We put a slab of dry ice at the bottom of our esky for a few days away. (Layer of cardboard underneath) kept the party ice frozen, everything stayed icy cold and you could shove warm cans deep and cool them down quickly. Worked well but took some management through the trip. The dry ice was a bit rough on the cheap esky too, but we're still using it years later so it was fine.
I put a foam yoga mat, cut down to fit, in the top of my cooler for added insulation. I spent a week in the mountains of California with my cooler on my roof rack and still had ice at the end. I always use gallon size block ice if I can get it, lasts much longer and takes up less room than small cubes.
I realy like this kind of videos When you show in detalj. Is always some tips you never thouth of and its always Nice to see how other solve things.. Please make more on other subjects.. I would like to see videos on tents, tyers, driveing off road, how to get out When you are stuck with you car in different groundmaterial, car electrics, tests of equipments, etc.... Thanks for sharing!
I use those little sistema boxes like you've shown. Definately the best way I've found for storing and finding the small stuff in the fridge. great for cheese, salami, butter and veggies
Thanks Ronny, If you want a check soild brick, check out MSR dromedary bags. I have a 10 liter I freeze (takes days) but stays frozen a long time. I've been freezing this bag and abusing it for over a decade with no signs of trauma. What I like to do it fill mine to half and put it in the top of my fridge cold but not frozen, and then let the fridge freeze all my frozen foods a few days before the trip. it takes up the air space, molds to the compartment and keeps the temps more even. Works a treat. I've also used it in an cheap esky with party ice around it to keep drinks cold for a few days, plus ice cold water towards the end of the trip. Thanks for the great videos, keep 'em coming!
I saw this on another video, soak sponges in water, put in a zip lock bag, then freeze. Won't leak everywhere. Personally, I do the 2L bottles, frozen for a week at least then into the icebox, full sun for a week with beers and party ice and there was still I've and the water bottle was only half melted. It's a great time to be alive!
If your veg won't go soggy, you can fill the container gaps with water. If you have a large enough freezer, pre-freezing the whole ice chest will greatly extend use. I open lid, drop in chest freezer, and freeze ice containers inside to conserve space. Also keep ice ""blocks" deep in freezer till needed that way you are starting with ice well below 0C. Vacuum bag items... saves space, and keeps from getting soggy. You can also bag a change of clothes for a guaranteed dry change. Love the vids... some things we do different in Canada, but all in all great. Thanks.
Great tips Ronny, thanks. I tend to pre-cook rather than thaw/cook especially when camp is a few hundred click's away and you get there at ohgawdo'clock! Also, lightly salting your 2lt milk jugs makes them last at least a week (depending on use). You can't really drink the thawed water, but it's ok to wash with. Yes, square containers are much more efficient to stack than round containers! ALWAYS decide what you want before opening the box/fridge so you don't risk losing cool air.Cheers, Dodge.
Won't salting the milk jugs make them melt earlier? I haven't tried it myself, but I thought that salt lowers the melting point of ice - and that's why they use it on roads in the winter.
water alone has a higher melt rate, salt reduces it, creating a slurry which is much more efficient, though yes the down fall is you are limited to the use of salty water over fresh, put salt in a pot of water on a stove next to one without salt and see which boils faster, pure science, it works
Life changing tip for thawing meat - you can thaw a 300gram steak in about 8 minutes by putting it in a sink of water. It melts like an ice cube. You need to move it around a bit though, because it forms a pocket of cool water around it which slows it down. I have used this for thawing a full 5kg packer brisket.
The best way to keep the ice in a cooler is after filling the entire icebox with a layer of crushed ice to seal completely In this way it will last much longer Greetings from Venezuela
I use 1/2 gallon (US) milk jugs like Donny mentioned - works great. I also cover my ice chest with a moving blanket (I carry several) when traveling and when parked. It does a great job at keeping the ice chest cooler, keeps the sun off and my ice lasts much longer. I also use shallow plastic trays to keep certain items from getting soggy. They live on the top of everything else. Thanks Ronny, keep the vids coming.
Love your video's Ronny and co. In respect to ice boxes, I personally love road side collections, when you see fridges being thrown out check them for there trays, shelves and cages which I have found quite useful, took a couple of goes to find a couple that fit mine sufficiently and work to keep things separated and secure, also I find it helps to keeps ice being in direct contact with certain things you don't necessarily want buried, keep up the good work cobber.
Good tips ! After debating on my use of my Truck ( Chevy blazer 05' ) I don't think i even had more than 2 people in it other than my dogs ..I have drawn out a rebuild for everything from the front seats ..back So the Idea is to remove the back seats and spare tire mounted on the inside side of the back . Remove the inside plastic paneling which also gives 2 - 4 inches of room per side Lay in some wood and metal framing for a rail system for long drawers and double folding counter top for a bed Just behind the driver and pass seat will be a 2nd battery in a box and a small to mid size cooler good for about 10 drinks Which you would only store 4 and maybe a sandwich or other This would less it cool better with less then stuff it packed Also the 2nd battery will be hooked up for extras due to the installed isolator which lets you charge both batteries but only lets your extras use the 2nd battery without drain on the starting battery But with a push of a button you can start your truck/car with the 2nd battery if needed This is perfect for my custom truck as i have Led lighting, Heated seats, Dual cam (hard wired ) and a car alarm with remote start Perfect for Canadian winter / summer Drive in movies with the back hatch down backwards facing the screen while still in bed : ) Camping and long drives in the north
More great tips from the Off Road Viking of WA. I'm definitely going to make a jacket for my cooler out of Reflectix so next time I'm out Mountain Biking I'll come back to cold beer and no soggy sandwiches. Also, a 9" x 13" (23 x 33cm) baking dish works great to make ice pans for the cooler/icebox.
with the ice boxes 1 tip we use is to put a wet tee towel over the top of your drinks/food, it helps to keep the cool air in when opening the lid. Also remember where you packed things so your not moving things too much & loosing the cool air.
I have the same fridge, 47 Lt , some years old, it,s important to stack your fridge accordingly . A refreshing drink at lunch time, near the the day and then before dinner t,is the Aussie way. Stuart. Don,t forget to refrigerate the food !!
I have tried 3 way fridges at a place called White Cliffs New South Wales no good turn in to a hot box soon as the temperature reaches 45 Celsius so I went back to Broken Hill bought a 50 litre Waeco fridge works a treat best investment I've ever bought that was back in 2002 I have still got that same fridge today
+Dubious hahaha I just filled the fridge with what I had but my fridge does tend to look like that sometimes. Normally there will be a lot more food and other things in there.
Pro tip. I have an 87L Dometic. I 3/4 fill 5x2L milk bottles with water and freeze them. Then line the bottom of the icebox with them, put party ice over then a wet towel over the top of everything. I've had 6 days using this method and you also have 10L of water once the milk bottles melt.
Hi Ronny. Great video as usual. If doing a longer rough road/track trip, even packing your aluminium cans into to stubby coolers or some similar padding would definitely be worthwhile insurance. Many years ago I did a Simpson Desert crossing with the trusty Engel strapped in the back of a Hilux. Traveling for many days over corrugated roads and gibber plains resulted in several cans rubbing together and eventually rubbed through the side of the cans (I guess I just didn't drink them quick enough). It wasn't all bad news though as the next few nights meals were some of the best marinated steaks I have ever eaten. For packing bottles safely, you could cut lengths of PVC pipe to stand the bottle in. You would only need to have every 2nd bottle in a pipe to stop them hitting together, or they could be glued into a 6 pack (or larger) configuration if desired. Keep the awesome videos coming - I especially like the longer trip videos.
awesome video mate keep up the good work! Instead of using a box in the esky to keep things dry i made a small aluminum table about half the height of the esky with rubber edges to keep a water seal and i put everything on top of that and the ice goes underneath with the drinks.
another good tip is to have a wine bag or water bag empty (the foil ones) and blow it up to take the empty space towards the end of a trip - helps stop stuff flying around in there and takes up the space to help with cooling :) i also like to freeze a 1.125 l bottle of water to help the fridge with cooking in summer lasts about 5 days and as it melts you can drink the cold water and fill with warm for instant cool water :)
cool videos bud, we use our lunch box containers to freeze water in for blocks, the same kind you used for your food. buy and keep the square orange juice bottles and freeze them, stronger build and more stackable. keep the vids coming mate
In the case of you carrying your fridge in an open tray ute I would make a cover out of a hard material with a few small rubber feet and perhaps even line the top with reflective sun shade material. Attach it to the fridge handles with ocky straps. The idea being to stop the sun from bearing down directly on top of the fridge and maintain a shaded air gap. Similar to the principal in which a rigid solar panel has to be mounted to a house roof but be suspended above it. Your fridge may work a little easier particularly when the sun is directly overhead and also reduce sun damage to your fridge insulation cover.
Well done! Thank you so much for all your great tips! I'm strategizing a big trip with lots of complications and all this useful input is SIMPLY AWESOME! Cheers!
double skin party balloons put one inside another takes ages but once they are done its like ice cubes that dont soak everything and you can use them over and over to fit in the gaps between stuff
I put all bottled drinks and beers in the freezer for a couple of hours just before putting them in the cooler, those extra few degrees makes a big difference. Don’t leave your beers in for too long though!
To store glass bottles in the fridge or ice box if you cut up an old foam sleeping pad into the correct length strips and slot it together you can make a foam grid that will line the box and keep the bottles a bit more protected. Plus even if you put your bottles in a cool box the foam pads are usually won't take any harm if the get wet so it doesn't matter if you pour ice over the top of them. I cut the pad so it was tall enough to cover the whole bottle so even the neck was shielded. But cans win as once you've finished them you crush in and bin it taking up less room and don't have to worry about them getting smashed even on the way home. A few people have said add salt to the water so they freeze at lower temperatures I don't do this just because you can't then drink water, ice bricks freeze at an even lower temp than than salted water but I would choose the salted water over the bricks, once the bricks are melted you still have to carry them around they take up the same space same weight etc, at least with the salted water bottles you could find somewhere to safely pour them out and squash and bin the bottle as they only cost a few pence.
Just froze two gallon jugs of water along with some smaller bottles. Things that were touching the side of the jugs were very cold the rest was cool. When I use store bought ice I put it in a trash bag then twist it up so the water stay separate. Nothing beats a 12V fridge/freezer though.
With another tip I have seen on TH-cam to make another ice pack or whatever is to get a fresh new cleaning sponge. Put inside of a snap lock bag and only fill the sponge with the water and take out as much air as you can and stick in the freezer. Great for keeping meat or drinks cold.
I use various bottles as well up to gallon jugs and 4 gallon buckets which I saturate with rock salt. The ice is colder and last longer. If I add chipped ice and one of my salted ice bottles, the bottles freeze the chipped loose ice into one solid block.
We use an old shelf out of a fridge, the wire one With a little bending sits in the esky about half way up so you can put eggs and veggies on it and drinks and ice under it
Just a little trick I have used is sprinkle a little salt on broken up ice if u r using that in your esky (cooler) it will first melt a little then freeze as it’s freezing point is lower and then refreeze hard because of the ice below. Don’t overdue the salt as it will start to eat thru all the ice, just a sprinkle it help to sustain the ice a little longer, only a minor improvement maybe add a half day to a cooler. Also use a insulation blanket to cover the ice. Foam panel is a good choice. Wrap the cooler in a wet potato sack or such as evaporation will cool the cooler reducing the surface temperature and extending the longevity of the ice in the cooler.
Cans are also a better idea as they are lighter than glass can be crushed to save space when used as well as safer no chance of cuts from broken glass in fridge/esky or from the cretins that just dump in the bush as well as glass dumped in the bush can also start a fire with the sun. From the comment from Greg Perrier if you were to use the freezer option and ffreezing ice blocks/bricks etc you could also still keep a lot of frozen meat etc thereby extending the length of a trip before having to restock would be a good option for someone with only one car fridge not 5 refridgerated ones like me to choose from ( I also have 6 thermo electric coolers to choose from so I am well covered).. Another tip is to also use UHT milk,juice etc as they do not take up fridge space until needed.I have a three battery setup un my Patrol and 240 watts of solar permanently mounted the 50 litre Waeco is on 24/7/365 has been for 16 years.Waeco do an auxilliary socket designed for fridges in a one battery setup where it senses the battery violtage and cuts off or can be switched to sense alternator voltage to turn on.There are also other brands and systems out there that are available. You could as a cheaper option than dual or more batteries also do a solar setup on a single battery vehicle for about $200 from Ebay as opposed to about $450 or more for a dual battery setup.
I got a technice ice box last month and just used for 5 days away at Fraser Island..what a choice I made I had heaps of ice left over including 2 massive blocks..
frozen blocks are good but take up to much room. never had soggy food cause I put it in plastic containers also party ice wont melt fast if as you said pre cool everything and fill to the top with ice
If you are a vanlifer you can place the meat in the Ice box to defrost with your days drinks and anything else you plan to eat that day and drink that way you only have to get into the refrigerator once a day and cut down on your ice.
A block of meat you want to eat towards the end of the trip can be frozen to rock solid and be used it as ice blocks. They take about 3 days to thaw in the icebox.
If you need to get your icebox colder than ice, add one cup of rock salt (for making ice cream) to every 3 to 5 lbs of ice. if you leave your drinks in that mix to long they will freeze solid. you can also use some sale a couple days in to a trip to get a bit more time out of the ice you have. be sure to rinse the cooler/icebox after so you do not mess up your next trip.
Only trouble with drinks packed in cardboard is it acts as a thermal barrier and it stops them from cooling and those 6 packs in plastic are slow to cool down also which means you might have to run your fridge a couple of degrees cooler than you normally would do, If you want to use your fridge as a freezer place all the things in the bottom that you want frozen then add a sheet of 1" polystyrene cut to size as a lid then place the things that you don't want frozen on top od it. good luck out there and have fun.
Another good tip for the people using ice-box's is to add salt into the water / milk bottles etc. The salt actually makes the water freeze cooler so when you take it out of the freezer and stick it in your ice-box it will keep everything chilled for longer and because of the cooler temp of the frozen salt water it will also take longer to defrost. Only downside is it tastes like crap if you mix up your bottle's! Ha! Ha!
i find using the plastic bag the ice comes in can be used. lay it out flat over the top of everything, and just pull up the corners of the area u need to access and ull loose less cool air.
If you grab a clinker brick ( it's got 3 holes in it ) soak it for 1 day in a bucket of water , then freeze it , wrap in news paper n place in esky , Cover with good ice , then stack n pack your esky as desire, Finnish with pvc pipe for you milk n coke bottles , (easy in n out) n cover with more ice , know were your goods are in your esky n minimise time with lid open , it works real gooood
never had glass break but had a can leak from a small hole caused by a small stone in the boot taking a slab back to camp but another reason I don't like carrying stubbies they weight to much compared to cans
Vacuum pack all of your pre-made food. You don't have to suck all the air out, just enough to contact the food. This will keep them from ever getting wet and the bags are reusable. Just wash them.
I add salt to my 2L water bottles when I freeze them to lower the freezing temp (28F instead of 32F). Of course you can't drink them when they thaw. I just toss them back in the deep freezer when we get home.
I got a great deal on a Dometic 50. I wanted a dual zone but couldn't pass up price. Question is, if I get a small insulated container for ice cubes and put it in the fridge, will they stay frozen? I would like a little ice on hand for drinks and cocktails.
Bad idea spraying wd40 in the compressor area. The oil film will attract dust dramatically decreasing the performance of your unit and if not cleaned off will damage it.
Hey Ronny, What kind of battery size would I need to power my 52 quart fridge on a weekend trip? Or another cheap alternative for powering up my fridge up? Thanks for sharing your videos!
what i used to do before i bought a fridge was to get at least 2 icebox , then I filled one just with a big block of ice and the other one with everything, so the one with ice keeps closed allmost all the time and the ice last a loot longer, i just open that one to get ice to the one with the food and drinks
Hi Ronny, thanks for your videos ! I just wanted to know how do you run a 12v fridge with a single powerbattery system ? You just turn the fridge on when you are on the road ? what about when you stop for a day or maybe more ? the fridge is style cold after that ?
Big advantage of drinking out of cans rather than bottles for me is also the fact you can crush them so rubbish takes up heaps less space & weight
For a wagon, darkest legal tint, quality stuff with a high heat resistance. Works wonders for Ice Box and Fridges inside. :)
We put a slab of dry ice at the bottom of our esky for a few days away. (Layer of cardboard underneath) kept the party ice frozen, everything stayed icy cold and you could shove warm cans deep and cool them down quickly.
Worked well but took some management through the trip. The dry ice was a bit rough on the cheap esky too, but we're still using it years later so it was fine.
I put a foam yoga mat, cut down to fit, in the top of my cooler for added insulation. I spent a week in the mountains of California with my cooler on my roof rack and still had ice at the end. I always use gallon size block ice if I can get it, lasts much longer and takes up less room than small cubes.
I realy like this kind of videos When you show in detalj. Is always some tips you never thouth of and its always Nice to see how other solve things..
Please make more on other subjects..
I would like to see videos on tents, tyers, driveing off road, how to get out When you are stuck with you car in different groundmaterial, car electrics, tests of equipments, etc....
Thanks for sharing!
I use those little sistema boxes like you've shown. Definately the best way I've found for storing and finding the small stuff in the fridge. great for cheese, salami, butter and veggies
thanks for the work you do.
I take my ice from the freezer and vacuum pack it lasts a long time!
thanks again Ronnie! from the beach in North Carolina
Thanks Ronny, If you want a check soild brick, check out MSR dromedary bags. I have a 10 liter I freeze (takes days) but stays frozen a long time. I've been freezing this bag and abusing it for over a decade with no signs of trauma. What I like to do it fill mine to half and put it in the top of my fridge cold but not frozen, and then let the fridge freeze all my frozen foods a few days before the trip. it takes up the air space, molds to the compartment and keeps the temps more even. Works a treat. I've also used it in an cheap esky with party ice around it to keep drinks cold for a few days, plus ice cold water towards the end of the trip. Thanks for the great videos, keep 'em coming!
I saw this on another video, soak sponges in water, put in a zip lock bag, then freeze. Won't leak everywhere. Personally, I do the 2L bottles, frozen for a week at least then into the icebox, full sun for a week with beers and party ice and there was still I've and the water bottle was only half melted. It's a great time to be alive!
If your veg won't go soggy, you can fill the container gaps with water.
If you have a large enough freezer, pre-freezing the whole ice chest will greatly extend use. I open lid, drop in chest freezer, and freeze ice containers inside to conserve space. Also keep ice ""blocks" deep in freezer till needed that way you are starting with ice well below 0C.
Vacuum bag items... saves space, and keeps from getting soggy.
You can also bag a change of clothes for a guaranteed dry change.
Love the vids... some things we do different in Canada, but all in all great. Thanks.
Great tips Ronny, thanks. I tend to pre-cook rather than thaw/cook especially when camp is a few hundred click's away and you get there at ohgawdo'clock! Also, lightly salting your 2lt milk jugs makes them last at least a week (depending on use). You can't really drink the thawed water, but it's ok to wash with. Yes, square containers are much more efficient to stack than round containers! ALWAYS decide what you want before opening the box/fridge so you don't risk losing cool air.Cheers, Dodge.
+Roger Heyward some more great tips there
Won't salting the milk jugs make them melt earlier? I haven't tried it myself, but I thought that salt lowers the melting point of ice - and that's why they use it on roads in the winter.
water alone has a higher melt rate, salt reduces it, creating a slurry which is much more efficient, though yes the down fall is you are limited to the use of salty water over fresh, put salt in a pot of water on a stove next to one without salt and see which boils faster, pure science, it works
Life changing tip for thawing meat - you can thaw a 300gram steak in about 8 minutes by putting it in a sink of water. It melts like an ice cube. You need to move it around a bit though, because it forms a pocket of cool water around it which slows it down. I have used this for thawing a full 5kg packer brisket.
The best way to keep the ice in a cooler is after filling the entire icebox with a layer of crushed ice to seal completely
In this way it will last much longer
Greetings from Venezuela
we use our empty wine cast bladders for ice Ronnie, works well
I use 1/2 gallon (US) milk jugs like Donny mentioned - works great. I also cover my ice chest with a moving blanket (I carry several) when traveling and when parked. It does a great job at keeping the ice chest cooler, keeps the sun off and my ice lasts much longer. I also use shallow plastic trays to keep certain items from getting soggy. They live on the top of everything else. Thanks Ronny, keep the vids coming.
Love your video's Ronny and co. In respect to ice boxes, I personally love road side collections, when you see fridges being thrown out check them for there trays, shelves and cages which I have found quite useful, took a couple of goes to find a couple that fit mine sufficiently and work to keep things separated and secure, also I find it helps to keeps ice being in direct contact with certain things you don't necessarily want buried, keep up the good work cobber.
I use 64 oz cranberry juice bottles, which are relatively wide and flat for a low profile. Salt water ice is great too.
Elastic/rubber bands around your bottles or cans will stop them rubbing.Saves on space also.
Good tips ! After debating on my use of my Truck ( Chevy blazer 05' ) I don't think i even had more than 2 people in it other than my dogs ..I have drawn out a rebuild for everything from the front seats ..back So the Idea is to remove the back seats and spare tire mounted on the inside side of the back . Remove the inside plastic paneling which also gives 2 - 4 inches of room per side Lay in some wood and metal framing for a rail system for long drawers and double folding counter top for a bed
Just behind the driver and pass seat will be a 2nd battery in a box and a small to mid size cooler good for about 10 drinks Which you would only store 4 and maybe a sandwich or other This would less it cool better with less then stuff it packed
Also the 2nd battery will be hooked up for extras due to the installed isolator which lets you charge both batteries but only lets your extras use the 2nd battery without drain on the starting battery But with a push of a button you can start your truck/car with the 2nd battery if needed
This is perfect for my custom truck as i have Led lighting, Heated seats, Dual cam (hard wired ) and a car alarm with remote start Perfect for Canadian winter / summer Drive in movies with the back hatch down backwards facing the screen while still in bed : ) Camping and long drives in the north
good points Ronny thank you
More great tips from the Off Road Viking of WA. I'm definitely going to make a jacket for my cooler out of Reflectix so next time I'm out Mountain Biking I'll come back to cold beer and no soggy sandwiches. Also, a 9" x 13" (23 x 33cm) baking dish works great to make ice pans for the cooler/icebox.
with the ice boxes 1 tip we use is to put a wet tee towel over the top of your drinks/food, it helps to keep the cool air in when opening the lid. Also remember where you packed things so your not moving things too much & loosing the cool air.
I have the same fridge, 47 Lt , some years old, it,s important to stack your fridge accordingly . A refreshing drink at lunch time, near the the day and then before dinner t,is the Aussie way. Stuart. Don,t forget to refrigerate the food !!
I have tried 3 way fridges at a place called White Cliffs New South Wales no good turn in to a hot box soon as the temperature reaches 45 Celsius so I went back to Broken Hill bought a 50 litre Waeco fridge works a treat best investment I've ever bought that was back in 2002 I have still got that same fridge today
"Glass at home
Tinnies on the road"
Apparently off-roaders are alcoholics :p
Well this is Australia
That's just us Australians not off roaders.
+Dubious hahaha I just filled the fridge with what I had but my fridge does tend to look like that sometimes. Normally there will be a lot more food and other things in there.
No they can stop driving any time they want.
WHAT ???? NOW you tell me.....
Great videos Ronny!
Pro tip. I have an 87L Dometic. I 3/4 fill 5x2L milk bottles with water and freeze them. Then line the bottom of the icebox with them, put party ice over then a wet towel over the top of everything. I've had 6 days using this method and you also have 10L of water once the milk bottles melt.
Hi Ronny. Great video as usual. If doing a longer rough road/track trip, even packing your aluminium cans into to stubby coolers or some similar padding would definitely be worthwhile insurance. Many years ago I did a Simpson Desert crossing with the trusty Engel strapped in the back of a Hilux. Traveling for many days over corrugated roads and gibber plains resulted in several cans rubbing together and eventually rubbed through the side of the cans (I guess I just didn't drink them quick enough). It wasn't all bad news though as the next few nights meals were some of the best marinated steaks I have ever eaten. For packing bottles safely, you could cut lengths of PVC pipe to stand the bottle in. You would only need to have every 2nd bottle in a pipe to stop them hitting together, or they could be glued into a 6 pack (or larger) configuration if desired. Keep the awesome videos coming - I especially like the longer trip videos.
awesome video mate keep up the good work!
Instead of using a box in the esky to keep things dry i made a small aluminum table about half the height of the esky with rubber edges to keep a water seal and i put everything on top of that and the ice goes underneath with the drinks.
another good tip is to have a wine bag or water bag empty (the foil ones) and blow it up to take the empty space towards the end of a trip - helps stop stuff flying around in there and takes up the space to help with cooling :) i also like to freeze a 1.125 l bottle of water to help the fridge with cooking in summer lasts about 5 days and as it melts you can drink the cold water and fill with warm for instant cool water :)
Thanks for the video mate. Recently bought a 60 litre fiberglass Eva Kool ice box, so will definitely use some of the tips from this video.
Some great there Ronny cheers
cool videos bud, we use our lunch box containers to freeze water in for blocks, the same kind you used for your food. buy and keep the square orange juice bottles and freeze them, stronger build and more stackable. keep the vids coming mate
In the case of you carrying your fridge in an open tray ute I would make a cover out of a hard material with a few small rubber feet and perhaps even line the top with reflective sun shade material. Attach it to the fridge handles with ocky straps. The idea being to stop the sun from bearing down directly on top of the fridge and maintain a shaded air gap. Similar to the principal in which a rigid solar panel has to be mounted to a house roof but be suspended above it. Your fridge may work a little easier particularly when the sun is directly overhead and also reduce sun damage to your fridge insulation cover.
Love these videos all the way from Portland Oregon. Keep up the good vids
Well done! Thank you so much for all your great tips! I'm strategizing a big trip with lots of complications and all this useful input is SIMPLY AWESOME! Cheers!
Fill your camelback and freeze it to keep your back cool when hiking or when its hot
another great video mate, thanks for all the good advice
take two smaller bottles of milk and freeze one. used to do that when we went camping, keeps the other one cool while it thaws
double skin party balloons put one inside another takes ages but once they are done its like ice cubes that dont soak everything and you can use them over and over to fit in the gaps between stuff
I put all bottled drinks and beers in the freezer for a couple of hours just before putting them in the cooler, those extra few degrees makes a big difference. Don’t leave your beers in for too long though!
Thanks mate, smashed that like button
To store glass bottles in the fridge or ice box if you cut up an old foam sleeping pad into the correct length strips and slot it together you can make a foam grid that will line the box and keep the bottles a bit more protected. Plus even if you put your bottles in a cool box the foam pads are usually won't take any harm if the get wet so it doesn't matter if you pour ice over the top of them. I cut the pad so it was tall enough to cover the whole bottle so even the neck was shielded.
But cans win as once you've finished them you crush in and bin it taking up less room and don't have to worry about them getting smashed even on the way home.
A few people have said add salt to the water so they freeze at lower temperatures I don't do this just because you can't then drink water, ice bricks freeze at an even lower temp than than salted water but I would choose the salted water over the bricks, once the bricks are melted you still have to carry them around they take up the same space same weight etc, at least with the salted water bottles you could find somewhere to safely pour them out and squash and bin the bottle as they only cost a few pence.
Just froze two gallon jugs of water along with some smaller bottles. Things that were touching the side of the jugs were very cold the rest was cool. When I use store bought ice I put it in a trash bag then twist it up so the water stay separate. Nothing beats a 12V fridge/freezer though.
With another tip I have seen on TH-cam to make another ice pack or whatever is to get a fresh new cleaning sponge. Put inside of a snap lock bag and only fill the sponge with the water and take out as much air as you can and stick in the freezer. Great for keeping meat or drinks cold.
I use various bottles as well up to gallon jugs and 4 gallon buckets which I saturate with rock salt. The ice is colder and last longer. If I add chipped ice and one of my salted ice bottles, the bottles freeze the chipped loose ice into one solid block.
We use an old shelf out of a fridge, the wire one
With a little bending sits in the esky about half way up so you can put eggs and veggies on it and drinks and ice under it
Just a little trick I have used is sprinkle a little salt on broken up ice if u r using that in your esky (cooler) it will first melt a little then freeze as it’s freezing point is lower and then refreeze hard because of the ice below. Don’t overdue the salt as it will start to eat thru all the ice, just a sprinkle it help to sustain the ice a little longer, only a minor improvement maybe add a half day to a cooler. Also use a insulation blanket to cover the ice. Foam panel is a good choice. Wrap the cooler in a wet potato sack or such as evaporation will cool the cooler reducing the surface temperature and extending the longevity of the ice in the cooler.
Empty cask wine (goon) bags also make excellent ice storage containers. Obviously you have to be prepared to drink the wine first ;)
Thanks for the tips.
Lol looks my me when I camp lots of beer.
I use 3 lyr milk containers. Stays frozen longer and good for cooling down salty water for fish
Hi Ronny, with the ARB fridge the carry handle folds in and keeps the lid slightly open when not in use, top vid Ronny
I use the actual ice container from the freezer itself. the one that holds all the ice cubes. I got a massive block. free.
Be sure to hold your cat at the end of the day!! All great tips!
Thanks for the vid brother .got some great tips from you for my next adventure .
Putting a wet towel over an icebox works really well to stop the ice melting as fast
Cans are also a better idea as they are lighter than glass can be crushed to save space when used as well as safer no chance of cuts from broken glass in fridge/esky or from the cretins that just dump in the bush as well as glass dumped in the bush can also start a fire with the sun. From the comment from Greg Perrier if you were to use the freezer option and ffreezing ice blocks/bricks etc you could also still keep a lot of frozen meat etc thereby extending the length of a trip before having to restock would be a good option for someone with only one car fridge not 5 refridgerated ones like me to choose from ( I also have 6 thermo electric coolers to choose from so I am well covered).. Another tip is to also use UHT milk,juice etc as they do not take up fridge space until needed.I have a three battery setup un my Patrol and 240 watts of solar permanently mounted the 50 litre Waeco is on 24/7/365 has been for 16 years.Waeco do an auxilliary socket designed for fridges in a one battery setup where it senses the battery violtage and cuts off or can be switched to sense alternator voltage to turn on.There are also other brands and systems out there that are available. You could as a cheaper option than dual or more batteries also do a solar setup on a single battery vehicle for about $200 from Ebay as opposed to about $450 or more for a dual battery setup.
Nice video
4x4 with Ronny, so much pun.
Vacuum packing party ice works well
Nice set Mate, coming on nicely.
I like to use wine bags. And use the water later.
Love the beard Ronnie keeps getting better.
I've used wash cloths instead of ice on short trips. Damp your cloth, put them in freezer bags. As they dethaw I use them to clean with.
I got a technice ice box last month and just used for 5 days away at Fraser Island..what a choice I made I had heaps of ice left over including 2 massive blocks..
Brilliant video! 🤠 Thanks!
frozen blocks are good but take up to much room. never had soggy food cause I put it in plastic containers also party ice wont melt fast if as you said pre cool everything and fill to the top with ice
If you are a vanlifer you can place the meat in the Ice box to defrost with your days drinks and anything else you plan to eat that day and drink that way you only have to get into the refrigerator once a day and cut down on your ice.
Love the video mate. Also love the beard
same
awesome ideas
Take away containers are a good size you can also mix salt with your water to slow down melting
Great tips 👍
A block of meat you want to eat towards the end of the trip can be frozen to rock solid and be used it as ice blocks. They take about 3 days to thaw in the icebox.
If you need to get your icebox colder than ice, add one cup of rock salt (for making ice cream) to every 3 to 5 lbs of ice. if you leave your drinks in that mix to long they will freeze solid. you can also use some sale a couple days in to a trip to get a bit more time out of the ice you have. be sure to rinse the cooler/icebox after so you do not mess up your next trip.
Only trouble with drinks packed in cardboard is it acts as a thermal barrier and it stops them from cooling and those 6 packs in plastic are slow to cool down also which means you might have to run your fridge a couple of degrees cooler than you normally would do, If you want to use your fridge as a freezer place all the things in the bottom that you want frozen then add a sheet of 1" polystyrene cut to size as a lid then place the things that you don't want frozen on top od it. good luck out there and have fun.
Another good tip for the people using ice-box's is to add salt into the water / milk bottles etc. The salt actually makes the water freeze cooler so when you take it out of the freezer and stick it in your ice-box it will keep everything chilled for longer and because of the cooler temp of the frozen salt water it will also take longer to defrost. Only downside is it tastes like crap if you mix up your bottle's! Ha! Ha!
i find using the plastic bag the ice comes in can be used. lay it out flat over the top of everything, and just pull up the corners of the area u need to access and ull loose less cool air.
If you grab a clinker brick ( it's got 3 holes in it ) soak it for 1 day in a bucket of water , then freeze it , wrap in news paper n place in esky ,
Cover with good ice , then stack n pack your esky as desire, Finnish with pvc pipe for you milk n coke bottles , (easy in n out) n cover with more ice , know were your goods are in your esky n minimise time with lid open , it works real gooood
For shorter trips with a larger fridge, displace the space with a box. Or, better yet, with frozen milk jugs.
Plastic disposable cups full em up with water then freeze them makes good ice blocks
Cool haircut Ronny
The noises between each section are hilarious
never had glass break but had a can leak from a small hole caused by a small stone in the boot taking a slab back to camp but another reason I don't like carrying stubbies they weight to much compared to cans
Vacuum pack all of your pre-made food. You don't have to suck all the air out, just enough to contact the food. This will keep them from ever getting wet and the bags are reusable. Just wash them.
if you put dry ice in with the wet ice, it will keep the wet ice frozen much longer
I add salt to my 2L water bottles when I freeze them to lower the freezing temp (28F instead of 32F). Of course you can't drink them when they thaw. I just toss them back in the deep freezer when we get home.
New to camping fridge what temp do you set your fridge and freezer to?
Good tips mate, you're like the Chuck Norris of the Esky world. ATB Moose.
I got a great deal on a Dometic 50. I wanted a dual zone but couldn't pass up price. Question is, if I get a small insulated container for ice cubes and put it in the fridge, will they stay frozen? I would like a little ice on hand for drinks and cocktails.
Bad idea spraying wd40 in the compressor area. The oil film will attract dust dramatically decreasing the performance of your unit and if not cleaned off will damage it.
i dont know if you have them but i use the big bottles from fruit juice. put one on each end and then pack drinks and regular cube ice
What do I use? Esky cause I dont do more than weekend trips. Serial milk bottle collector right here. A car fridge would be nice though.
Hey Ronny,
What kind of battery size would I need to power my 52 quart fridge on a weekend trip? Or another cheap alternative for powering up my fridge up? Thanks for sharing your videos!
I find its always best to make ice blocks out of ice
I use big deep containers and put them in the deep freezer last for a week.
Beard is getting epic bro.
what i used to do before i bought a fridge was to get at least 2 icebox , then I filled one just with a big block of ice and the other one with everything, so the one with ice keeps closed allmost all the time and the ice last a loot longer, i just open that one to get ice to the one with the food and drinks
Hi Ronny, thanks for your videos !
I just wanted to know how do you run a 12v fridge with a single powerbattery system ? You just turn the fridge on when you are on the road ? what about when you stop for a day or maybe more ? the fridge is style cold after that ?
Another ice tip. Freeze in meat tray then cryovac. Makes your own sized 'medipacks'