Thoughts on coolers (chests, not booze)

[Canice]

To give you an idea of just how outdoorsy I really am - I've never owned a cooler in my life! But I'm about to become a commuter for the first time, and I'm thinking it might be a good idea to keep a cooler in my trunk. Primarily because I will sometimes be going to DBF's directly from work and will no loner be able to swing by my place on my way home (from my current 15 minutes commute, sniff-sniff) or I will be grocery shopping at lunch time.
My first question is, do you think that a basic cooler will be sufficient for keeping things like soup or tofu or cheese stable for up to 10 hours? And if so, what kind of a cooler should I look at? Obviously I won't be loading something up with ice two or three times a week, but I don't have a huge freezer at home to store a bunch of cool packs either. Can I get this thing at Targé or do I have to go to an REI-type place? And please tell me I can do it for under 50 bucks.

TIA

[sneezles]

While today's coolers do a much better job keeping things cool I'm not sure that locked in a truck for 10 hours (even considering Bay area weather) that cheese or tofu would do well. Not sure I understand about you not loading up with ice two or three times a week?
There are coolers that run on 12v that you plug into the cigarette lighter/cellphone jack but not sure that the vehicles battery could sustain a charge...I know the coolers are low voltage but 10 hours is a long time.

Igloo brand is very good but then I would think just about any brnad these days would be fine.

[Robyn1007]

I think you'd be okay as long as it was full (meaning any leftover space was filled with ice or cold packs). I've take coolers camping filled with stuff and had ice still left after 2 nights. The only time I'd be truly concerned are with the hottest of days.

[Terri_A]

...and there's always the option of using dry ice!

[cchhbb]

My parents bought one last year which guarantees to keep frozen food frozen for a long time (24 hours I think). It works great.

I used to work really far from home and would often leave home Monday am for the week. I used a cooler all the time. I often would freeze things like soup and let it slowly defrost during the week in the cooler.

I have one of those plug in coolers and I wouldn't recommend them since it does place a large drain on your battery while parked unless you could take your cooler into your office and plug it in. It does have kind of a loud fan.

I think you should find what you need at Target. I would advise against buying too big of one as it is difficult to maintain temperature unless full.

[donleyk]

Sneezles has an excellent point about the trunk. If I find it necessary to bring a cooler to work I will put it in the car instead and make sure my windows are cracked. (And a towel over the cooler if it's sunny.) My half gallon containers stay probably half frozen by the end of my shift. It's the only thing in the cooler however. If it was packed already I think it would do better.

[travelbug]

We have a few of the Coleman Extreme coolers and they work really well.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=6251A748&categoryid=8580

I think you can find them at Target. Although the smallest one might be too big for your trunk.

You could try one of the soft sided coolers that are collapsible. As long as you're not planning to keep frozen items rock hard, I don't think all day in your trunk is unreasonable, even for a soft sided cooler.

[Laura]

...and there's always the option of using dry ice!

I don't think you are supposed to use dry ice in a confined area (like a car); I could be wrong, but I thought I recalled something about the fumes/gas released being toxic.

[Valerie226]

the plug-in-the- cigarette-lighter coolers only run when the car is running. we use it on vacation when we're driving long days so things would get pretty warm if left all day. if they didn't turn off when you stop driving you'd have a dead battery.
the collapsible fold up coolers are just ok. hard sided coolers insulate much better. we use refreezable blue ice. put a couple on the bottom of the cooler and a couple on top of the food. they aren't big, four are smaller than an ice cube tray. things should stay cool all day. they don't defrost quickly if you use several and make sure the cooler lid is on tight. just stick the blue ice back in the freezer when you get to DBF's.

[cchhbb]

the plug-in-the- cigarette-lighter coolers only run when the car is running. we use it on vacation when we're driving long days so things would get pretty warm if left all day. if they didn't turn off when you stop driving you'd have a dead battery.

As someone who has ended up with a dead battery before due to their plug in cooler, I respectfully disagree. Maybe your model is different than mine, but mine runs all the time (or at least until the battery dies).

[Valerie226]

As someone who has ended up with a dead battery before due to their plug in cooler, I respectfully disagree. Maybe your model is different than mine, but mine runs all the time (or at least until the battery dies).

You know, good point, you're right, you should check before assuming it's OK.
When I bought our cooler asked the salesperson who said there was an extra electrical cut off device you could buy if needed, but that in most vehicles it would shut off. He was a nice guy but probably really didn't know much more than I did! we use it in a 2001 toyota truck, not brand new or full of fancy features. To check, we plugged it in, drove for a while & when we turned off the truck, it went off.
there are so many different vehicles out there that it's probably good not to assume anything and check to make sure it goes off when the key goes off. Dead batteries are a definite PITA.

[Canice]

Thanks, friends. I like the idea of the Coleman Extreme, but indeed it's a lot bigger than I need, so I'll look at other options as well. I think the soft-side would be fine for a picnic, but probably not for an all-day deal (says the sudden expert!). I won't need to keep anything frozen, I'm just thinking about a soup that might have cream in it, a chunk of cheese, maybe some greens or salad dressing or such. I don't know yet, just thinking ahead. One of the great things about Soup 'n' Salad Mondays is that Monday is a GREAT day to not have to deal with deciding what to have for dinner, or do shopping or cooking or much cleaning - so mostly I want to be able to put Monday's soup in the car for the day, along with any other small items. At one job I just brought the soup and salad in and put them in the office fridge, but I don't know yet what the accomodations are, and who wants to be the annoying new person?
As far as heat goes, well, I'll be done with this job before the heat arrives again, but is it really hotter in the trunk than in the car? I would have thought the glass would make it the reverse.

Thanks for the input - I'll check out Target tomorrow, but all thoughts appreciated.

[Canice]

PS: Where's the best place to shop for blue ice?

[Peweh]

PS: Where's the best place to shop for blue ice?

You should be able to get it right in the aisle where you get your cooler; although around here it is kind of a seasonal thing so the selection may not be great. My DH uses a soft cooler to take his lunch to work and when he's forgotten to re-freeze the ice packs he just takes a gallon Ziplock and fills it with ice from our icemaker. Then when he comes home and it's melted he puts the bag of water in the freezer so he can use that again in a pinch.

I was also thinking along the lines of the cooler keeping cold better when it's full, that you could maybe do something like fill a bunch of spring water bottles 3/4 full and freeze and then they would fill the bulk of the space and also be a refrigerant.

[Gumbeaux]

My first question is, do you think that a basic cooler will be sufficient for keeping things like soup or tofu or cheese stable for up to 10 hours?
The Coleman Xtreme® Cooler keeps ice up to 5 days at 90° F. It should have no problem keeping things cool in your car for a few hours.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/images/products/6270-748_200.jpg
PS: Where's the best place to shop for blue ice?
Walmart

[Canice]

Gumbeaux, travelbug suggested there may not be a Coleman Extreme in the (small) size I need - do you have any idea whether I can get something, say, the size of a breadbox? (Haha, to utilize a line from my childhood!) I really like the idea of the Extreme, but I don't need to hold much, and it seems smaller is more efficient for my needs.
Separately, we don't have Walmart where I live, so I guess I'll start with Tarjé - I'll be near an REI tomorrow, but that seems like overkill.

[sneezles]

Most companies that make coolers make them in various sizes so I'm sure that coleman would have the equivalent of the Extreme in a smaller size.

I recommend Igloo coolers because that is what we've used for over 27 years. I do know that it is a Texas based company but I'm guessing it's a national brand too.

This one is an 8qt.
Product Dims: L11.75" x W8.5" x H9.75"
Product Dims: L29.85 cm x W21.59 cm x H24.77 cm
Capacity: 8 Qt. (7L)


http://images.igloocoolers.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1162&g2_serialNumber=1

Sorry when I first repleid I read trunk as truck so imagined you were placing it in the cab of the vehicle. I don't know if the trunk would be significantly ligher in temp than the seating area.

[Gumbeaux]

Gumbeaux,...... do you have any idea whether I can get something, say, the size of a breadbox?


I purchased a Coleman model #6277 at Walmart about a year ago so that I could grocery shop on my lunch hour. I chose the 6277 that it is narrow enough to fit on the floor in front of the back seat because I didn't want the dirty bottom of the ice chest on the seat. (I own a truck, therefor I don't have a trunk) I put freeze packs on the bottom of the chest and then I put a few on top of the groceries. Even in the hot, 100 degree, summer we just had, my groceries were still very cold when I got home. A medium size is good because it will hold enough groceries but still not take too many freeze packs to keep things cool.

[Canice]

Definitely a national brand, and that Igloo sounds just right! So does the 6277, but one thing at a time.

That's so funny about the "truck" Sneezles. Living where you do, I can see why you might see "trunk" as "truck" in my post - enough people driving one, right? But I read *your* post as "trunk"...presumably because I live in an urban area where one rarely sees a truck. Can anyone spell Rorschach test? :p

Gumbeaux, maybe I'll just Google that 6277 and buy one on line - sounds like a great solution to me! And surely I can scare up the blue ice..

[Gumbeaux]

Canice, I think a cooler from this (http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=8530) group would suit your needs. Remember that about a third of the space will be taken up by freeze packs so be sure to allow enough space for them.

[Canice]

Perfect! That's a great collection, Gumbeaux, and one of those will surely be just right - thanks a million for the advice/direction!