Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Super coolers , that means lots of Foam ... (thicker the better ) ... so why not make the cooler part of the build , built in , and part of the structure ... You would need a little glassing to make it reliably soak-proof , and a drain ... gotta’ have that ... Like the old timers did , built in “cork” lined iceboxes ... but in foam ... 4” + thick foam should keep ice for a Long time ... and just the idea of a box/beam-like structure that thick , built in , just has to add Significant strength to any area ... strong enough skinned to make a Bench top ... Good place to keep the Beer cold too

i am going to add this to my stash of thoughts for the second build.

A friend of mine has built a couple of commercial fishing boats out of foam. He builds the ice boxes and refrigerated fish holds just like you're suggesting.

Cheers,

Gus

I thought of that while I was building the beverage center on the road foamie. I did actually make a foam lined cabinet in which to put the jockey box, CO2 and keg. While I was building the pieces the thought dawned on me that I could have just made an ice box as you suggested. Oh well, next time!!!!

A built in combination bench and ice chest? That way you can sit and guard the beer so that the bears don't get to it!

I didn’t know Bears liked Beer ... That puts a whole nother' slant on protecting the Cooler eh ?

Hopefully you can throw a bottle or can of watered down american lager a ways into the forest while you keep the good stuff for yourself. Kinda like hiding the good booze from your drunken relatives and saving the good stuff for you and your friends.

Odd, my dog (here we go with the dogs again ) likes Beer , she snuck over to a glass one night when nobody was looking and lapped up most of it before we caught her. Hoser !! ... No problem , she went right to sleep , snoring and farting all night ... Sound familiar ?

Note: Add to List ... cheap beer for the Bears

Just thinking .... If we built the Super Cooler from foam , we wouldn’t really have to fiberglass the inside , we do have to make sure the edges don’t leak though ... so the water goes down the provided drain and nowhere else ... Just a lot of extra work and expense saved ... Many cheap styrofoam coolers survive just fine on the inside , just foam ...

I think this is a fantastic idea. You could probably get away with bedliner material inside and out for leak stoppage.

This little unit here keeps a soda or bottle of water cold right out of the refridgerator for 45 minutes or longer. The walls are about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. IMHO, 3 inches of foam with a nice thick lid would be an awsome cooler.
Frank

Crum, Brilliant idea !!!! Nice tennies' too !

Seems like it’s much easier than lugging a cooler around ... and we could make the walls super thick for even more insulation ... Wonder what the point of diminishing returns is with insulation thickness ?

GPW wrote:Super coolers , that means lots of Foam ... (thicker the better ) ... so why not make the cooler part of the build , built in , and part of the structure ... You would need a little glassing to make it reliably soak-proof , and a drain ... gotta’ have that ... Like the old timers did , built in “cork” lined iceboxes ... but in foam ... 4” + thick foam should keep ice for a Long time ... and just the idea of a box/beam-like structure that thick , built in , just has to add Significant strength to any area ... strong enough skinned to make a Bench top ... Good place to keep the Beer cold too

GPW,

I've been kicking around the idea of building a cooler for awhile. One of my thoughts was to use a one or two (if two compartment) of those cheap Sterlite plastic containers and build a foam structure, like your drawing, around the container(s). After the foam walls are built, and the container(s) installed, I'd flip it over and use some of the foam in can to fill the gap between the foam walls and the sloping sides of the container. (You'd have to use the low expansion can foam like what they sell to use around windows and doors.) Then I'd shave off the excess can foam and install the foam bottom. For the tops, I'd use the lids of the containers inset into a few sheets of foam.

My 2 cents worth.

Take care,
Tom

That’s a Great idea !!!

The lids are first to break. Just build the foam to insert an inch into the container and a flat level surface even with the container lips. Easy opening and better seal with foam extending into the opening.
Edit the above is tossing the lids not using them at all.