5 shot group
WKR
Until somebody buys me a nice roto molded cooler or I win won, I will be using the cheaper models. My complaint with them has always been that they never seem to hold ice as long as advertised. So, I decided to see what mods I could do to try and improve that.
I started with an igloo polar 120 quart. I then added some ¼ weather stripping and some latches to pull the lid down tight and form a seal.
Next up was the hinges. Some pieces of fire hose precut was sourced from amazon and came with stainless steel screws.
For the inside, I used reflectix. Think of this as a roll of bubble wrap with a reflective film on both sides. It insulates very well and it is what I use for my diy coozie for cooking my dehydrated meals. Foil tape was used to secure the reflectix to the lid as I originally had it just setting on top of the ice and it worked very well, but I prefer this method more. Duct tape can be used to join the pieces together, but I found it doesn't do so well after sittling in water for days at a time. The other pieces were made to pull out to keep cleaning easy. The bottom piece just lays flat on the bottom, unsecured. The insert is also tall enough that when the lid closes, it folds in and sits against the piece on the inside of the lid, helping to try and ensure as much of the inside is insulated as possible
The lid strap was also replaced with a piece of ⅛ inch stainless steel cable.
The latest piece i added was a pvc grate. I got tired of having meat and my meals ending up in a pool of water in the bottom. This was made with 1 inch pvc for a total of 2 inches of lift. It was cut to give a ½ inch clearance on all sides when installed. The grate keeps everything well above the drain plug and means there is no need to have the cooler tipped to one side to ensure it drains enough to keep things out of the water. Again, being removable makes cleaning easy.
Overall, I figure it keeps my ice another 2-3 days from what it originally did. I have since purchased another cooler and have done all of the same mods except for the reflectix, as my local Ace hardware was out.
I plan on doing a test on the ice longevity between the 2 to see just how much the reflectix actually does and if it is worth it, as its the most expensive piece of this project.
Here is a price breakdown:
Igloo polar 120 qt cooler $57
Latches $5 for 2
Weather stripping $1 (dollar store find)
Hinges $13
⅛ steel cable $1 for 2 feet
⅛ cable ferrule $3 pack of 4 (2 needed)
Reflectix $24 for 8 feet of 24" tall (cut from a bulk roll)
Foil tape $6
Total: $110
So for around a $100, I have a cooler that does pretty well for me.
I started with an igloo polar 120 quart. I then added some ¼ weather stripping and some latches to pull the lid down tight and form a seal.
Next up was the hinges. Some pieces of fire hose precut was sourced from amazon and came with stainless steel screws.
For the inside, I used reflectix. Think of this as a roll of bubble wrap with a reflective film on both sides. It insulates very well and it is what I use for my diy coozie for cooking my dehydrated meals. Foil tape was used to secure the reflectix to the lid as I originally had it just setting on top of the ice and it worked very well, but I prefer this method more. Duct tape can be used to join the pieces together, but I found it doesn't do so well after sittling in water for days at a time. The other pieces were made to pull out to keep cleaning easy. The bottom piece just lays flat on the bottom, unsecured. The insert is also tall enough that when the lid closes, it folds in and sits against the piece on the inside of the lid, helping to try and ensure as much of the inside is insulated as possible
The lid strap was also replaced with a piece of ⅛ inch stainless steel cable.
The latest piece i added was a pvc grate. I got tired of having meat and my meals ending up in a pool of water in the bottom. This was made with 1 inch pvc for a total of 2 inches of lift. It was cut to give a ½ inch clearance on all sides when installed. The grate keeps everything well above the drain plug and means there is no need to have the cooler tipped to one side to ensure it drains enough to keep things out of the water. Again, being removable makes cleaning easy.
Overall, I figure it keeps my ice another 2-3 days from what it originally did. I have since purchased another cooler and have done all of the same mods except for the reflectix, as my local Ace hardware was out.
I plan on doing a test on the ice longevity between the 2 to see just how much the reflectix actually does and if it is worth it, as its the most expensive piece of this project.
Here is a price breakdown:
Igloo polar 120 qt cooler $57
Latches $5 for 2
Weather stripping $1 (dollar store find)
Hinges $13
⅛ steel cable $1 for 2 feet
⅛ cable ferrule $3 pack of 4 (2 needed)
Reflectix $24 for 8 feet of 24" tall (cut from a bulk roll)
Foil tape $6
Total: $110
So for around a $100, I have a cooler that does pretty well for me.
