Do Cooler Bags Need Ice?
Cooler bags are more lightweight than hard sided coolers making them perfect for adventures of all sorts. But do they need ice in them to keep things cold or can they work just fine ever without ice?
Yes, cooler bags need ice to work properly. Although ice is not mandatory to keep your food or beverages cold adding ice or ice bricks to your cooler bag will keep your items colder for longer.
Usually I recommend ice bricks in your cooler bag as opposed to loose ice because loose ice in a cooler bag can cause leaks.
Most of the time I use ice packs or at least ice packs, but sometimes I use them without ice and they work fine. The key is knowing when to use ice and when to get away without it.
Many factors will determine whether you need to use ice in a cooler bag:
Quality of the cooler bag
External temperatures
How often you open your cooler
How long you need to keep things cold
How cold you want things to be
How cold items start out
With these factors in mind, you can increase the time your cooler bag stays chilled, and know whether or not you need to use ice.
With these factors in mind, you can increase the refrigeration time of your cooler bag and know if you need to use ice.