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| Ice Chests | |||||||||
| This is an assortment of insulated ice chest and food cooling designs in a wide range of capacities and prices. | |||||||||
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Details on advantages and disadvantages of each type of system can be found below. | ||||||||
| Ice chests are high demand items, because when the refrigeration is gone most food will spoil rapidly. An ice chest can be used as a transitional space to keep you from having to frequently access pre-chilled and insulated devices such as freezers, extending their storage life for a while. Ice chests are portable and have several different designs, which are discussed below and have strengths and weaknesses depending on the type and model. The various advantages and potential uses are relative, whichever solution best suits your needs is important, but having the capacity to store perishible food can make a huge difference, both in the short and long term. Food is a core ingredient to survival and food solutions should be one of the most important aspects to consider when making your contingency plans. Quite simply. Without food you will die. Anything that keeps food available longer extends your life expectancy and reduces the frequency at which you will have to acquire this vital survival necessity. |
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| Hard shell insulated Ice chests | |||||||||||||||||
| Rubbermaid Ice Chest | |||||||||||||||||
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Features Liner Built in insulation Stain and odor resistant hard shell weighs less than 2 pounds inexpensive |
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| Basic Ice Chest | UPC# 071691419853 | ||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 5 quarts | ||||||||||||||||
| This is a perfect example of a basic insulated ice chest. In warm weather it can keep food cold for an extended period of time, although this model has a small capacity (enough for a six pack of cold beverages or a similar amount of meat, food, or other perishables) and some ice. | |||||||||||||||||
| Coolers of this type come in various sizes and the tradeoff is usually size and portability versus capacity. Hard shelled ice chests are bulky, but firm and can be easily strapped onto the back of a small personal vehicle such as a motorcycle or bike. These generally have side handles, and smaller models generally are equipped with a hand carrying strap. Most basic ice chests seal well, and float. In fact ice chests have been known on many occaisions to be used as improvised floatation devices when boats have capsized. |
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| Similar | |||||||||||||||||
| Insulated ice chests | |||||||||||||||||
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Features
Keep ice up to five days in temperatures up to 90-degree F Extra lid and sidewall insulation Convenient no-tilt draining Store up to 82 cans with ice |
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| The Coleman Xtreme insulated ice chest featured above is a heavy duty variant and has a capacity of 14 gallons. This would be suitable for a significant food store and can increase the shelf life of perishible goods considerably. It is bulky and carrying it for significant distances would be challenging, however for a vehicle based or location based system it has the necessary qualities that could be used in a survival situation. By transferring goods from your refrigerator to an ice chest or two, you can extend your immediate food supply for an initial few days. |
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Features
Swing handle, holds a twelve pack of beverages or similar amount of food plus ice Light weight |
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| The personal cooler is enough for a small personal food supply of up to a few pounds of perishibles. Its large enough that it will usually be packed seperately if on a short range outing. Spray paint can effectively camouflage this cooler if necessary. For an extended survival situation you will probably want something larger. | |||||||||||||||||
| Keeping your ice chest cold longer | |||||||||||||||||
| Ice is usually used in ice chests, although they can be kept cold to some degree by placing outdoors on a cold night. Burying a chest in the earth will also add to its insulation value if necessary as earth tends to keep a constant temperature | |||||||||||||||||
| Dry Ice | |||||||||||||||||
| If you are mobile or in an urban setting where digging in the ground may not be practical, you probably should consider investing in a few packages of dry ice which can be kept pre-frozen in the event of minor emergencies such as a power outage. The dry ice and a short term food supply can be placed in the ice chest at the point where the refrigerator absolutely must be opened. Do this quickly and reseal the refrigerator or freezer to maximize its remaining insulation value. If you get larger quantities of dry ice, a side benefit of having them prepared in the freezer is that they will substantially increase the cooling time frame of the insulated freezer. |
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| Dry Ice | Dry ice can be found in cans and plastic insulated packages | ||||||||||||||||
| Dry ice is an excellent alternative to ice, as it is re-freezeable, doesn't melt everywhere and is a compact way to provide cooling power. If you plan on using insulated ice chests for interim food storage or to simply remove food from a freezer or refrigerator to limit the number of times it must be opened. A refrigerator will hold temperature for longer, without power, if it is not accessed frequently allowing cold air to escape. | |||||||||||||||||
| Ice Mats | |||||||||||||||||
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Another cooling solution is to use ice mats, which reduce the potential for water damage to food due to melting ice.
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| Metal Ice chests | |||||||||||||||
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| A metal ice chest with an insulated lid and liner is a high end solution to your food storage needs. These are typically designed to complement an outdoor kitchen and barbeque set up. They have the advantage of being fairly lightweight and tend to be much more durable than their plastic counterparts (styrofoam is also an option, but they are so fragile as to be nearly worthless for extended use). The big disadvantage to this type of model is the price and general low portability (this is usually not a design factor). The solid metal construction does make them relatively easy to secure against foraging animals and they are generally easier to secure against more sophisticated foragers. |
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| Rolling coolers | |||||||||||||||||
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2-stage pullman handle 3 large exterior mesh pockets zip-out insulated cooler compartment exterior front pocket with mesh organization inside smooth roller wheels |
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| Modern rolling coolers use advanced insulating materials in most cases. In practice they are designed for sporting events and other day outings. They can be rolled easily, at least over paved surfaces, and tend to be lightweight. They combine many features of backpacks and cooling systems and have a reasonable capacity for cost ratio. They would be well suited if your position is in an urban area which is generally highly paved. Naturally, they can be carried as well. | |||||||||||||||||
| Bulk goods storage | |||||||||
| Insulated pallet cover | Features | ||||||||
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Used to encase (fully) perishible goods for temperature maintenance. This nylon design has an outer shell which increases reistance to mildew and stain, which keeps aesthetic and health values high. Velcro adjustment and water resistant housing with polyester fiber fill insulation Designed for pallet based supply systems. |
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| An aggressive solution to large stockpiles of food. This may be particularly useful if you don't have access to a root cellar, but are in possession of substantial food stocks. If goods are cold or otherwise temperature sensitive, this can insulate them for a period of time. If you are in an apartment and building a food stockpile, this is a convenient way to create a dark cool atmosphere which can be relatively easily maintained. |
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