cooler cozy: mylar-faced denim insulation & duct tape

[working on it]

* While loading up for my 3-day excursion to Cleburne State Park starting tomorrow, I was struck by how hot the weather still was (last week was much cooler), and that I've never had to depend on my ice chests/coolers for more than two days. Even at my last camping trip, to Beaver's Bend last April, the weather was cooler, and still my ice pretty much melted. My primary coolers are Coleman Extremes, but I also use a couple of Igloo Cubes (which aren't quite as well insulated). I expect all my ice to go away after 48 hours.

* I thought about other posts, where people had used blankets or quilts to shield the coolers from the sun, and others that bought or made custom cozies to insulate with. I looked around the garage, and found enough leftover "Ultratouch Denim Insulation" to make a cozy with (previously bought by me to insulate my trailer ceiling-didn't need to- and later, to make a sound blanket for my generator- inadvertently left outside and destroyed by dogs!). from another post:

I made a "sound blanket" to cover my TTT generator, of the Ultratouch insulation (blue denim mulched insulation with Mylar facing), and it worked ok, but I never made a good mounting for it.

* I didn't have enough leftover to re-make the sound blanket, but just enough to make a cooler cozy from it. And a piece for it to sit upon, to insulate the bottom (I use an elevated stand). I used leftover foil (duct) tape (from my A/C exhaust ducting project) to tape it together. Once I had the seams joined, I realized that I had taped it up too tightly for an easy slip-fit. I had to struggle to put it over the cooler, or remove it, but it'll be a good test for the material. I'll find out soon. Y'all see it tomorrow; have a good laugh at my redneck engineering!

[JuneBug]

Yup, the eternal Texas September problem -- we always forget that September is still an extension of summer.
Hope the weathers been dry for you. Lots of rain down here in Austin and we're thankful for it.
Let us know how your cooler cozy works!

[working on it]

Yup, the eternal Texas September problem -- we always forget that September is still an extension of summer.
Hope the weathers been dry for you. Lots of rain down here in Austin and we're thankful for it.
Let us know how your cooler cozy works!

* You're right...hot and humid. The denim/mylar cooler cozy got (almost) the full test. I uncovered it to see the result after only 70 hours, not 72. When I arrived at the park, I set up my cooler stand, topped up the ice, and covered it (the cooler sat on another layer of the same insulation; no spot was exposed to the sun/wind etc.). The cozy was never removed, nor the cooler opened during the test.

the experiment that failed.jpg (54.33 KiB) Viewed 473 times

just cool water at 72 hours.jpg (81.94 KiB) Viewed 473 times

* Obviously, I need to try another approach! However, I'm going to retain the cozy...it has to be helping somewhat; the water and drinks were just the right temperature for slammin' one down (too bad it wasn't beer, just tea...I quit beer 30 years ago!)