When is a Cooler not cool?

Yes, it is on a slide right next to the stairway. As from Winnebago, it is just a plastic shell with no insulation whatsoever, so the ice lasted 1 day at best. No power connection at all. As you can see in one picture, the drain protrudes the bottom insulation and has its own plug, removable from inside.

I guess I am having a problem trying to visualize your portable cooler install. It appears to be mounted on a slide maybe sitting inside the bottom storage area. the only fridge units I have run across are the small one sitting inside the POPUP trailers or large up-right home type fridges in the larger trailers.

Can you give us a model number of the unit. I assume this works on AC and DC perhaps... I am guessing this on the order of a house ice chest.

Something like this?


I have on occasion brought along a second desk height dorm room type fridge sitting on my outside front deck to get more cooling area when camping. It just clears my pull-out tent bed on my off-road popup.

Having available ICE is one of our biggest problems camping off the power grid.

Roy Ken

The drain still protrudes from the bottom and through the insulation I put on.

There are some good ones out there but you pay. Generally white one performes much better. They don't absorb the heat like a coloured one. Then there are the ones with the extra thick insulation.

For quick and easy, cover it with one of those silver survival blankets. Ice will last 3 times longer.

Cool!
How did you seal up the bottom to hold water?

Just got back from Yosemite and I can report that the ice lasted about 4 days which is a great improvement over the 1 day the stock unit provided.

Rear View of cooler:



Bottom of cooler:



Top of cooler:

">

Leftover scraps of insulating materials:



Example of the mylar-laminated plastic:



The whole insulation box is a very snug fit and I didn't want to glue it on yet in case of future mods/improvements. Its held on by parachute cord and a turnbuckle.

Construction was laminating the two types together with gorilla glue, then sealing the edges/corners with aluminum tape, then covering that with packing tape. Top cover only has the mylar/plastic laminate.

I'm sure I can improve on this over time but I will see how it does on our next trip.

Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum size.

I taped up a reflectix outer shell for my cooler -- it works very well, but I bet that the OP's hard shell exterior box is better. Here is a link to my version:

Boondocking ice chest

I have great luck with my Coleman EXTREME 5-day cooler. Goes in the back of truck bed... This is my PLAN B cooler... I fill it up with ICE and it keeps 4-5 days. I also have a plastic container I set down on top of the ice for things I don't want to get water soaked. Have had this ice chest for around 5 years now...

Works great for us...



Roy Ken