buy a case of bottled water in half liter bottles for around $2.99 at the supermarket. Throw them in the freezer for a couple days. Put your food/beer/beverage of choice in the cooler first and then fill the remaining space with the frozen water bottles. The cheap plastic bottles are actually made to expand when the water freezes, I've never had one break. Works far better than bagged ice, and when the water starts melting, enjoy a cool drink of water. The bottles can be reused several times and also can be recycled. And the beer stays cold!