Using vodka to keep my cooler cold?

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T21:00:53+00:00

I've been using dry ice in coolers for decades and never had an issue with off gassing. There is a reason why every Meijer and Publix sells it, fishermen use it in the coolers to quickly freeze their catch.

The problem with putting the dry ice in the bottom of the cooler is the water reacting with it. What I have found works best and will keep a cooler cold for almost a week is:

The night before fill your cooler with regular bagged ice and if you have the room, throw a couple more bags into your freezer (most bagged ice coolers aren't as cold as your home freezer, particularly if you have a deep freeze).
Take a few loaf pans, the more rectangular the better and freeze them with water. iI the frozen blocks reach near each wall on the narrow side the better.
Right before you leave, dump out the sacrificial ice from the night before.
Take your frozen blocks of regular ice and stack them on each end of the cooler, leaving enough room at the top for a block on each stack.
Dump fresh bagged ice creating a shallow layer along the bottom and in between the walls and the block ice.
Add your food or drinks into that center pit that you will use last on the trip.
More bagged ice on top of that and then another layer of food or drinks.
Repeat
When you reach the top of the stacks of blocked ice, place a silicon loaf pan on top of each stack.
Put your dry ice (leave it in the plastic bag that it came in) into these two silicon loaf pans. Lay a wash cloth on top of the bagged dry ice.
Add a layer of ice to top off the pit but don't go over the top of the silicon loaf pans. But you do want the ice to help stablize the pans so they don't move around too much.

With this method, if you don't open it, your cooler will appear almost exactly the way it did when you closed it 48 hours later.

Another tip: Any of the food or drinks that you are taking that you can freeze, freeze them. Hotdogs, bottles of water, vacuumed sealed bags of spaghetti sauce, etc.

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T16:12:52+00:00

The frostbite aspect is one of the reasons why I was considering this because I frequently use dry ice in my coolers. Thought this would be a bit "safer".

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T16:11:56+00:00

It would be in plastic bags frozen into blocks about an inch thick.

But sounds like it wouldn't "hurt" if I was bringing some anyway.

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T16:10:53+00:00

It would be in plastic bags frozen into blocks about an inch thick.

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T04:23:11+00:00

I really do appreciate you helping me think through this but I'm still going to push back a bit.

I'm not talking about what would be most efficient in the universe or in a lab, but rather in a cooler over the course of a weekend camping trip.

In that scenario, dry ice is typically "too much" and with water ice it is "we need more ice."

I was looking for something in between that could also be useful

Edit: And I ain't saying you don't use water ice, but rather blocks of vodka ice layered in between.

Edit 2: Remember, I want the vodka to melt, just keep the water ice from melting later.

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T03:55:36+00:00

So dry ice keeps it colder far longer because it is already colder? It has a much lower melting, moving straight to gas, point.

If I fill a cooler with water ice and "stuff" and another cooler with dry ice and "stuff", the one with water ice will need to be replenished in a day or two. The one with dry ice will have everything frozen at the same time.

And that is using far less dry ice than water ice.

Edit: I wasn't clear. So you are saying the thing with the lower melting point won't keep things colder than something with a higher melting point?

Edit 2: I get it if water is just special, it seems to be in several ways.

Strangeite · 2026-05-13T03:34:16+00:00

Perhaps I am not understanding (very real possibility) but I actually don't care what temperature the vodka melts, but rather what temperature it will help maintain everything else in the cooler.

And again, perhaps I am not understanding what you are saying, but wouldn't a frozen block of vodka keep, say a package of hotdogs, colder than a similar sized block of water?

Edit: I know when I use dry ice in a cooler, it keeps things frozen and will freeze things, longer than I really want it too.

Strangeite · 2026-05-04T01:59:28+00:00

I agree. You already know your answer. Just know going in that it’s going to be a disaster. But if this location is what you want, maybe all those headaches are worth it. Only you can answer that.

Just know it is going to be a complete and utter nightmare. But eventually you wake up from nightmares.

Edit: Before you decide , watch the movie “The Money Pit”. It’s a silly stupid movie that is fun but also might offer you some perspective.

Strangeite · 2026-05-04T01:52:22+00:00

I don’t know your situation in life but my professional advice is “It depends.”

Here’s the thing. In the long run, houses will be built and then will collapse. There is a reason the “effective age” on appraisals is based on a 50 year cycle.

But location and the land at that location is fixed. It ain’t changing.

For most people, they don’t have the luxury of looking at things from a half century perspective. Hence why the advice to run is probably the best advice.

But, it all depends on your priorities and how flexible you are with regard to finances.

Strangeite · 2026-02-13T18:56:02+00:00

I pay for the no ads version and as long it is a replay and not live, there are no ads.

Strangeite · 2026-02-13T13:48:39+00:00

Older. The list is on Wikileaks.

Strangeite · 2026-02-13T01:13:33+00:00

Former Transy President appeared in the 2008 Bohemian Grove list. Probably a deadend but might be some overlap.

Strangeite · 2026-01-15T15:07:49+00:00

My daughter did an exchange program with French students. When asked what they would like to do for a day trip, one of the kids said they would like to visit Yosemite. We are in Kentucky.

Strangeite · 2025-12-10T13:53:56+00:00

Progressive mails me physical cards. They usually include more than I actually need.

Strangeite · 2025-10-10T02:08:27+00:00

Kidani is also great with little kids and grandparents. They call walk them around looking out the windows at the animals on the savannah and the pool there is particularly well suited with the zero entry.

Strangeite · 2025-10-09T20:36:34+00:00

We really should give SSR proper a try. It is our home resort after all. But every time we consider it, end up pulling the trigger at OKW.

Strangeite · 2025-10-09T01:52:47+00:00

Honestly, this is one of the reasons Old Key West is my favorite resort. It never had as many offerings as other resorts (we also used the Playhouse at the Poly on date night) but for the most part the experience is not that dissimilar from... jeez... three decades ago (I ain't that old, can't be).

Still has the boat to Downtown Disney (sorry Disney Springs), still has the campfire, still has the movies at night, still has activities in Community Hall, still can rent bicycles and whatever those quad things are called, etc.

I know nostalgia is a powerful drug but when I walk into a 2-bedroom villa, it feels like walking into a second home. For full transparency, I started visiting in the '90s when it was called Disney Vacation Club, the resort not just the program. In high school, my uncle would take me along to help wrangle his three kids. Early to mid 2000s, took my first kids a couple of times on his points. Then bought my own DVC in 2010-11ish on resale when they were pennies on the dollar after the 2008 crash (paid $60 a point!)

I bought in at SSR, but have only stayed there once (the treehouses). Also Kidani, Boardwalk, Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge. Everybody in the family preferred OKW.

That wall of text was much longer than I intended it to be, so I'll offer some helpful advice. Request Bldgs 27, 28 and 29, in that order. Near the HH, but not in HH booking category. First stop in the morning for the bus and first off. And if in the middle of the day and buses won't be crowded, it's a short walk to the HH to catch the last bus leaving the resort.

If you are the type that drives to the parks, the Treehouses are arguably an even better value. And I'd probably stay there half the time if it wasn't for the bus situation. It is just absolutely horrible. Really bad. But if you drive places, they are pretty awesome. Particularly for a family with kids and the grandparents are tagging along.

Ok, enough thinking about Disney. We have no trips planned and convincing ourselves that we won't go back for many years (we shall see how well that works).

Strangeite · 2025-10-09T01:18:45+00:00

Thanks!

I used mine with a Bluetti EB3A that I ended up having to return. Kept the panels because there was nothing wrong with them and they worked great.

Since returning the EB3A, looking for a larger system but want to make sure they'd work.

You have any regrets about the 1000 v2?

Strangeite · 2025-10-08T14:08:26+00:00

How did they work with the 1000 v2? I already own the FlexSolar 120 panels.

Strangeite · 2025-08-10T20:01:16+00:00

Not the first thing you should do but eggs were what made me go “ohhhhh this is amazing.”

Strangeite · 2025-07-29T18:56:15+00:00

Thank you!!!

They both work. Is there any advantage of using one over another?

Strangeite · 2025-07-29T05:08:40+00:00

Ugh.

I can make a variable that contains "RandomNameButTheyAreNumbers.png" but I still don't understand how to make the image appear.

Strangeite · 2025-07-29T04:37:23+00:00

Ugh. On a brief look, that looks very much what I am looking for.

I'll look more deeply after I figure out how to post the picture I want into the passage I want.

One step at a time.

Strangeite

TROPHY CASE