Ice Packs That Stay Cold For DAYS

Need to ship a kidney across the country? Have a life saving vaccine that needs to remain cold while traveling to the other side of the world?

Probably not.

But you do most likely have some warm beers that could use some chilling, or a lunch that you would like to actually enjoy come break time. You may also want to share local foods with friends and family that live far away, take a road trip without stopping to eat every few hours, or go camping and have your supplies last as long as you do.

When faced with warm stuff that needs to stay cold, most people will open the freezer to pull out some cubes, and others will resort to some blue pack, or a plastic container that’s frozen. These work alright for short periods of time, but they won’t keep things all that cold, and there are several other down sides too. When freshness is really an issue, or when things need to be preserved for more than a few hours, many people opt for dry ice which can be pretty dangerous, difficult to get, and expensive.

No amount of cubes would be able to sustain that kidney on it’s trip cross country to your half-brother in Nebraska, and the thing would be doing the back-stroke by the time it got there thanks to the pool of water created by the melting ice.

Seriously though… If you did need to ship an organ for transplant, or send perishable items commercially, then something like the sheet in the picture above would be the perfect stuff to use. When placed in a cooler instead of frozen water, it will ensure that the stuff inside remains fresh, and maintains its temperature. Although it was designed with professionals in mind, there’s a whole host of useful applications for us regular folks too.  It works as a dry ice alternative, but you can also use it anytime you would normally use regular bags of cubes or frozen packs.

Keep reading to discover all of the ways you can use this ice alternative to improve your life, and make everyday tasks less annoying. When frozen in a normal freezer, these packs will actually get colder than ice, and once you remove them, they will stay ice cold for DAYS.

Use them to line a cooler and keep food cold, cut to size and use in a lunchbox to preserve your sandwich, or add to a regular brown box to ship food and keep it fresh on a long journey. You can also take advantage of the large flexible sheet to treat sore muscles, areas of bruising, or swollen body parts, and it will provide long-lasting therapy. Once the packs begin to warm or “melt”, there is absolutely no release of water, so you won’t get stuff soggy inside your cooler, and you won’t soak a hole right through that shipping container. Re-freeze Techni Ice over an over to continue using the same sheet time and time again.

How Long Do Regular Ice Packs Last

If you need to keep something cold for several hours, or more than one day, regular cubes and ice packs will never cut it. A Techni Ice sheet can stay cold for days, but most regular versions that you’ll find are only rated to last a few minutes, or maybe up to a few hours. The duration for which ice packs stay cold can vary depending on several factors, including the type of ice pack, the quality of insulation, the surrounding temperature, and how they are used. Here’s a general guideline for different types of ice packs:

1. Reusable Gel Packs: These packs are typically designed to stay cold for about 1 to 2 hours. However, the actual duration can vary depending on their size, the quality of the gel, and the insulation of the container or cooler in which they are placed.
2. Frozen Water Bottles: Filling water bottles and freezing them is an economical way to create ice packs. They can stay cold for approximately 2 to 4 hours in moderate temperatures. The duration can be extended by using larger bottles or double-bagging them to minimize heat transfer.
3. Instant Ice Packs: These single-use packs provide instant cold but don’t stay cold for very long. They typically stay cold for around 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Homemade Ice Packs (Water and Alcohol): Homemade ice packs made by mixing water and rubbing alcohol in a resealable plastic bag can stay cold for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Commercially Available Ice Blankets or Mats: These flexible, sheet-like ice packs are designed to cover and cool larger areas. They can stay cold for several hours, often 3 to 6 hours or more, depending on the product and surrounding conditions.

It’s important to note that the surrounding temperature plays a significant role in how long ice packs stay cold. In hot weather, ice packs will lose their coldness more quickly, while in cooler environments, they may last longer. Additionally, the quality of insulation, such as that provided by a cooler or insulated lunchbox, can extend the duration for which ice packs stay cold.

What About Dry Ice?

Dry ice, which is solidified carbon dioxide (CO2), is extremely cold and sublimates (changes from a solid to a gas) rather than melting like regular ice. Although dry ice will stay cold longer than the regular stuff, it’s also way more risky, harder to purchase and more expensive in comparison. It will work better for shipping perishables and keeping stuff cold for long periods, but it may not be an option that everyone can choose. The duration for which dry ice lasts depends on several factors, including the quantity of dry ice, how it’s stored, and the surrounding conditions. Here are some general guidelines:

1. Amount of Dry Ice: The more dry ice you have, the longer it will last. Larger blocks of dry ice will sublimate more slowly than smaller pieces.
2. Insulation: The better the insulation of the container or cooler in which you place the dry ice, the longer it will last. Well-insulated containers can significantly slow down the sublimation process.
3. Ventilation: Dry ice should be stored in a well-ventilated container or cooler, as it releases carbon dioxide gas as it sublimates. Adequate ventilation prevents the buildup of carbon dioxide gas, which can be dangerous in enclosed spaces.
4. Surrounding Temperature: The temperature of the environment in which the dry ice is stored matters. Dry ice will sublimate more slowly in a cooler environment than in a warm one. For example, it will last longer in a freezer than at room temperature.
5. Usage: Every time you open the container, warm air enters, which accelerates the sublimation of dry ice. Limiting how often you open the container will help it last longer.

In general, dry ice can last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours when used for cooling purposes, such as keeping perishable items cold during transportation or in a cooler. However, the specific duration can vary widely based on the factors mentioned above.

Ice Packs That Stay Cold For Days

When prepared properly, Techni Ice can stay cold for way longer than any other ice pack. They aren’t filled with water or gel like other ice packs are, so they don’t warm as quickly either. The specialized material inside each cell freezes to act just like regular ice, but instead of melting in a matter of minutes, it will easily stay cold and frozen for several hours, or even a few days.

Each sheet has 24 cells. It has a fabric layer on one side, and a plastic layer on the other side. Inside each cell, and in between these layers, there is a non-toxic polymer refrigerant, and that’s where the magic happens. When you get the sheet, you can cut it to any size by separating any number of cells to create a sheet that fits your needs.

It will be totally flat when brand new, but you will saturate it prior to freezing. Once it soaks up water it will become about an inch thick, and it will never release the water. To use it, you simply toss in the freezer and wait for it to get cold. Because it’s not just regular water, it will stay cold for way longer than anything else you’ve used, and when it finally warms up, there will be no pool of water to worry about.

Key Features

1. Can stay cold and frozen for DAYS.
2. Does not turn back to water or leak liquid.
3. Sheets are 11X16 inches and can be cut to size, as small as 2-inch cubes.
4. Totally re-usable.
5. Better than Dry Ice: It’s cheaper, doesn’t evaporate, and it’s non-toxic, so you can use as much of it as you want for shipping perishables. Dry Ice is limited to 5 pounds by the USPS and most carriers.
6. You can freeze it colder than ice, and even colder than dry ice! (if you can get your freezer that cold)
7. The longer you freeze it, the colder it gets — and the colder it makes your freezer. Put enough sheets of Techni-ICE ™ in your freezer, and it makes your freezer cold enough to be a commercial-grade freezer.
8. Also heats in the microwave to use as a heating pack.

Recommended Quantity

• Cooler Bag: 1 to 3 Sheets
• Small Icebox (5 Gallon): 3 Sheets
• Large Icebox (10 Gallon): 6 Sheets or more
• The more sheets used the more days Techni Ice will last. For Optimum Performance: Use 1 sheet of Techni Ice per 2 Gallons of icebox capacity.
• For long-lasting results, always layer the sheets to insulate a middle layer.

Recreational Uses

• RV’s: Use one or two sheets inside your fridge or freezer to reduce energy consumption. Use while power is off to preserve food without consuming energy.
• Camping & Boating: Use as an ice replacement to preserve food and beverages, and keep bait fresh. More compact, lighter, and longer lasting than regular ice.
• Picnics: Keep food fresh all day with a cooler sitting outside, or take advantage of the flexible sheet to ensure that every beverage is ice cold by wrapping one around as you drink.

Household Uses

• Children: Cut to size to keep lunches fresh when kids go to school, or use as a boo boo bag when they fall, or get cuts and scrapes. Freeze for cold therapy, or heat for hot therapy to make children feel better without any medication.
• Shopping: Use in your grocery bags to keep food cold, so you can stay out longer. Get several stops done without heading home, and never worry about melted ice cream.
• Babies: Heat in the microwave to keep a bottle warm, or freeze to keep juice and milk cold.

Commercial Uses

• Transport meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, flowers, pastries, chocolates and more and have them arrive in perfect condition.
• Preserve catered dishes, or food for delivery.
• Take prepared meals and deliver them while maintaining freshness.
• Transport pathology samples.
• Reduce swelling in emergency situations.
• Use as a flexible wrap for injuries. Useful hot or cold depending upon injury.

Veterinary Uses

• Post Op: Use as a flexible heat pack to keep bedding warm and animals comfortable.
• Delivery: Transport pathology samples.
• Horses: Works as a flexible ice pack that can attach and mold to the leg.

Hydration Instructions

1. Place sheet in water (preferably warm) and scrunch sheet while completely submersed to release air bubbles.
2. Allow each sheet to unfold while still submersed so as to absorb water.
3. Techni Ice will expand to a fully hydrated pack, with each cell about 2 inches in width.
4. Massage any lazy cells, which have not expanded.
5. Remove them from the water and towel dry thoroughly. This ensures that any excess water does not become ice on the outside of the sheet during the freezing process.
6. Your Techni Ice is ready to freeze or heat.

To Freeze

Place Techni Ice in the freezer for at least 24 hours for best results. Freezer can be set at the lowest possible temperature during the freezing process for even greater performance. It is recommended that Techni Ice 2 Ply is frozen with plastic facing down to avoid the textile from sticking to the freezer plate or the textile of another Ice Pack.

To Heat

Place saturated sheet in microwave and heat on medium  setting. Check after short time and adjust time as necessary. Continue heating until desired warmth is achieved. Once warmed, carefully remove from microwave to use.

Don’t settle for soggy sandwiches and lukewarm beer at your next picnic, and don’t let that perfectly viable organ go to waste either. You could keep buying bag after bag of cubes at the store, and you could keep dealing with all of the water that builds up inside your cooler afterwards, but why would you want to? These sheets are easier to deal with, they last longer, and many of the common annoyances are totally avoided. Guarantee fresh food, and a dry cooler while eliminating melted chocolate, gooey cheese, warm milk and other gross stuff.

Other Ways To Keep Stuff Cold For Long Periods

Products Mentioned

• Techni Ice