Thread: Salt ice

I need to keep salt ice going for a few days at a DOC hut. Better to keep it in the bags in the chilly bin until needed or empty it out the bags before setting off?

I've had mixed results but all tests indicate it doesn't matter if the bag is on or not, some may argue the bag is an extra layer of insulation. I have found it negligible.

The real ice keeper is a good bin with good seals and no going in or out, if you want to use it for drinks etc then open it once, get what you need and close it. Its the in and out that kills it.

So I would take an extra bin for drinks etc and only enter the ice bin when needed.

Thanks Gibo. It's just for fish. Icey-Tek should do the job.

Originally Posted by MB

I need to keep salt ice going for a few days at a DOC hut. Better to keep it in the bags in the chilly bin until needed or empty it out the bags before setting off?

While I cannot answer that specifically, I do know if you can keep it 'dry' it will last longer. An old trick we used with bottles was to open the lid and leave them so they drained as they thawed. And water thaw would drip out the bottom.

If you want to try it try this Freeze to blocks of ice in plastic mugs Put one on the drip tray rack over the sink and leave the other in the cup. You should find that the one on the rack will still be a smaller chunk of ice well after the other has thawed into water in the cup. Younger brother used to get a week or more on stewart island with big blocks of ice that were drained....

Originally Posted by timattalon

While I cannot answer that specifically, I do know if you can keep it 'dry' it will last longer. An old trick we used with bottles was to open the lid and leave them so they drained as they thawed. And water thaw would drip out the bottom.

If you want to try it try this Freeze to blocks of ice in plastic mugs Put one on the drip tray rack over the sink and leave the other in the cup. You should find that the one on the rack will still be a smaller chunk of ice well after the other has thawed into water in the cup. Younger brother used to get a week or more on stewart island with big blocks of ice that were drained....

Chilly bin has drainage plugs, so nothing to lose by tipping off the snow melt. Thanks.

Freeze the chilly bin by putting in a freezer/cold room before you put the salt ice in too, a lot of melt happens by getting a warm chilly bin down to the ice temperature.


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And for goodness sake keep it in the shade (or even better a creek) am amazed at how many folks forget the sun moves therefore shadows move during the day.....

I use plastic water bottles filled with salt water then freeze. Get a good 5 days out of them in my icy tech

I have a big chilly bin, but an even bigger freezer, so that sounds like a plan

Doc hut eh??? North of you?

There's a few in the north. Don't get too excited, it's not a hunting trip, it's a family trip plus a bit of fishing to keep the troops fed.

Originally Posted by MB

There's a few in the north. Don't get too excited, it's not a hunting trip, it's a family trip plus a bit of fishing to keep the troops fed.

Good ski parking?

Originally Posted by MB

There's a few in the north. Don't get too excited, it's not a hunting trip, it's a family trip plus a bit of fishing to keep the troops fed.

Lane’s cove?


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I’d be putting salt water into coke bottles and freezing them they last for days and nothing gets wet.

Originally Posted by 2post

I’d be putting salt water into coke bottles and freezing them they last for days and nothing gets wet.

I use the Puhoi plastic milk bottles filled with sea water, they are quite square and stack reasonably well.. I seem to get plenty of spaces with coke bottles. I use a blue and green cap system, the green cap signifies salt water, the blue caps are fresh water which i can drink... Apparently salt ice has a much lower salt content than sea water hence the sea water which should last longer ?