You've probably noticed how a “cold one” seems colder and food tastes better when you're camping? I suppose food tastes better because of all of the outdoor activities. Between all the biking, hiking, paddling and firewood packing we can work up an appetite.
But a “cold one” really can be colder when you are camping. That's because a properly loaded ice chest can get drinks colder than your fridge at home.
While an ice chest is a great way to cool drinks, it takes some planning to get the best results for chilling drinks and for keeping camp food safe over the duration of your camping trip.
The first consideration is choosing the right ice chest. An ice chest or cooler is designed primarily to insulate the interior space from the exterior air temperatures. It fulfills other functions as well such as transporting food and drinks, protecting your vehicle and clothes from water as the ice melts, and keeping food clean, at safe temperatures and protected from small animals.
The thing that separates an ice chest from a bucket or storage box is insulation. We tested five different ice chests for their insulating characteristics. We wanted to see if the models that were advertised as having better insulation really performed better. With that in mind, we tested Coleman's 62 Quart Wheeled Xtreme Cooler ($50.00) and the Igloo Ice Cube Maxcold 60 Quart Roller ($35) against the more conventional Coleman 50 Quart Cooler ($25), Rubbermaid Victory 48 ($35) and our family's old Thermos 34.
We tested all five ice chests in the same conditions at the same time. Each was loaded with 7 lbs of crushed ice and a 20 ounce water bottle. We measured the water bottle temperature and melt off water volume at intervals of 3-4 hours. We also used a Fluke infrared thermometer to take exterior temperature readings of the lids, sides and bottoms of the ice chests at the same intervals.
We found that the super ice chests did perform better. The Coleman Xtreme and the Igloo Maxcold recorded very similar performance to each other while dominating the conventional models. They held ice longer, kept the contents cooler and recorded better insulation numbers.
In our melt-off test the Xtreme and Maxcold had less melt-off at each interval until the others simply ran out of ice. The Igloo performed slightly better than the Coleman.
In our test of how the ice chest cooled the contents the Xtreme and Maxcold again out-performed the others. We attributed the differences in performance in these categories to the insulating characteristics of the ice chests.
One of the tests we did on the insulating abilities of the tested models tested the difference between the surface temperature of the lid exterior and the water bottle inside the ice chest. As the chart indicates, the bigger the difference between interior temperature and exterior temperature the better the ice chest is performing.
While we conducted the above test we also measured the difference between the temperature at the built in cup holders and the lid and found that the insulation was poorer where the lids were thinner in the bottom of the molded cup holders. On the upside, the cup holders could keep beverages slightly cooler than if they were sitting on top of the ice chest.
Because the performance of the Xtreme and Maxcold were so similar, the choice will probably get down to other features. Igloo claims that the cube shape of their model makes it easier to transport and it does when you are wheeling it around. However, I couldn't close the tonneau cover of my full size truck with it in the bed. The cube shape did free up some space over the Coleman in the back of our Forester.
Igloo calls the wheel set up on this model “roller” and distinguishes it from their own “wheeled” models, which are like the Coleman wheeled models. The roller set up of the cube shaped Igloo is similar to the wheel and handle combination you will find on most rolling luggage. The handle telescopes to a comfortable length and even with a heavy load you can find a balancing point, which puts the weight on the wheels.
The Coleman Xtreme is more like a wagon with the front wheels missing. When you are wheeling it you are also lifting at least part of the weight. However, the handle configuration of the Xtreme makes is easier for two people to carry together, which is something you'll need to do on some trails, over rough terrain and the parking curbs you find in most campgrounds. Oh yeah, the Xtreme fits under the bed cover of my truck.
Our conclusion: If you want to maximize your ice chest performance for hot weather or extended stays, upgrade to one of the super insulated products like the Coleman Ultimate or the Igloo Maxcold. The shape and wheel configurations are up to you.
PRE-CHILL
One of the best things you can do to improve ice chest performance is pre-chill items before putting them in the ice chest. We put 24 cans of soda in two identical coolers with the same amount of ice. One case of soda had been sitting on the counter and the other came out of the fridge.
The next morning the non-chilled sodas had no remaining ice and were at 49 degrees. The chilled sodas were a very cold 32 degrees in the morning and were still a refreshing 32 degrees at noon.
Whenever possible, get all that cooler stuff nice and chilled before you load it. One thing I like to do is get some extra ice for this very purpose. You can pre-chill the contents right in the ice chest the night before your final pack. Then, before you leave, drain off the water and top off the ice. The idea is to head out the door with everything at optimum temperature and the ice fully stocked.
SIZE MATTERS
When it comes to ice performance, size matters. The same weight in block ice lasts longer than crushed ice. However crushed ice performs better in terms of keeping food cold.
We tested four identical ice chests under the same conditions. Each one contained 7 lbs of ice (two with block and two with crushed) and a water bottle. One of the block ice and one of the crushed ice chests were drained of ice water periodically. We left the water in the other two.
We found that the crushed ice melted much quicker than the block ice as indicated in the chart “Ice Type Melt Off”. You'll notice that the crushed ice yielded more water at each interval until evening when it simply had no more ice to melt.
However, the crushed ice did a better job of cooling the ice chest contents.
For longevity, the best combination is using block ice and draining the water. For cooling items in the ice chest, the best combination is using crushed ice and not draining the water. What does this all mean for campers?
For one, buy an ice chest that is large enough to accommodate your food and the ice you will need. Coleman recommends 3/4-lbs of ice for every rated quart of the ice chest. For example, the 62 quart model we tested should have 46 lbs of ice. That's three blocks plus two bags of crushed. Sound like a lot? That's why you've been running out of ice!
Most experienced campers I asked said to use a combination of block and crushed or cubed ice. Another option is to freeze your own ice in sizes that are somewhere between blocks and cubes. We usually bring two ice chests, one for drinks and another for food. The food chest stays closed most of the time while the kids are constantly opening the drink ice chest.
On trips where you know you cannot re-supply your ice, take one ice chest as near to full as possible with ice blocks, which will last a long time. Put the food and enough ice to keep it at a safe temperature in another ice chest. As the week progresses, chip up the ice from the blocks and add them to the food ice chest. Remember that smaller pieces increase the surface area of the ice and does a better job of cooling the contents of the ice chest.
Weather plays a big role in how much ice you will need for any given camping trip. We use much less ice in the mountains in the fall than we do at the lake in the middle of summer.
Don't forget that “ice runs” can be a good excuse to send someone out of camp or for yourself to get out of camp so be sure to factor this into your planning.
COLEMAN UPDATE
Coleman now has a line of ice chests they call Ultimate Xtreme, which they say provides a 17% increase in performance over their already efficient Xtreme line-up. Wheeled models are available in 50 quart ($60) and 82 quart ($10
sizes.
Sources:
Coleman: 800/835-3278; coleman.com
Igloo: 800/324-2653; igloocoolers.com
Rubbermaid: 888/895-2110; rubbermaid.com
Thermos: 800/831-9242; thermos.com
But a “cold one” really can be colder when you are camping. That's because a properly loaded ice chest can get drinks colder than your fridge at home.
While an ice chest is a great way to cool drinks, it takes some planning to get the best results for chilling drinks and for keeping camp food safe over the duration of your camping trip.
The first consideration is choosing the right ice chest. An ice chest or cooler is designed primarily to insulate the interior space from the exterior air temperatures. It fulfills other functions as well such as transporting food and drinks, protecting your vehicle and clothes from water as the ice melts, and keeping food clean, at safe temperatures and protected from small animals.
The thing that separates an ice chest from a bucket or storage box is insulation. We tested five different ice chests for their insulating characteristics. We wanted to see if the models that were advertised as having better insulation really performed better. With that in mind, we tested Coleman's 62 Quart Wheeled Xtreme Cooler ($50.00) and the Igloo Ice Cube Maxcold 60 Quart Roller ($35) against the more conventional Coleman 50 Quart Cooler ($25), Rubbermaid Victory 48 ($35) and our family's old Thermos 34.
We tested all five ice chests in the same conditions at the same time. Each was loaded with 7 lbs of crushed ice and a 20 ounce water bottle. We measured the water bottle temperature and melt off water volume at intervals of 3-4 hours. We also used a Fluke infrared thermometer to take exterior temperature readings of the lids, sides and bottoms of the ice chests at the same intervals.
We found that the super ice chests did perform better. The Coleman Xtreme and the Igloo Maxcold recorded very similar performance to each other while dominating the conventional models. They held ice longer, kept the contents cooler and recorded better insulation numbers.
In our melt-off test the Xtreme and Maxcold had less melt-off at each interval until the others simply ran out of ice. The Igloo performed slightly better than the Coleman.
In our test of how the ice chest cooled the contents the Xtreme and Maxcold again out-performed the others. We attributed the differences in performance in these categories to the insulating characteristics of the ice chests.
One of the tests we did on the insulating abilities of the tested models tested the difference between the surface temperature of the lid exterior and the water bottle inside the ice chest. As the chart indicates, the bigger the difference between interior temperature and exterior temperature the better the ice chest is performing.
While we conducted the above test we also measured the difference between the temperature at the built in cup holders and the lid and found that the insulation was poorer where the lids were thinner in the bottom of the molded cup holders. On the upside, the cup holders could keep beverages slightly cooler than if they were sitting on top of the ice chest.
Because the performance of the Xtreme and Maxcold were so similar, the choice will probably get down to other features. Igloo claims that the cube shape of their model makes it easier to transport and it does when you are wheeling it around. However, I couldn't close the tonneau cover of my full size truck with it in the bed. The cube shape did free up some space over the Coleman in the back of our Forester.
Igloo calls the wheel set up on this model “roller” and distinguishes it from their own “wheeled” models, which are like the Coleman wheeled models. The roller set up of the cube shaped Igloo is similar to the wheel and handle combination you will find on most rolling luggage. The handle telescopes to a comfortable length and even with a heavy load you can find a balancing point, which puts the weight on the wheels.
The Coleman Xtreme is more like a wagon with the front wheels missing. When you are wheeling it you are also lifting at least part of the weight. However, the handle configuration of the Xtreme makes is easier for two people to carry together, which is something you'll need to do on some trails, over rough terrain and the parking curbs you find in most campgrounds. Oh yeah, the Xtreme fits under the bed cover of my truck.
Our conclusion: If you want to maximize your ice chest performance for hot weather or extended stays, upgrade to one of the super insulated products like the Coleman Ultimate or the Igloo Maxcold. The shape and wheel configurations are up to you.
PRE-CHILL
One of the best things you can do to improve ice chest performance is pre-chill items before putting them in the ice chest. We put 24 cans of soda in two identical coolers with the same amount of ice. One case of soda had been sitting on the counter and the other came out of the fridge.
The next morning the non-chilled sodas had no remaining ice and were at 49 degrees. The chilled sodas were a very cold 32 degrees in the morning and were still a refreshing 32 degrees at noon.
Whenever possible, get all that cooler stuff nice and chilled before you load it. One thing I like to do is get some extra ice for this very purpose. You can pre-chill the contents right in the ice chest the night before your final pack. Then, before you leave, drain off the water and top off the ice. The idea is to head out the door with everything at optimum temperature and the ice fully stocked.
SIZE MATTERS
When it comes to ice performance, size matters. The same weight in block ice lasts longer than crushed ice. However crushed ice performs better in terms of keeping food cold.
We tested four identical ice chests under the same conditions. Each one contained 7 lbs of ice (two with block and two with crushed) and a water bottle. One of the block ice and one of the crushed ice chests were drained of ice water periodically. We left the water in the other two.
We found that the crushed ice melted much quicker than the block ice as indicated in the chart “Ice Type Melt Off”. You'll notice that the crushed ice yielded more water at each interval until evening when it simply had no more ice to melt.
However, the crushed ice did a better job of cooling the ice chest contents.
For longevity, the best combination is using block ice and draining the water. For cooling items in the ice chest, the best combination is using crushed ice and not draining the water. What does this all mean for campers?
For one, buy an ice chest that is large enough to accommodate your food and the ice you will need. Coleman recommends 3/4-lbs of ice for every rated quart of the ice chest. For example, the 62 quart model we tested should have 46 lbs of ice. That's three blocks plus two bags of crushed. Sound like a lot? That's why you've been running out of ice!
Most experienced campers I asked said to use a combination of block and crushed or cubed ice. Another option is to freeze your own ice in sizes that are somewhere between blocks and cubes. We usually bring two ice chests, one for drinks and another for food. The food chest stays closed most of the time while the kids are constantly opening the drink ice chest.
On trips where you know you cannot re-supply your ice, take one ice chest as near to full as possible with ice blocks, which will last a long time. Put the food and enough ice to keep it at a safe temperature in another ice chest. As the week progresses, chip up the ice from the blocks and add them to the food ice chest. Remember that smaller pieces increase the surface area of the ice and does a better job of cooling the contents of the ice chest.
Weather plays a big role in how much ice you will need for any given camping trip. We use much less ice in the mountains in the fall than we do at the lake in the middle of summer.
Don't forget that “ice runs” can be a good excuse to send someone out of camp or for yourself to get out of camp so be sure to factor this into your planning.
COLEMAN UPDATE
Coleman now has a line of ice chests they call Ultimate Xtreme, which they say provides a 17% increase in performance over their already efficient Xtreme line-up. Wheeled models are available in 50 quart ($60) and 82 quart ($10
sizes. Sources:
Coleman: 800/835-3278; coleman.com
Igloo: 800/324-2653; igloocoolers.com
Rubbermaid: 888/895-2110; rubbermaid.com
Thermos: 800/831-9242; thermos.com