Ice packs for coolers

[sparis]

Hi all,

So our trip is getting super close. Yay! And we're planning to check a soft sided cooler and wondering if anyone has tips on the best icepacks. There seem to be so many - ideally we'd packs that would allow s to keep stuff frozen the whole trip (we're traveling all the way from Rochester, NY), so we can pop right back into a freezer, but if that's just not possible, at least keep it cold and unspoiled.

Also we're plannin on the polar bear 12pack soft sided cooler - and to bring in it (some steaks, some pork chops, so homemade sausage and maybe some chicke and then some lunch meats, yogurt, etc...to fill it in) and wondering is it big enough? Should we be thinking about the 24-pack size? Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Can't wait to be on island, though hoping the rain activity being forecasted for the next week or so calms down by the time we arrive in the last week and half of the month. Also hoping of not too muych skeeter activity, they just love me.

[jaq w]

It depends...

Carry-on or checked.

If your going to carry it on, you can't use those blue ice packs, and you can't take yogurt.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/holiday.shtm

Last time, I checked my cooler pack with frozen meat without any additional "ice" and everything stayed frozen solid (1.5 hr ground travel, 1.5 hr on the tarmac - Newark was doing a Homeland Security test - and 3 hr in air)

[augie]

For what it's worth - we took a 24 can size Polar Bear cooler, filled with frozen food, and topped off with a block of cheese (not frozen) and carried it on with us.

At the villa, 12 hours later, you'd never have known that the meat had ever been taken out of a freezer.

Keys were to freeze the meat solidly ahead of time, pack the cooler so that there wasn't a lot of air space in it, and open it very little, if at all (we had sandwiches to eat in the terminal on top or else I wouldn't have had to open it even once).

If you're checking a cooler, or putting a cooler in your checked luggage, I recommend Techni-Ice. It takes up less room and weighs less than most of the blue-ice packs, and works really well.

[Barb Y]

I second the vote for techni-ice. It has worked beautifully for us many times flying out of JFK. Everything stayed rock solid for at minimum 12 hours. Best prices are usually on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... 4arvs8z7_e

Get the island ready for us we have a group of 18 from Rochester going down in June. Can't wait. Have a great time!

[sparis]

Thanks all. Good tips. I'd prefer to bring the food on the plane, BUT, Think we're going to check it because between two garment bags that we don't want to risk checking and a laptop the carry-ons are sort of filled.

Thanks for the tips on the best ice packs and coolers. And Barb Y - 18 from Rochester - wow - that's a big group - You'll probably be arriving as we leave. But given your from the area - I know you can't wait to get away - starting to wonder if it is ever going to warm up

[Barb Y]

At very least we can count on it warming up while we are on STJ. There is no guarantee that we won't have snow when we get home though. Have a great time!

[sparis]

Barby Y- true and true - but don't even say snow . Its sad too as this past Saturday was so beautiful and I kept thinking Spring is here and then suddenly its 40 and raining again. April is over, time for no more showers and lots of flowers. Fingers crossed not a lot of rain in St. John...I'm so very sick of grey skies. Have a great trip yourself. Thanks for the tips.