Has any tried using a large cooler tote bag in the room?

[frannn]

I just saw a 12 gallon freezer tote bag for $10 at BJs. Its not a typical square/rectangle shape like a foam cooler would be. Its shaped more like a pizza box tote bag, and has that silver insulating stuff inside. I'm just looking to keep leftover deserts and sodas cold overnight, and the fridge swap I was in went belly-up. If I put ziplocs of ice in there, would it keep leftovers fresh? Or should I just ask for an extra bathroom pail, line it with plastic & put the ziplocs of ice in there? The food would in plastic or something. I believe this bag is meant for keeping groceries frozen/fresh in the car if you don't intend to bring them home right away.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I have a few of those bags and they only gurantee to keep the foods at safe temps for 4 hours. I've had ice cream melt faster than that in there and it was packed with other cold stuff for a drive hom from bj's.

I have never tried filling one with ice but it may work if you keep putting ice in there which will keep the bag cold.

 

[fakereadhed]

Since this IS the budget board...

Take the waste basket in your room and fill it with ice. You can use a fresh trash bag(there are usually some extra in the bottom) if you like. Works great and nothing extra to buy or bring with you. Most of the things you want to keep cold are in packaging anyway, so it won't affect the items. Cover the top with a towel to keep it insulated. Refill the ice morning and evening and it will keep things cold.

 

[annsteere]

I've used one several times. It folds flat and fits into my suitcase. I put ice in it and leave it in the bathroom.

We've kept milk in there for 5 days to avoid renting a fridge at PoP.

It worked perfectly for the first few trips. This last time the seams began to slowly leak. It worked well enough to keep our milk but I was glad it was sitting on the bathroom floor and not in the middle of my bed.

 

[simonsmom]

I've used one many times -it will not keep anything frozen but it will keep them cold. Yes they do tend to leak of you just put ice cubes in,but if you put the ice in ziplocs first it should be fine!

 

[Sammy]

We use a collapsible cooler with a zip-out waterproof liner. Filled with ice, it has kept everything verrrry cold, doesn't leak, and folds flat in the luggage. We got it at BJ's (warehouse club), but I've seen them in Target or even at Amazon.com. I think the brand I have is California Innoventions.

 

[lizzygreen]

We've used a soft sided cooler - it kept things cold - refilled it with ice morning and night and kept a half gallon of milk and other stuff cold. It did leak at the seams, so we kept it in the tub when we weren't using the tub.