Losing the battle with ice in my cooler

[ClassyGlobal]

Oh I just thought about super sized insulated bags, often used for food, pizza and grocery delivery (cold or hot).

Put cooler inside the bag

Extremely thin, lightweight and fold away easy, not much footprint increase at all if you get the right size!  

Search for "XXL Insulated bag" - Here is an example
 

 

[rhondaweasley]

Cheese-Whiz and powdered milk!

Lol, I love it.

 

[VanForNow]

Another option is to buy or make a super-insulated cooler. YT has several videos on this subject. A super-insulated cooler keeps ice cold for a longer time, but the extra thick walls mean it has a smaller interior volume than a conventional cooler.

But there are workarounds to minimize this problem. For example, many people buy reduced fat milk to use as a creamer or for cereal or bananas. To save space,  instead of buying a gallon or quart of reduced fat milk, buy a pint of whole milk to keep in the  smaller super-insulated cooler. To make a cup of reduced fat milk, pour 1/4 cup of the refrigerated whole milk in a bowl, add 3/4 cup of water, and add to it 3 tablespoons of dried milk.

 

[towhee]

I have a large insulated tote bag that I got at a big grocery store. It will hold a 7 to 10 lb bag of ice plus  groceries. I use it as overflow when I buy more than will fit in my fridge. In moderate temperatures it will hold a bag of ice for maybe 24 hours. It's not waterproof so that's could be an issue. In my van it fits in the step by the sliding side doors 

It cost me $6 but has been well worth it.

 

[Dingfelder]

I have a large insulated tote bag that I got at a big grocery store. It will hold a 7 to 10 lb bag of ice plus  groceries. I use it as overflow when I buy more than will fit in my fridge. In moderate temperatures it will hold a bag of ice for maybe 24 hours. It's not waterproof so that's could be an issue. In my van it fits in the step by the sliding side doors 

It cost me $6 but has been well worth it.

Never really thought of using that space.  I suppose I should!

 

[rhondaweasley]

Cheese-Whiz and powdered milk!

Cheese-Whiz actually has been a saving grace . It's a perfect non-refrigerated treat to have in my car-pantry.

 

[highdesertranger]

little funny Cheese Whiz story.

a group of us were out in the East Mojave on the Mojave road. this is when I had a topper on a Chevy 4x4. I was traveling with a girl friend and her son. so we stopped for lunch.

I opened the back door of the topper and put the tail gate down. we were eating crackers and Cheese Whiz. the truck had a carpet kit that was about 18 inches above the bed of the truck. we were squirting the Cheese Whiz on the crackers and setting the can on the carpet kit.

well low and behold someone set the can to close to the edge of the carpet kit and the Cheese Whiz fell off. as I saw it falling I don't know why but I turn away from it, perhaps in the back of my mind I knew what was coming.

the can of Cheese Whiz hit the corner of the tail gate just right and blew up. I kid you not it blew up. luckily the shrapnel of was the contents of the can. there was like a 15ft semi circle that got blobs of Cheese Whiz everywhere. the stuff was everywhere nothing was spared, the brush, the corner of my truck, my buddies dog. by me turning it only got my side, but my girl friend was facing it. she was covered in blobs of Cheese Whiz from head to toe. it got everywhere I had some in my ear, it was in our hair it was everywhere.

we were laughing so hard pointing at each other that other members of our group came over to see what was up. when they saw the carnage they all started laughing at us too. a buddy of mine calmly grabbed a cracker and went to one of the bushes scraped some Cheese off it and ate it. I was laughing so hard I was crying, I had to blow my nose.

Is Cheese Whiz really Cheese.

highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

Nuclear Cheez.

 

[mert6706]

"Shelf stable nut milks (must be consumed soon after opening)"

I buy shelf stable almond milk in individual (maybe 8 oz?) sizes. My store carries them in a pack of 4. No waste.

 

[ColdBrook]

I didn't read all the messages so if all of this is a repeat I apologize.  First buy block ice, it will last longer, next google you tube videos that add spray in foam insulation in coolers. I watched some excellent ones and one guy cut threw the coolers (only the most expensive Yeti's had insulation in the lids). There was NO insulation in the lids of the other brands.   You can drill holes and spray in the expanding foam Once it dries you clean off the excess then cover over the holes.  Also insulate the outside of your cooler always.  Wrap it in a quilt or blankets, or make a cover out of that silver duct stuff (so tired I can't think of it's name at moment) You can buy it in rolls at Lowes or Home Depot or a hardware store.   Right now it is so terribly hot in much of the USA that maybe you should go without the foods that need to be refrigerated until temps drop some.  Good luck.