BEST ICE CHEST UNDER $100
In your opinion, which is best or worst or overrated. Looking for something that can keep ice frozen for 4 days or so.
Forum Discussion
I'll toss in my two cents worth...if that:
No ice chest will hold ice forever, but there are things you can do that will help...a lot.
- Pre cool the ice chest before loading it.
- Cool and/or freeze all food stuff (when possible) before loading.
- Make your own block ice. Store bought block ice is often compacted crushed ice with a lot of voids. It melts fast. I freeze mine in 2 gallon water containers (don't forget to let some water out to allow for expansion) and it works a whole lot better.
- If you have a walk-in freezer (most of us don't) freeze as much as you can into the chest with layers of water between the food.
- Put a piece of space blanket or other, inside the cooler, over top of the food. If you have lunch fixing you want to access in the heat of the day, put them on top of the space blanket....and don't dink around with the lid open. Get what you want and get out.
- Cover the cooler with a wet towel if out in the sun. Otherwise, if possible keep the cooler in the shade and wrap extra sleeping bags or blankets around it.
- Try to avoid opening the cooler mid-day.
- If you can avoid opening the cooler for several days (use multiple coolers, one for the short term and one for the long term), seal the seam with duct tape and put a cam strap around the cooler to keep it closed.
- There is a huge debate about draining vs. not draining the water after the ice melts. I am presently in the "not to drain" camp, but then I also keep my ice/water in 2 gallon containers so the inside of my cooler is usually fairly dry.
- Dry ice can be used and you can easily calculate how much you need to last a given time period. Just keep in mind that at that temp (-40 F/C...same thing) it is really hard to keep vegetables.
- The Yeti coolers do perform better (yes, I have a couple), If and only IF you keep it closed. If you are constantly opening up, then they aren't worth the extra cost, weight, and reduced storage capacity (for equivalent exterior size).
A well sealed, unopened, cooler with food and ice frozen in-side via a walk-in cooler will stay cold for two weeks in the Grand Canyon...in the summer. That same cooler, opened every day, will last about four days at those temperatures.
Hope this helps,
Steve
No ice chest will hold ice forever, but there are things you can do that will help...a lot.
- Pre cool the ice chest before loading it.
- Cool and/or freeze all food stuff (when possible) before loading.
- Make your own block ice. Store bought block ice is often compacted crushed ice with a lot of voids. It melts fast. I freeze mine in 2 gallon water containers (don't forget to let some water out to allow for expansion) and it works a whole lot better.
- If you have a walk-in freezer (most of us don't) freeze as much as you can into the chest with layers of water between the food.
- Put a piece of space blanket or other, inside the cooler, over top of the food. If you have lunch fixing you want to access in the heat of the day, put them on top of the space blanket....and don't dink around with the lid open. Get what you want and get out.
- Cover the cooler with a wet towel if out in the sun. Otherwise, if possible keep the cooler in the shade and wrap extra sleeping bags or blankets around it.
- Try to avoid opening the cooler mid-day.
- If you can avoid opening the cooler for several days (use multiple coolers, one for the short term and one for the long term), seal the seam with duct tape and put a cam strap around the cooler to keep it closed.
- There is a huge debate about draining vs. not draining the water after the ice melts. I am presently in the "not to drain" camp, but then I also keep my ice/water in 2 gallon containers so the inside of my cooler is usually fairly dry.
- Dry ice can be used and you can easily calculate how much you need to last a given time period. Just keep in mind that at that temp (-40 F/C...same thing) it is really hard to keep vegetables.
- The Yeti coolers do perform better (yes, I have a couple), If and only IF you keep it closed. If you are constantly opening up, then they aren't worth the extra cost, weight, and reduced storage capacity (for equivalent exterior size).
A well sealed, unopened, cooler with food and ice frozen in-side via a walk-in cooler will stay cold for two weeks in the Grand Canyon...in the summer. That same cooler, opened every day, will last about four days at those temperatures.
Hope this helps,
Steve
