Kworld Trend / What cooler keeps ice the longest
What cooler keeps ice the longest
So which refrigerant has the longest ice life? There can be a wide range of performance features and requirements for the many coolers on the market, but a common feature that almost everyone is looking for is an increase in how long your items stay cold. This may seem like an obvious thing, but you’d be surprised at how many people buy an ice chest without doing proper research to determine how long the items will stay cold.
The worst feeling in the world is loading your ice chest with ice and chilled stuff only to find out shortly after that all the ice is gone and your stuff is at risk of spoiling. Before we get into the different components that help maximize ice life, we’ll list the coolers with the longest ice life we’ve reviewed. All of these examples would be great products for those looking to maximize the cooling capacity of their cooler. Check out the table below to view that list!
Is a week or more of ice life necessary?
While having a long-lasting coolant might sound great, for most applications it’s a bit of overkill. The person who packs their daily lunch or plans to go out on a small picnic for two doesn’t need a bulky, bulky cooler with an extra-long ice life.
However, someone who needs a large cooler that can store a week’s worth of supplies in the middle of July or someone who needs to stock up on food for a huge tailgate on the weekend and who will have constant access to the cooler will put Ice Life at the top. their priority list.
So it is important to first know if you need a high level of ice retention and the associated high price or if your typical application will be less demanding (which can ultimately save you money). We’ve found that in many cases, people overestimate how much ice retention they need.
Coolant components with long ice life
So which refrigerants have the longest ice life? Before we get into that, let’s discuss what makes a coolant have such a long ice life. While there’s no secret recipe, there are a few features often found in high-quality coolers that directly contribute to maximizing ice life. Some may have a greater impact than others, but they all play a role.
Materials used
High-quality plastics and metals generally consist of overhead coolers. These plastics and metals are not very permeable and are strong enough that there are no obvious weak points where cold air can escape. This is why coolers with impressive ice retention are also often some of the toughest coolers on the market . The materials they use not only insulate well but are also able to handle the bumps and scrapes that are typical of actively used coolers.
material thickness
A fairly straightforward material, the thicker the material, the longer it will last before it wears out. Some long lasting ice chests can be 2 inches thick or more !
This comes at the expense of getting heavier and heavier, but that’s the price you have to pay for the long cold times. We are already seeing some diminishing returns in how long the ice will remain relative to the thickness of the walls. For example, a cooler that is 4 inches thick will not last twice as long as a cooler that is 2 inches thick. This is because other components of the cooler such as the cap seal will become the limiting factor. From what we’ve seen from the majority of premium brands , 2 inches seems to be the magic number many strive for.
There must be a balance between wall thickness (which increases ice retention) and practicality. No one wants to have to deal with a thousand-pound behemoth of coolant even if it provides great ice life. On the other end of the spectrum, people don’t want to enjoy the benefits of an ultra-light cooler if it can’t hold ice for more than a few minutes.
building
Almost all overhead coolers consist of a molded body. This is where the box is made from a single piece of plastic. What this means is that there are no weak spots, making the product more durable and long-lasting in the snow department. To get a better idea of what exactly rotomolding entails, check out this helpful video:
measuring
Despite not having some sort of direct relationship, larger ice chests usually outperform smaller ice chests , all else being equal. This is because the internal environment at a given temperature is more resilient to external conditions, especially when the icebox is open. For example, opening a small ice chest to remove a drink can easily cause all the cold air to quickly escape, and the ice has to work much harder to get the air back to acceptable temperatures.
However, on a larger cooler, opening the lid won’t have as much of an effect on the interior temperature, which means things can go back to cool much faster and be less affected by sudden gushes of warm air.
Of course, premium coolers with longer ice shelf lives will usually be a larger size to begin with because of their extra thick walls. But there are some diminishing returns: thicker walls are better but at some point adding an extra sacrifice of thickness too great for storage is not as great as the increase in ice retention.
Cap seal quality
This is often called the gasket and is basically how well the lid and body seal to keep the cool air trapped inside. Since the lid and drain spout are the only open areas designed on the walls of the cooler, a good seal is extremely important.
Upper cooler gaskets are often made of high quality rubber and have relatively tight design tolerances, resulting in a snug fit when closed. They’ll also be quite large, which not only increases pressure, but also makes them more resistant to an accidental scratch or cut that might pop.
Hinge and latch quality
It also plays a role how “tight” the hinges and latches that keep the lid closed. A loose or weak latch can mean that the lid can eventually push itself back and open some, especially when you move it. This is a feature that can get significantly worse with age. A cooler that has been through a few seasons of use may start to have a less perfect latch. And this may create an icebox that previously had acceptable cooling capabilities.
If you start to notice damage to the hinge or latch, consider replacing them.
Various other performance features
There are a lot of little features that different products will have that are advertised. As helping to extend the life of the ice. These include raised legs to raise the base off the ground, slots for extra ice packs. Which separate storage areas to reduce the amount of exposure of the refrigerated volume when reached, and the list goes on. Some of them may look simple but when combined. They can make a difference and a lot of cooler companies use many of them in their designs.
How long will the ice stay frozen?
So when we say “longest ice age,” how long are we usually talking about? hours? days? weeks? Amazingly, top coolers can have an ice life of a week or more! This number can change depending on the environment. The amount of ice used, and how often you access it. But it’s perfectly reasonable to expect several days minimum with first-rate products on the market. You can see many of our ice retention tests within our various reviews to get a better idea of what kind of ice life you’ll be working with.
