Do we need packed ice to keep this cool, is this really effective?
36956
Does not hurt to use frozen ice packs. I would not use regular ice as it is not water proof. I kept the items in the trunk ofy car and it did a good job keeping things cool with ice packs.
36957
Like any Styrofoam cooler, if you want to keep something cold, you will need to add ice or some other frozen product to keep food or liquid cold.
36958
I believe this was advertised as being able to be used "ice free"; however, I bought it as a Christmas gift for my daughter and I purchased the ice pack to go with it so she could use it either way. I know she wanted to use hers when she goes to farmers markets. If I purchased one for myself,, I would buy the ice pack, also, as extra assurance that my items stayed cold.
1355839
The chill thing works by the evaporation of air from the material. If you - or a baby - sit on it, there is no evaporation and all you get is damp. Something actually cool already, like a gel pack that you put into the freezer or fridge, would be better for cooling something where there is no air circulation.
72082
It does work with ice, but it's just not very good to cool an entire room. You would have to have it pointed straight at you and the ice melts quick. I would invest in a regualar AC unit, this thing isn't worth the money.
240500
If you fill with cold water it will be cool. Because it's capacity is so large, it will remain cold or hot for a longer time. Remember it's also heavier.
832036
I just stick one of those blue ice packs in the mesh pocket in carrying case. And I don't know if it helps much but I keep the carrying case in the freezer (when I remember). I've tried putting the stainless steel case in the fridge to pre-chill it, but that makes it sweat. I've heard of people packing it the night before and putting it in the fridge, but maybe that's a different climate (it's humid here). I haven't tried it because I'm afraid it would make a sandwich soggy. The ice pack works great though.
2066771
I usually put ice in it. It is not insulated, so it won't keep them cold for a long time.
1774369
Hi Glenda, There is no mention on the package or their website the need for an icepack so I'm assuming no. I haven't used it with an icepack. I put a small (50mL) glass Pigeon bottle containing water in the fridge for a few hours and when it was cool enough, I placed it inside the insulator bag and made sure it wasn't opened for an hour. After 1 hour, I checked on the bottle and it was still cold. 3 hours from when I first took out the bottle from the fridge, it was cool but not as cold as when I first put it in the insulator. What I am using is the medela cooler - I find it very handy. The cooler that it comes with is made in such a way that it contours the bottles which makes them stay in place during travel and separates the bottles from one another which is perfect for glass bottles. The only negative to it is that it takes up more space than the Tomme Tippee Insulated Bottle but as far as I'm concerned, if the breast milk is cold for as long as I need it, it can take as much space as it wants. Hope this reply reached you in time.
1657295
Sorry, no. We don't use it much. Ours doesn't stay cool as long as reported. If you have to clean yours it's obviously working for you.
1608195
Probably not, without a heat source. When using it as a cooler we must use ice as an agent for cold.
1049738
No you don't need to put ice in it but you can if you really want things to stay cold . There are no ice pack included but I already had some and I use them due to my lunch cooler sits in my work truck and with the Texas heat it helps keep things cold.
164041
well by the time the shipment got to me the icepack had melted. But that never seemed to alter the effectiveness. I suggest you use an icepack for as far, or as long as possible until you reach your destination :)
464058
I've not needed, thankfully, in negative temps. but I've had it with me and I'd tend to believe it will function, of course I keep it accessible so body warmth will keep it from possible freezing, if its "packed" then whats the point of having it?
78841
It depends on what kind of cool packs you use. Their really is not any insulation behind the linner so you will need some type of cool pack to keep it cold. Otherwise without cool packs the answer is yes.
2226001
I agree with jsto's comments....I never thought to put ice in their with the water. I'll will try that. I bought that unit for my enclosed patio because I didn't want to have a hole in my patio for draining.
1777561
It probably depends on it you put ice in it. My ice water keeps ice in it at least 6 hours. I never use it without ice so I hope I helped in some way. It also depends if it is in a hot environment. But it does have good insulation. :)
1281108
In the owners manual that comes with your machine it suggest that you chill the metal cylinder, and the beverage that your going use. I've put the metal cylinder in the freezer and have not waited or very long for whatever I'm going to have to slush up.
398556
Yes, it's a completely air tight cooler that works very very well. We shipped something UPS overnight not knowing if the freeze packs would stay frozen. They stayed frozen for three days!