Whether you simply want more space to keep your food and drink cool, or you’re caravanning off the grid without an EHU, a passive ice box is an excellent investment.
There are plenty of passive ice boxes out there suitable for using in your caravan. However, some of them aren’t any good. To take the hassle out of finding a good passive ice box, here’s a list of the top 3:
- Dometic Cool-Ice 43L Passive Ice Box
- Coleman Xtreme 47L Passive Ice Box
- Igloo MaxCold 58L Passive Ice Box
First, I’ll give a brief overview of what a passive ice box is and how one works. Then we’ll get into the reviews of the boxes and I’ll explain what makes each such a good option.
What’s A Passive Ice Box?
There are a variety of ice box types, such as 12V boxes, but this blog post focuses on passive ice boxes. So what’s a passive ice box?
A passive ice box is a cool box that doesn’t require any power source for cooling. Instead, you use ice packs or simply ice to keep the contents cool.
Passive ice boxes are built in such a way that the contents will stay cool for a long time. Ice boxes are insulated, usually with a type of plastic, that slows down the circulation of warm air. Because you pack your ice box with ice and warm air cannot circulate, the box stays cold for a long time (5 – 10 days usually).
So that just about covers what you need to know about passive ice boxes and how they work. Let’s start having a look at the best ice boxes for caravans and camping.
3 Best Passive Ice Boxes For Caravans And Camping
There are hundreds of passive ice boxes out there, some of them not so good. Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent ice boxes for you to choose from. Here are my reviews of the best 3 passive ice boxes available.
Dometic Cool-Ice 43L Passive Ice Box
The Dometic Cool-Ice passive ice box is one of the best boxes out there. Dometic are well-known for their top quality camping and caravanning products, so it’s no surprise their ice boxes are top-notch.
Here’s what I like most about Dometic’s Cool-Ice box.
- Attractive appearance: Ice boxes are pretty ugly, which isn’t really a big deal. But it’s nice to have an ice box that does look good. As far as ice boxes go, Dometic’s looks rather stylish. Basically, it isn’t going to look out of place in your fancy caravan!
- Divider accessories for better organisation: There are several accessories available for the Dometic Cool-Ice box, one of them being dividers. There are baskets and dividers available that enable you to better organise the contents of the ice box. Depending on what you’re storing, these could be really useful. For example, storing different types of drink in alternate compartments.
- Extremely effective insulation: As I said before, Dometic are known for their effective and reliable camping and caravanning products. Dometic’s passive ice box is also very reliable and well-insulated. Contents of the ice box are kept cool for 3 – 5 days depending on how regularly you open it, the way you pack it, and where you store it. Some passive ice boxes won’t cool your items for even a day, so this is an excellent option.
This is an excellent passive ice box; perhaps one of the best that is available. The only thing that might put some people off is the price, as this is a high-end ice box. However, it’s robust, reliable, and has plenty of accessories. Investing in the right ice box and it will last you years.
You can click here to purchase the Dometic Cool-Ice 43L ice box on Amazon today.
Coleman Xtreme 47L Passive Ice Box
The Coleman Xtreme ice box is another excellent passive ice box with a host of notable benefits. Coleman is also a company well-known for its reliable camping and caravanning equipment, so you know your paying for a top quality product. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest advantages of this passive ice box.
- Mobile thanks to wheels and handle: The primary problem with some ice boxes is their lack of portability. In fact, it’s one thing that let down the aforementioned Dometic ice box. Coleman’s Xtreme 47L ice box has wheels as well as a retractable handle. Consequently, the ice box is fully mobile even when the ice box is full. After all, an ice box can be rather heavy once you’ve filled it with ice, drinks, and snacks.
- Extremely effective insulation: The Coleman Xtreme is well insulated, so it’s an excellent option for an ice box. The box has PU foam insulation and is capable of keeping the contents cool for 4 days. As I said before, some passive ice boxes only keep their contents cool for a day or two. Several reviews verify the manufacturer’s claim that the box keeps the contents cool for 4 days (or more, in some cases), so it’s a great option if you’re away on holiday for a few days.
- Large capacity: The Coleman Xtreme has a capacity of 47L, which doesn’t really tell you a lot. However, the manufacturer provides information concerning how much you can store in the box. According to Coleman, the Xtreme is large enough to store 24 1.5L bottles in it. While this all depends on the amount of ice you’re using, that gives you a rough idea of how large the Coleman Xtreme really is.
This an excellent ice box manufactured by Coleman, which is well known for its top-quality camping and caravanning products. If you’re camping or caravanning off the grid, this is a great passive box for storing food and drinks.
If you want to purchase the Coleman Xtreme wheeled cooler, you can click here to purchase it on Amazon today.
Igloo MaxCold 58L Passive Ice Box
Igloo, a well-known manufacturer of ice boxes, have created a superb ice box here. I personally own and use this ice box, so I can attest to its effectiveness and other benefits. Here’s what makes this MaxCold passive ice boxes one of the best.
- Excellent performance: Igloo advertises that the MaxCold passive ice box will keep its contents cool for up to five days. When there’s some ice boxes that won’t keep their contents cool for more than a day, that’s pretty impressive.
- Wheels and telescoping handle: The MaxCold ice box has wheels and a telescoping handle, which makes transporting it so much easier. There are many ice boxes, including a few very expensive ones, that don’t have wheels or a handle. It makes it very difficult to transport the box, particularly when you’ve packed it full of ice, drinks, and food! The wheels on the MaxCold are ‘oversized’, so you can still drag the box easily no matter how bad the terrain is.
- Big capacity: Igloo’s MaxCold is the biggest of the ice boxes I’ve listed here, with a capacity of 58L. The size of the box means that up to 98 cans can be stored within. Basically, you’ll have plenty of space to store all that you need for your holiday.
I think that this is perhaps the best of all the ice boxes on this list. It’s certainly my personal favourite. As I said, I own this ice box and can personally attest as to how effective it is in terms of keeping its contents cool.
If you want to purchase the Igloo MaxCold ice box, you can click here to purchase it on Amazon today.
So that covers the best 3 ice boxes that are currently available. Hopefully this blog post has helped you to choose an ice box that will last you for years to come.
