ice alternatives for coolers?

[dlh62c]

Frozen bottles work well, unless your on the move and don't have the ability to refreeze them.

I poured my ice into a 3 gal plastic pail placed inside the ice chest. As the ice melted, I'd lift it out, pour off the water for cooking and cleaning, add more ice and place it back in.

I can't remember the ice bag weights, but the pail would hold two of the small bags or one of the larger bags. Sorry, I'm currently on the road to Baja and don't have access to any pictures.

I've since replaced the ice chest with a Dometic 65DZ. So far it's traveling well.

 

[dlh62c]

I found a photo on my iPhone.

 

[Airmapper]

I've been freezing water bottles like many, but have a new favorite and that is sports drinks. I like Poweraid the best as it's cheap, like 69 cents or something a bottle, and those brand bottles have a more space efficient shape that fits in my cooler better. Also because of the sugar in them, they have the lower freezing point like freezer packs. They go down pretty good on a hot day after a hike, although I don't make a habit of drinking them since I'm not sure they are good for you unless you are genuinely on the dehydrated side.

Since I don't have any handy way to pre-chill a cooler, what I do most of the time is freeze some Poweraid, and I'll throw in some regular frozen water bottles as well for drinking later, put in my food, then get a 10lb bag of ice and dump it on top. The ice will melt some because it wasn't pre-chilled but re-freezes around the Poweraide in the bottom as a big chunk, and this all will usually will keep 2-3 days before I need to get another bag of ice. (26qt Ozark Trail) And I came up with this method from reading what others here do and just adapting it to my setup.

Also I've been reading up on it, people keep telling me I'll get cancer for sure freezing bottles and drinking out of them, but I can't really find any solid info supporting that. I tend to agree with the camp that says if anything chemical leaching is minimized at lower temperatures rather than accelerated. But that's a whole other discussion.

I'd like a fridge but it seems kind of overkill for me at my current amount of days spent camping at a time and overall. I generally do 4 days max a few times a year with some trips of 2 or 3 long scattered about monthly. Most of the time 1 bag of ice does me my entire trip. If I start taking longer duration trips I can see a fridge coming into play.

 

[Midnightsun]

If you're going to get a 12v fridge eventually, just pull the trigger now. Going fridge solves all the problems you mentioned...plus you have a garage beer fridge.

That young man right there has the answer. Only way to go!!

 

[ArkansasDon]

I have both rotomolded ice coolers & Engel 12v fridg\freez. My K2 Summit 50 I have baskets in it that item I do not want touching melted ice water, Canyon 22qt I keep beer, & other drinks in it only with a 1\2ga. milk jug w\frozen water & cubed ice. The Engel 12v fridg\freez is for meats, juices, milk, condiments I keep in there. Frenchie is correct on "The extra battery, solar panel" my trailer is 100% solar w\ Renogy 200 watt portable panel, 30 amp charge controller, VMax 155ah AGM battery. I have more than enough power & then some to supply for my accessories.

 

[SoCal Tom]

My fridge uses about 200 watt hours over a 24 hour period when set as a fridge. That’s about 20% of battery capacity, and it should recharge with less than 20 minutes of driving.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fire_strom]

 

[Hilldweller]

I use 6 Ice Brix in a 52 qt Ozark Trails rotomolded cooler when we'll be out for 5 days or fewer.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DE2NHIS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I pre-chill by packing the cooler a few days ahead of time and rotating Brix.
They'll last over a week in cooler weather; we use these to ship chemicals at the lab.

On longer trips I use ice blocks and refill with cubes as needed.

We had a fridge but, like Frenchie said, they have their drawbacks if you are in the woods for a while. Solar panels are great but you have to have a long cord and move them around a bit when you've parked your trailer in the shade. And then, if you didn't get the house batteries all the way back up, your alternator will try (and fail) and you'll go through batteries pretty quickly.

 

[ArkansasDon]

that's why you buy batteries with longer amps hours.

 

[Hilldweller]

that's why you buy batteries with longer amps hours.

I run dual 122 ah batts in the trailer.
Gotta understand that it can be 95 degrees and 99% humidity around here at times. In the early spring or late fall. At altitude.

 

[ArkansasDon]

I can understand humidity how it does effect on keeping thing cooler. I live in Arkansas & have very similar weather conditions. I have 2 rotomolded coolers; K2 Summit 50 & a Canyon 22qt. I also have Engel 22qt. 12v. fridg\ freez which I totally love. Doesn't use much power. I make ice in it for drinks only & keep my meat frozen. I also have a pint jug which I have frozen to help keep my Engel colder so it not working as much (it's about mass). My trailer is 100% solar; 200watt Renogy portable suit case panel, 30amp Renogy Wanderer charge controller, VMax 155 amp hour AGM battery which gives me plenty of power & charging for my Engel. Been thing about adding another 100watt Renogy portable panel so I can run my Mighty Kool portable A\C unit. I run a 20ft heavier ga. cable 10agw for my panel. I seem to get my panel located where it needs to be.

In my K2 Summit 50, I have 1 gal milk jug frozen, bags of ice & I keep "ice" 4 days, out of the sun. That cooler we store milk, juice & other items need to keep cool. The wire rack helps with some items not hitting the ice water. We store our coolers under the trailer in shade. My 22qt Canyon is for beer & diet drinks, it has qt. milk jug frozen in it topped of with ice I get just as long 4 days of ice.
Like I said, I get more than enough power & then some from my charging system as long as I have sun or the require sunlight needed to keep my battery fresh. I do not know what you run off your 12v system, me it's just the Engel.

 

[Hilldweller]

The problem I had with my solar panels was location. We park in the shade but need sun ---- and the sun pokes through the trees in different spots through the day. So you have to keep moving the panels. But you're off hiking and aren't there to move them. So they're in the shade most of the day.
They work great when you're sitting around camp all day and drinking beer though.

 

[SoCal Tom]

The problem I had with my solar panels was location. We park in the shade but need sun ---- and the sun pokes through the trees in different spots through the day. So you have to keep moving the panels. But you're off hiking and aren't there to move them. So they're in the shade most of the day.
They work great when you're sitting around camp all day and drinking beer though.

I guess that an advantage of camping in the land with no trees ( the socal desert). Its pretty easy to find a shade free spot.

 

[Hilldweller]

I guess that an advantage of camping in the land with no trees ( the socal desert). Its pretty easy to find a shade free spot.

Sounds like one of those "be careful what you wish for" things....