Ice

[TheSurveyor]

Was getting ready to freeze milk jugs when I thought of something else that may work better but before I go trying something new figure I'd see if someone else has tried it. I was thinking of buying 1gal or 2gal ziplock bags to fill with water and freeze flat. Figure they would pack nice and a guy could layer meat then ice and so on. My concern is that they would leak everywhere after being froze. Has anyone tried this did it work?

 

[duckhunt]

Thats a good idea.

 

[Clawsar]

I would think as long as they aren't too full it should work great. I just mixed up some rock salt and water (1/4c salt to 1 quart water) in old 2L pop bottles and put them in the chest freezer.

 

[TheSurveyor]

Thats what I was afraid of that they would leak after they thawed. Was hoping to reuse as well if I went that route. The milk jugs just waste so much room in the cooler and my deep freeze.
Anyone have any luck with all the new ice packs out there?

 

[duckhunt]

How about flat Tupperware. Just a thought.

 

[Rancho Loco]

They get little nicks when frozen, and then leak like sieves.

 

[TheSurveyor]

Alright thanks for confirming my idea was flawed... guess I'll go back to the tried and true jugs. I might try some of the new refreezeable blocks or gels. Says they out perform ice.

 

[Coyotes-R-Us]

Freeze the bags flat, we use 1/2 gallon bags then re bag them in 1 gal bags ,Leave them in the original bag too. Never had a leaker and had plenty of drinking water later...

 

[Bulldog0156]

Use water bottles.

 

[hank4elk]

I reuse 1/2 gal & 1 gal screw lid milk jugs. Cold fresh well water when needed later too.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I reuse 1/2 gal & 1 gal screw lid milk jugs. Cold fresh well water when needed later too.

Exactly!
Matt

 

[dtrkyman]

I would think they would melt quicker, being flat and thin would not last as long as a block!

 

[zachthebowhunter]

I saw a guy on tv using vacuum sealed bags of water today. Not a bad idea. They are a little tougher than ziplock bags and there is no seal to break like on a ziplock. I will be using blocks of ice from the gas station until i can get a big enough freezer in the apartment to freeze jugs.... Damn college life.

 

[matt meyer]

I just use the small 16oz water bottles. The freeze good, don't leak and still provide water for later. They are also small enough to not take up a lot of space in the cooler and can be moved around.

 

[TheSurveyor]

Well I decided to go the water bottle route. Put 64 in the freezer tonight.

 

[homerj]

Well I decided to go the water bottle route. Put 64 in the freezer tonight.

If you have access to them the bladders that come in the box coffee that people sometimes bring to an office can be frozen to make a huge block of ice that lasts for a long time (4-5 days), and you'll have about 2 gal of water when it finally does melt.



I can only vouch for the bags Starbucks uses, but they are very tough. Mylar construction, sonic welded seams and filler neck, and caps that seal really well. I finally had one puncture after 5 years freezing/thawing, sliding around in the bottom of the cooler, in the trailer, driving on gravel roads etc. I'm not recommending them for this use; but I know several people who've used them to carry extra fuel for long motorcycle rides in the desert. They don't leak even when exposed to gasoline multiple times.

 

[hunt1up]

An obscure word or warning, watch out for expansion of water jugs in the freezer! 2 days ago I put 8 gallon jugs on the top shelf of my upright freezer. They just fit on the shelf and I closed the door. This morning I went down to get some meat out for a get-together tomorrow. I noticed that some of the jugs had a little condensation on them and some hadn't frozen all the way yet. I found some frozen green beans on the top shelf of the door that were a little soft. All my precious game meat was still frozen luckily. I closed the door and realized the seal wasn't full engaging on the door, it was just barely making contact with the freezer. When the water jugs in the front froze, they expanded, pushing against the door! Any further and I would have had a real problem on my hands. I relocated 2 of them to a different shelf and the seal sucked tight like it should. So keep that in mind! I sure didn't.

 

[Beartooth83]

I'm going to order some of these to try. I may get some 1/2 gal jugs as well to allow packing into smaller spaces. Milk jugs just seem to waste so much space. I think the F-style jugs will pack in the cooler a little better.

http://www.uline.com/BL_8174/F-Style-Jugs

 

[J Deck]

I always use the 2 1/2 gal water jugs. They are rectangular and stack much better. They seem to stay frozen longer as well.

 

[tim629]

if you try the bag idea go with the Hefty Brand freezer bags. when I was feeding the in-laws calves that is what we found was the strongest bag that wouldn't leak when thawing out colostrum. the last batch I got for home has been a bad box but that is in the zipper and you will see it before you fill it