ICE ???

:) Hi, we seldom ever use ice anymore, but when we did, I put a block of ice in the middle of my cooler and if any room left after filling my cooler, I would put ice cubes on top. This could last about a week like this.

I learned from a close friend of mine to throw an old sleeping bag over the ice cheat and the ice will last a lot longer. these 5 day ice chests are over rated in my opinion.

It seems to be an American thing, we consume ice in massive quantities. Most of the rest of the world does not ice their drinks, except at franchises of American food service businesses.

Ice can make enough ice to serve my needs with one try in the absorption fridge, but it is just me and I don't use much. If you want more, you can juggle more trays, or try to find an ice maker that keeps up with your needs.

I suspect most of the people buying ice are using for secondary cooling, beyond the capcity of their refrigerators. Chilling beverages in coolers most likely.

Serious boondockers don't need no ICE

My ice maker in the refrigerator will not operate without shore power or the generator running. I keep ice cube trays in the freezer to make cubes, but I also use stainless steel ice cubes that will freeze in the freezer without 120V AC power. The additional benefit is that they will keep my martini cold without diluting it. Cheers.

Stainless Steel Ice Cubes

Couple trays in the freezer works for us. Can turn them twice a day if needed.
Never bought ice.

Lots of people put ice in coolers to keep more beverages cool then they can fit in the fridge and if you are boon docking Ice Makers use a lot of power.

It depends upon how much and how fast you use ice. The freezer space with my refrigerator is not THAT big. After loading it with frozen meats and such, there's no much room for ice. We keep a cooler with us all the time so we can keep ice in it. We also have an electric cooler when we plan on longer trips to stock more cold stuff. Still, the freezer area is only so big.

We don't consume a LOT of ice, but my wife started making home brewed tea again, instead of bottled tea, and we're using it more now. When we do have ice available, I also use it a lot more too, (soft drinks). I suppose we are ice munchers!

But that's the reason campers purchase so much ice... lack of space to keep it and how fast they use it up.