BajaNomad

block ice vs. 12volt koolatron

khargis - 10-30-2011 at 06:44 PM

hey folks, been workin our way down from oregon the last couple months and almost gettin ready to cross over and making final trip checks. anna and i have been contemplating whether to invest in a 12volt cooler or just hope for ice. what is the word down south as far as availability for block ice? thanks!

David K - 10-30-2011 at 07:01 PM

If you are driving every day or have a solar battery charger for when you are parked, the Koolitron is nice (or FridgeFreeze better). Otherwise, your battery will be drained by the Koolitron (ask me how I know this, LOL).

khargis - 10-30-2011 at 08:03 PM

yes yes, i failed to mention that i put in a aux. deep cell battery that i have an inverter hooked up to,

BajaDanD - 10-30-2011 at 09:22 PM

Plenty of places to get ice just dont eat it.

BajaBruno - 10-30-2011 at 10:27 PM

It's been a few years, but my experience was the same as David K. I made the mistake of leaving a 12volt cooler plugged in overnight and it totally flattened a truck battery. Since then, I've gone to ice.

chinolbz - 10-30-2011 at 10:45 PM

My inexpensive 12v cooler only cools 30-40 degrees below outside temp. Not good enough for meat or beer on a hot Baja afternoon. I purchased an Engle and couldn't be happier. I keep it at 34 degrees and it only draws 2.5 amps. Chino

Marc - 10-31-2011 at 06:20 AM

Mulege & Loreto are easy for block ice.

Pompano - 10-31-2011 at 06:46 AM

I have an Engle that cools the beer down and 'stays cool', too...but that's a big expenditure...AND a block of ice is almost free and will last 2-3 days (if you keep her from opening the dang lid every 15 minutes). Blocks are readily available in most towns over a couple thousand. Storeowners often freeze the 1 gallon water jugs for the tourist/camping market.

Search and ye shall find the block ice.

tiotomasbcs - 10-31-2011 at 06:49 AM

Big ice house here in Todos Santos. Out N of San Jose near the aeropuerto there used to be one, too. 5 day coolers will actually last 5 days if you're careful! Tio

GO COMPRESSOR FRIDGE

Borregoman - 10-31-2011 at 07:28 AM

By all means....go buy a compressor fridge, such as a Waeco, Engle or ARB, it was by far the best $800 I have ever spent.

NEVER have to worry about ice again.

khargis - 10-31-2011 at 04:03 PM

thanks yall for the info!

BornFisher - 10-31-2011 at 04:18 PM

Last time I bought ice from the casa de hielo, I got 1/2 of an iceberg for $2! Filled my huge cooler so full I couldn`t get anything in there!

MMc - 10-31-2011 at 04:19 PM

With a good Ice chest (Extreme or Marine) and a some closed cell foam you good to go for 4-6 days no problem. Put the drinks in another chest. The cooling down of drinks and opening up the chest are your killers. We add salt to the drink chest to super cool the drinks. Ice is available just about anywhere there is power full time.

[Edited on 10-31-2011 by MMc]

Bugman - 11-1-2011 at 12:34 PM

I did the ice thing for years and finally purchased an Engel fridge/freezer 5 years ago. It was a big expense but sure wish I had bitten the bullet and done that sooner. That being said, you can get block ice and it is usually cheap but you may have to do some hunting for it. :cool:

Phil S - 11-1-2011 at 12:42 PM

The only ice I had found over the years in the 'easy search' was in the tiendas was cube ice in plastic bags. Guess I've got to look for an Eagle if I'm going to continue to drive back & forth for the next ten or twelve years. I'm sure I will stop driving when I reach the 'big 90 years'!!!! Anyone ever had any trouble getting car insurance after you reached 90 (Baja insurance that is)

defrag4 - 11-2-2011 at 01:12 AM

I recently picked up a 12v fridge, looking at the price of the ARB/ENGELs I decided to go with a Waeco CF-13, only $315 and can hold plenty of beer/food/wine for 2 for a few days. It about the size of small cooler. I am loving it. It has an auto-shutoff if your battery drops below a certain voltage so you dont wind up stuck.

Here is the one I got http://www.americanrvcompany.com/Dometic-CF-018DC-CF-18-Waec...

I believe they recently got bought out by Dometic but they are Waecos from Australia

mcfez - 11-2-2011 at 07:11 AM

Ice rules! Everything is crispy cold.

Here's a tip I do when on the road: Pile all of your sleeping bags around that cooler box......that ice will be there till dooms day!

Hook - 11-2-2011 at 08:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MMc
With a good Ice chest (Extreme or Marine) and a some closed cell foam you good to go for 4-6 days no problem. Put the drinks in another chest. The cooling down of drinks and opening up the chest are your killers. We add salt to the drink chest to super cool the drinks. Ice is available just about anywhere there is power full time.

[Edited on 10-31-2011 by MMc]


I would not put all marine ice chests in the same category as the Extreme or Max category. Extreme and Max are proprietary names for Coleman and Igloo, respectively. It's their five day line.

I recently bought about a 40 quart Igloo Marine chest and it was very inefficient on my last summer trip. I measured it's side walls and it was 3/8" thinner than my old Igloo Legend of virtually the same size. Maybe they are using better insulating materials, you say? Not in my experience.

I'm going true Extreme or Max next. Prefer Igloo, as they seem to make better hinges and handles.

I have an Engel style, too. It's great for food or freezing fillets. But I am a firm believer in having an ice chest solely for non-dairy drinks. Something you can open and close to your hearts content.

An Engel style cant do it all. Not enough room, too inconvenient in how it organizes things; vertically. Plus, the temp of cold beer is not a good temp for many veges, especially leafys.

And, yes, you're committed to a solar assist, a separate battery or running some type of genny/alternator every day.



[Edited on 11-2-2011 by Hook]