Does anyone use reusable ice packs for their coolers? If so, what brand do you use and how do you like it? Looking at suggestions for outfitting a 20 qt and 52 qt cooler. Lots of options out there. Yeti, RTIC, Pelican, Orca, amazon, arctic ice, cooler shock. Based on my limited research, the arctic ice brand seems to have really good reviews. Anyone use them?
Milk jugs and Orange juice containers filled with water work for me and they are free……They last 7 days easy in a good cooler.
Milk jugs and Orange juice containers filled with water work for me and they are free……They last 7 days easy in a good cooler.
that is what I currently use and although it works great, there are times where I’d prefer an ice pack
I have artic ice purple packs. Love em. They will actually refreeze the water that melts off of the cube ice you put on top of your beer.
I have artic ice purple packs. Love em. They will actually refreeze the water that melts off of the cube ice you put on top of your beer.
Do you have any issues with the purple packs actually freezing whats in your cooler? It seems like the purple ones are by far the best/coldest product arctic ice offers, but wasn’t sure if it can be “too cold” for certain things (i.e. leeches)?
I use the 64 ounce juice bottles … no handles to get in the way. If I need smaller freezer packs … a couple of frozen water bottles works great and you can drink one as it melts.
These 64 ounce plastic bottles are mostly rectangular. Works great. They line up well in our small chest freezer too.
I use the Arctic Ice packs that you can get from Cabelas. They use some plant based product inside and actually get colder than what your freezer is set at some how. They work for a long time. I also freeze water in gallon jugs and water bottles. We are on an island for days and keep the big cooler with the jugs, frozen water bottles and the freezer packs and only remove them as needed.
Arctic Ice has been good for me. They make different ones for frozen and unfrozen and it makes a difference to use the right ones I think.
I bought 4 of these cooler shock ones about 4-5 years ago and are still like new. Prior to adding liquid I folded a strip of gorilla tape on the edges and a layer on the outside to prevent wearing through the plastic. I like that you can freeze them fairly flat and lay on the bottom of a cooler or easily slide them between items.
Arctic Ice has been good for me. They make different ones for frozen and unfrozen and it makes a difference to use the right ones I think.
which ones do you have? I believe in order of least to most cold, its the Alaskan series (green), chillin brew (blue), and tundra (purple)
cooler shock
Oh yeah, I have a few of these too. If you put one next to cubed ice you’ll end up with block ice 
which ones do you have? I believe in order of least to most cold, its the Alaskan series (green), chillin brew (blue), and tundra (purple)
Green for drinks and bait. Purple for frozen cooler.
Another thing is those fancy coolers like Yeti, RTIC, etc really do make a difference. I had a “good” cooler I thought but finally bought a rotomolded one when they were cheap at Costco (Coho I think it is) and it’s crazy how much longer ice will keep. Downside is that it weighs a ton.
I used to work in the Aerospace materials industry and many products would ship on ice packs or in dry ice. The ice packs were very durable, and very good but due to various regs and quality standards we couldn’t re-use them. I had a bunch of those on hand that I would use in my coolers and loved them. After a summer of heavy use they would typically get holes in them and then I’d dispose of them.
I miss those ice packs!
Downside is that it weighs a ton.
I have two pelican coolers that are amazing, but I only use them now for deer processing and long term food storage on vacation. It’s pointless to carry this weight around if you’re opening and closing the coolers grabbing beers every 15 minutes. For day trips on the boat, or simple overnights somewhere I really love soft sided coolers from AO Coolers. I also have a pelican backpack cooler that I really do NOT like, but I mostly use it as a dry bag because it’s got a water proof closure.
which ones do you have? I believe in order of least to most cold, its the Alaskan series (green), chillin brew (blue), and tundra (purple)
I have the blue and purple and you are correct in the order.
I have a couple store bought one and some homemade. My homemade seem to work just as well as the store ones. I took an empty drink jug (Pure Leaf because it is square) and add ice cream salt with water. Shake it until the salt dissolves and toss in the freezer. If you add too much salt the water will not freeze. Ice will freeze to the sides of these jugs when they are in my cooler. I would be willing to buy some if they work better than the free ones I make.
That’s all we use. Our best ones were free. Order some pickled bologna from Michigan and you’ll likely get them. We have so many of those we have only bought a few.
Also have the cooler shock bags. Quite a few years now, use in okay coolers. They are significantly better than ice imo.
With that said I’m also not a huge fan of them. Have to be laid flat to freeze otherwise the mishaped bag is PIA to fit in cooler. It just doesn’t seem to fit my coolers very well either, just awkward. Ill be looking at some other ones, possibly just upgrade the cooler so I don’t need a heavy duty ice pack.
Ive read the artic ice purple packs are great but i dont bother. I just went camping for 4 days using frozen 2 liters in a 20 yr old coleman Xtreme cooler and my beer was still cold when i got home. as much as ive been tempted over the years to buy nice ice packs or rotomolded coolers i just dont see the need
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Red Eye wrote:</div>
I have artic ice purple packs. Love em. They will actually refreeze the water that melts off of the cube ice you put on top of your beer.Do you have any issues with the purple packs actually freezing whats in your cooler? It seems like the purple ones are by far the best/coldest product arctic ice offers, but wasn’t sure if it can be “too cold” for certain things (i.e. leeches)?
I have had cans frozen in the bottom of coolers on top of the purple artic ice packs. Would definitely freeze a bag of leeches if placed right on top of the ice pack. But if you lay the packs on the bottom of the cooler then fill with 2 30 packs of Hamms the leeches would be safe on top with cube ice.
Arctic Ice: How much is marketing, and how much is the design of the ice pack itself. How much of the performance is the newer coolers.
These ice packs likely do not get colder than the freezer temperature that stores them unless there is a chemical reaction going on.
Per the Arctic Cooler Pack Safety Data Sheet shows:
95% – 100% water
0.5% – 5% proprietary material
I will not share what the proprietary material is, but anyone here can find it with a little work on the web.
I will not share what the proprietary material is, but anyone here can find it with a little work on the web.
Its apparently a plant-based product based on what I have read, but I have not searched for it lately.
It is not a plant-based product per their data sheets that I have seen. Not to say that they are not using something else in some of their products.
Question Crappie55369 is why did you bring beer home? LOL
my beer was still cold when i got home. d
It is not a plant-based product per their data sheets that I have seen. Not to say that they are not using something else in some of their products.
Oh interesting.
I will not share what the proprietary material is, but anyone here can find it with a little work on the web.
Too funNy. Such a seCret material. 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Brittman wrote:</div>
It is not a plant-based product per their data sheets that I have seen. Not to say that they are not using something else in some of their products.Oh interesting.
High school taught me that 50/50 vodka-water mix does not freeze in my parents freezer but 25/75 vodka-water is where it starts to get a little hairy.
Lace your freeze bottles with a little Tito’s and if your trip is to Canada you get the extra bonus of smuggling in more duty free booze.
Question Crappie55369 is why did you bring beer home? LOL
LOL well played sir. I will do better next time lol
LOL well played sir. I will do better next time lol
I worry about the looks I get when I respond to their “bring any alcohol” question. I wonder if the duties have gone up? Bait certainly has woof.
High school taught me that 50/50 vodka-water mix does not freeze in my parents freezer but 25/75 vodka-water is where it starts to get a little hairy.
The key was to use the alcohol your parents rarely drank, and if they did drink it, it was mixed, not neat…
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