Mine is 12″ high x 18″ wide x 8″ front to back and has a velcro opening on top about 4×4 so you don’t have to unzip the whole top to get a cold one. Fits just right between front and back seat in the pickup.
Has anyone googled ice packs and see if they came up with anything new and great nowadays? Coolers only get ya so far. I have no idea just throwing it out there.
“Cooler Shock” ice packs are one of the best purchases i’ve ever made. super cold, last forever, and doesn’t get your sandwich soggy. using standard quality Coleman and Igloo coolers on 3-day camping trips, I’ve had them freeze water and beer and keep it frozen the whole trip.
they come in a bunch of sizes to fit your cooler size.
the “mix your own” are less expensive, and it’s very easy to do.
Has anyone googled ice packs and see if they came up with anything new and great nowadays? Coolers only get ya so far. I have no idea just throwing it out there.
“Cooler Shock” ice packs are one of the best purchases i’ve ever made. super cold, last forever, and doesn’t get your sandwich soggy. using standard quality Coleman and Igloo coolers on 3-day camping trips, I’ve had them freeze water and beer and keep it frozen the whole trip.
they come in a bunch of sizes to fit your cooler size.
the “mix your own” are less expensive, and it’s very easy to do.
I think this is my next experiment as I ordered a couple Rtic/Yeti soft coolers, but they still don’t fit in my cooler compartment.
So how does “Cooler Shock” compare to the Yeti ice packs? About the same? They’re not that expensive so I would rather error on the side of something that really keeps things cold the longest. Great suggestion, Thx
The cooler shock packs work great, I’ve tossed or given away most of the other ice packs I had laying around. One suggestion I have to make them last much longer from being punchtured is to wrap with tape. After you pour in the water and seal the edge lay overlapping strips of gorilla or duct tape on both sides than wrap a strip all the way around the outside edge. I have no idea how, but one of the first times I used the ice packs I was unpacking the contents of a soft cooler and there was a 1/2″ cut/punchure in the face of one of the ice packs. After beefing them up with the tape I haven’t had an issue now with any of them for the year I’ve owned them. They really work well and can turn a crappy soft cooler into a good day cooler.
i bet if filled your cooler walls with spray-foam (as mentioned earlier) and then use a couple Cooler Shock packs with your drinks/food it will stay cold for 2 days pretty easily. heck, my Cooler Shocks will stay cold the 2-3 hours your cooler is getting right now if they’re just sitting out on a table.
a tough thing about built-in coolers in boats is that the compartment acts like a warmer during the summer. between water on the hull and sunshine on the deck, the compartment walls will warm up and they are then surrounding your cooler, so that cooler really has to work extra to keep things cold.
Yes I’m looking forward to trying the cooler shock. I did inject spray foam into the cooler previously and it helped only slightly, so the cold packs are my last option.
In the end, it’s just a cheap thin-walled $10 cooler. Lund builds a great boat and I can’t complain about the other 150 features I like on this model. But if you’re spending $35k+ on a boat, they could have designed the cooler compartment around a similar sized, but better quality cooler. Wouldn’t have to be a $200 Yeti, but something mid-priced that keeps ice for 2 days, not 2 hours.
Your pinning yourself into a corner demanding it to be integrated into your boat. What can you store in that spot instead. A cooler on the deck has always worked for me and your options are increased 10 fold.
2c.
Cooler Shocks are really good and relatively inexpensive. The bag style is a little awkward sometimes in a small cooler though and you do have to worry about punctures a bit. https://arctic-ice.com/ makes plastic block style coolers that are equivalent or better.
Arctic Ice also has a very good FAQ entry that I think most people don’t consider. They make three different models that freeze at 33.8, 28.4, and 5 degrees.
Q: Why not just use the Tundra Series for everything since it freezes much colder than the Alaskan Series?
A: Arctic Ice™ and other phase change materials (PCM) are designed to hold a very specific freezing point while absorbing “heat” from the surrounding area. When Arctic Ice™ Tundra Series is exposed to temperatures greater than its freezing/melting point, it begins to absorb that difference in temperature or “heat”. The greater the difference in your payload temperature and the phase change material, the quicker it will change phase from solid to liquid, or melt.
What makes Arctic Ice™ so much more efficient than other PCM’s is its ability to absorb greater amounts of heat without greatly increasing its temperature.
Example: When you place your chilled food and beverages in a cooler from a refrigerator, they are cooled to around 35-36º F. The Alaskan Series is designed to hold a constant 33.8º F while absorbing the “heat” around it. Since only a couple of degrees separate your food and beverages (35-36º F) and our Alaskan Series blocks (33.8º F), they are ideal for keeping these items at a refrigerated temperature for a long time.
Using Tundra Series blocks in the above situation would cause them to absorb a lot of “heat”. The difference in temperature of your chilled items (35-36F ) and the Alaskan Series blocks (5 F) is 30 degrees of “heat”. Therefore the Tundra series would melt more quickly and could possibly freeze some of the items it comes in contact with for prolonged periods.
I notice this with my Cooler Shocks, they work great in a cooler full of frozen items but I’m not impressed with the longevity of refrigerated items like drinks.
Your pinning yourself into a corner demanding it to be integrated into your boat. What can you store in that spot instead. A cooler on the deck has always worked for me and your options are increased 10 fold.
2c.
True, but I usually strap anywhere from 4-8 rods on the front or rear deck at any given time and then the dam landing net is on the floor of the cockpit. One of the reasons I wanted the integrated cooler was to have one less thing in the way.
But you’re right, then you could get any size or quality of cooler you want.
Will try the cooler shock, or cool packs first and see how it goes..
Well, of the different solutions I’ve tried, the cool packs in combination with ice are the best option yet. Don’t know if I’d get a full day of cold drinks, but maybe. Definitely better than the two hours of ice without the cold packs…
This is probably the best I’m going to do, so willing to give it a go for the summer..
Softside cooler of your choice under your council.
Just ordered 3 of the mid size Cooler Shocks. Good info in this thread. Hate having to get ice all the time. Those costs alone justify any packs.
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