Thread: Ice boxes best and best value

I'm wanting to get some feedback on the best and best value among the various options for Ice Boxes ?

Icey-Tek seem to be the industry standard or any of the other similar products.
Some like Burnsco's are clearly very similar, but a bit cheaper.
They re all talked up in the advertising and I want some real world feedback please.

Wanting it primarily for summer trips to my high country hut and for use in the boat.
I would ideally be able to keep things like beer, milk, cider, butter, beer and cheese etc cold for 3 to 5 days and then still be cold enough to keep fresh trout cold to bring home to the cook.
In the boat it would just be for day trips and keeping a few fish cold on ice.

I just spent last weekend in the Canterbury high country and obviously it was a scorcher .... but the chilly bin I took didn't last much more than a day really.

cheers

I've got a burnsco one. Works pretty good. The key is putting cold stuff in it in the first place. Ie freeze milk, butter, meat etc... and then fill any space with frozen water bottles etc. Then don't open it much.

Anyway, it's a good bin. The catchers are a bit Shit looking, but they have lasted though - I'm surprised by this. Easy to clean to.

I've got this as well as a couple of cheaper ones.



Cannot fault it for insulation but robustness of handles and latches are pretty shit especially considering the price...maybe ok if not a rough prick and dont lift it loaded?

I actually went to buy a burnsco one but they had sold out and I went next step up......for my use(95% boating/fishing 2-3 days max usually just a morning or evening) I wish I got the cheaper more robust burnsco one.

Multiple days is a big ask of any chillybin.key is stacking stuff in order of use and hard freezing anything you can and only opening when nessacary.

Dry Ice can be a good thing but you need to know how to use it.

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Hi Akaroa...I bought one from REPCO a 'GEARUP' 25 litres I think on special bout $70 bucks...and I'm bloody pleased with it..as above freeze anything you can and rather than ice packs or salt-ice or ice I use old milk 1 litre bottles....they are a great shape and after 4 days they still have an ice-block in them...that was last week in the stinking hot Kaimanawas!!!

I bought. Techni-Ice classic 70l about 8 years ago. Gets about 10 days use a year and looks and performs like the day I got it. Handles are moulded into body so no chance of snapping them off when loading into boat or ute etc. At the time they had the thickest walls and lid on the market, something like 70 and 80mm. The lid when closed insets into bin so no chance of air passing through.

Best tips.
Before I go on a big trip is I sit the whole bin packed with frozen food, bait etc in my chest freezer the night before. Makes a huge difference to longevity.

Keep it in the shade, if you can't, put a damp towel over it.

Open it as little as possible. Ie plan and take out what you need for the whole day in the morning.

Use lots of ice. Think they recommend about 15% of volume as ice if you need 3-5 days of cooling.

I'd buy another from them in a heartbeat.

Hope that helps.

You can keep your ice boxes Engel is the way forward gents.

I've got a 90lt Icey-tek and it's bloody good. On a trip to the far north it kicked arse. We had 4 chillys can't remember the brands of the others. Do rememder one was a coleman and one being like an icey-tek but a copy but it couldn't handle ice for more than a day.The icey-tek 4 days and still holding ice without to much trouble. Like others have said it's a bit of prep and not opening the lid every five miniutes. It's a bit of a pissing contest, and most of them are very similar. I use 1 & 3lt just juice bottles that have been frozen, way less mess when they thaw over using ice.
If fishing salt ice lasts longer before melting too.

My k2 keeps salt ice frozen for 4 days. Its the old trade off though, the more you are in and out the faster shit will melt. I try to have a dedicated ice bin and only take from that to top up another bin with al the goodies in it.

Cant remember brand but it's a blue one from hunting and fishing, if meat goes in frozen it stays that way for 3-4days. Am in he market for one a bit bigger so following

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I've got this as well as a couple of cheaper ones.



Cannot fault it for insulation but robustness of handles and latches are pretty shit especially considering the price...maybe ok if not a rough prick and dont lift it loaded?

I actually went to buy a burnsco one but they had sold out and I went next step up......for my use(95% boating/fishing 2-3 days max usually just a morning or evening) I wish I got the cheaper more robust burnsco one.

Multiple days is a big ask of any chillybin.key is stacking stuff in order of use and hard freezing anything you can and only opening when nessacary.

Dry Ice can be a good thing but you need to know how to use it.

Sent from my SM-A320Y using Tapatalk

Ive got that one, keeps my beer cold for three night.....SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET..................

Icey tek for me,
They do a long series which I have which is good for big fish
Also made a squab that clips on the top to make a bench seat

Had my Techni-ice bin for around 10 years now, and it's used mostly on my center console boat (i.e. in direct sunlight all day). Things stay frozen longer in this bin than mates icey-tek and Mitre10 bins.
Handles built into the rim of the bin, so nothing to snap off, 2 stainless steel catches, 2 x bungee catches, so the lid has a tight seal, the lid is recessed into the bin, and there are 2 rows of seals in the lid.
To date I have not seen any other bins with the same amount of features.
They are around the same price as the inferior bins, so in my opinion that makes them great value.
I got a white bin instead of the blue, as it would absorb less heat from the sun.

I have a 70 litre longbox by Iceytek. Use it in the boat, use it travelling the Sth Island. Using it this long weekend as it will keep all food cool. I pre-chill the thing by rotating frozen juice bottles through it a couple of days before departure, then sit said frozen bottles on a galv steel mesh offcut with the food under. (Cold air settles as you know). This kit keep all our food in excellent condition when in the back of Molesworth a couple of years ago.Ice lasts about a week. As bottles thaw, recycle them and buy ice bags from retailers. As they leak lots, I place food in plastic containers to protect from water. Only gripe is the rebated lid takes up about 75mm of vertical space, otherwise excellent.