We are still using ice packs and freezing them and quite happy with that ..but to save space I bought the plastic squashable cool bags ..but I have the feeling that their insulating qualities are not as good as the old rigid boxes. Anybody got any thoughts on this? We have picked up lots of tips about freezing bottles of water juiced etc which has been great ..but do you think the rigid cool boxes keep things cold for longer???
I subscribed to the Which online? and I checked out their advice on the two different types. I found that they recommned the rigid over the soft. However, they did recommend the California Innovations soft cool bag claiming it was very impressive when it came to keeping things cool. I won't bore you with my story but after a long search I ended up accidently coming across the Cal Innovations bag in John Lewis' for £7.50 (regular price). It's a 36 can bag and is just perfect! It has some very unique feature like a zip in liner and can cooler.
I also bought a 15L Icetime Campingaz rigid box for £6. I thought this would be fine for keeping things cool back at base and then we can use the soft bag for day trips, etc. I'm a little miffed about the size of the Campingaz box because it indicates that you can fit a 2L bottle in it upright which in fact you can't by about 2 cm!!
Just to add that Which? said that most cool bags are basically glorified shopping bags! When I think of some of the ones I've had compared to the the California Innovations one I would say that's true. So don't be tempted by the offers in the supermarkets....I've got about 3 so far!!!
..Ive found that Moppy ...thin foam lining which rips very quickly ..will look out for the california innovations one ..and maybe give a rigid one a trial ..thanks for that
We've had a californian inspriations one and think it's brilliant. With it's handy velcro strips you can make it as big or as small as you want (it goes from a cube to a triangle shape, and when you've finished with it it nicely folds up). Also as it's soft it's flexible enough to get the extra bottle of wine in. Oh, and another thing - it keeps things cool.
I use soft bags as I camp with a motorcycle not a car and it's easier to cart about, the only thing you need to make sure of is that you take extra blocks and rotate them through the site office freezer....if they have one.
I find that the box is better than the bags too, but the coolbags I got free when buying 6 deli items from Marks and spencer work better than the thermos bag that cost about £15.
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Topic: Rigid or soft coolboxes?
