How to make a cooler bag with your own hands: design features

Some thermal bags can keep you warm, while others can keep you cold. Despite the difference in functions, they have the same device, of course, if there is no possibility of connecting to the electrical network. Speaking about heat-retaining containers, it can be noted that they are made of two layers of fabric or plastic, between which there is a layer of foam plastic or polyethylene. Sometimes the wall thickness reaches 4 cm, which will allow you to maintain the desired temperature even longer. The lid of the thermal bag is equipped with a similar principle.

Features of the design of the cooler bag and its function on the road

The main components of such household appliances are special batteries filled with a dry salt or liquid solution. Before use, to maintain cold, place the batteries in the freezer for several hours, then place them in a cooler case along with pre-chilled food. If your bag plays the role of a heating pad, then, on the contrary, you need to lower containers with a solution that maintains the temperature into water, then place them inside the bag with hot food. You can store freshly prepared pizza, pies, main courses, coffee or tea in these thermoses for several hours.

Useful tips

The thickness of the thermal layer - the greater, the better. When you come to a hardware store, buy foil insulation from 0.5-0.8 cm, and foam plastic from 2-3 cm.
You can buy foil-isolon at a large hardware store, and the price will not put a dent in your pocket. Material consumption – from 1 – 1.5 m.
It is better to choose a bag for a portable refrigerator from dense, water-repellent materials that are highly durable and at the same time easily washable from dirt.
Make sure that the handles and pockets are sewn tightly, and that the fasteners close the thermal bag tightly. In good production models, the outer zipper is covered with a special Velcro flap to reduce heat transfer.
For ease of use of the car refrigerator, you can sew a cover with handles onto a plywood box. Don’t forget to place pieces of padding polyester, a cut blanket or any other insulation between the plywood and the cover - this way you will protect the contents of the thermal container from rapid heating.
It is better to transport any thermal container in a large bag with other things or in the trunk of a car. Keep your portable cooler out of direct sunlight and try to open it as little as possible.
When thawing frozen cold storage batteries that you made yourself, condensation may appear - take this fact into account and take care that moisture does not spoil the food. For example, wrap everything in separate sheets of newspaper.
When loading food into a self-contained refrigerator, remember that there should be as few gaps and voids inside the thermal container as possible. Do not forget to transfer food with cold accumulators or regular ice packs.

If manufactured correctly, with care and following our simple recommendations, your thermal bag or car refrigerator will pleasantly surprise you with its efficiency, reliability and durability. At the same time, it’s nice to know that you were able to save a tidy sum, because in a store such a purchase would cost a significant amount. You can make several thermal containers of different sizes - small boxes for an individual snack at school, in the office or at training, 4-5 liter travel bags for shopping or modest picnics, spacious backpacks from 10 liters for large companies and impressive preparations, etc. . Now, knowing how to make a cooler bag with your own hands, it will not be difficult for you!

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Types of cooler bags for hiking: what are their differences

Refrigerated boxes that can be taken on a trip or hike are usually divided into options that differ in type of design and purpose. Some serve as a large device for storing large volumes of food, others are designed to keep only a few kilograms of food fresh. Let's look at the existing options.

Thermal bag - a universal mobile device

Such a household appliance plays the role of both a refrigerator and a thermos at the same time. Whatever product you put in it, it will maintain the set temperature for several hours. Accordingly, warm things will remain warm, and cold things will remain cold. This option is made from fabric with a layer of thermal insulation. In appearance it looks like an ordinary large bag for hiking and traveling.

Thermal container - similar in type, different in design

This option works on the principle of thermal bags, however, its body is much stiffer and stronger. The device is made of plastic or foam and has a thick layer of thermal insulation inside. Allows you to store cold and hot foods. It works using batteries charged by cold or heat, which are included in the kit.

Car refrigerator - what is it?

A car refrigerator is a similar device to the previous ones, but it has the ability to work without special batteries, which once again take up space in the bag, because it can be difficult to fit something in it anyway. Such devices reach the desired temperature by recharging through the car's cigarette lighter. Of course, for people who do not have a vehicle, such a thing will be superfluous in the household.

Cooler bag for groceries: what can be carried in it

The device is intended strictly for food, but you can also store water here. Basically, cheese, sausages, fruits, vegetables, chilled snacks and desserts are placed in such units. Of course, all this should be in different containers.

We transport medicines in cooler bags

A medical cooler bag plays the role of a first aid kit in which you can store medications that require keeping in a cool place. You should definitely take such a box with you on the road, even if you are absolutely healthy. If you have children, then your cold first aid kit should contain antipyretic, antiseptic and painkillers.

Fishing cooler bag: its purpose

You've probably already guessed why you need a cooler bag for fishing! That's right, it is convenient to transport fish bait and bait, as well as the caught fish itself. But it is better to do this in a separate container so that the smell does not absorb into the walls of the thermal bag. At the same time, you can put food with you in such a refrigerator.

What is

An ordinary-looking bag made of two layers of nylon fabric, the inside is lined with a thermal insulator - foamed polyurethane or polyethylene. Pre-frozen products are used as cold accumulators. A simple concept gives the desired effect. Such a portable refrigerator will be useful and not burdensome:

when working at remote sites where there are no conditions for preparing hot food;
on long trips by car or train;
on the beach, picnics, summer cottages, on hikes.

The main advantage of a thermos bag compared to a container is the ability to compactly fold the container after it is empty. Some models of such bags can be additionally equipped with cold or heat accumulators - special plastic containers filled with gel, saline solution or dry ice. Such devices are capable of maintaining the required temperature for up to several days.

How to make a cooler bag with your own hands: master class

The master classes on making cooler bags collected by our team will help you quickly and without large financial waste make a useful bag for storing food while traveling.

A simple way to sew a two-chamber cooler bag with your own hands

First select a convenient bag that you have in your household. The more practical it is, the easier it is to turn it into a mobile refrigerator. This option will be compact and not noticeable in weight.

Items for a cooler bag: everything you need to have on hand

You don't have to use a sewing machine or needle and thread to make a bag. Ordinary tape will do an excellent job of fastening internal walls. So what we need to prepare:

foamed polyethylene with foil (double-sided);
the bag itself;
zipper for fastening;
silver or regular tape.

When making a mobile refrigerator-bag, it is necessary to take into account that the gaps between the seams should be minimal or absent altogether. The accumulated cold is released well through them.

Step-by-step instructions for a DIY cooler bag: a very budget option

When all the inventory is prepared, we can begin to build our container. It is better to first cut the polyethylene and prepare the parts of the required size, so as not to waste time on this process when sewing a compact thermal bag.

Illustration	Description of action
We fasten the polyethylene foam parts together so that there are no gaps between them. Thus, we connect all the parts together.
Next, we attach it to the two upper parts, which will play the role of a fastener, with pins or tape and check the functionality of the lock. When the two parts are closed, they are compressed very tightly, giving no chance for cold to escape.
We connect the resulting fastener to the resulting container. The inside is ready. After which we place it inside our bag.
We cut out partitions from the same material, which will come in handy if you need to carry bottles of water or don’t have to look for food for a long time. Such inserts may not be used unless necessary.
From the same material we cut out an insert with a width equal to the width of the inside of the bag. We attach it to the inner walls and get a two-chamber thermal bag for carrying products.

By making such a bag, you save significantly on your purchase. For it, you can also make batteries to maintain the cold, or before taking it outside, first put our invention in the freezer for several hours.

Product made from karemat

People who often go on hikes know most about the karemat. The mat resembles a rug with good thermal insulation. It is used as bedding in a sleeping bag.

First you need to prepare a mixture consisting of water and ammonium nitrate. The latter can be taken with you on a hike in dry form. The cap of the bottle must be screwed on carefully.

The karemat will act as a heat insulator. It needs to be rolled into a pipe. You should put drinks and a cold accumulator inside. The holes in the pipe should be plugged with clothing (this will help maintain the temperature in the inside of the refrigerator).

Care when handling ammonium nitrate will help avoid fires and explosions. Contact with edible supplies can cause severe poisoning.

When using this method of creating a refrigerator, you must avoid contact with food. After preparing the solution, wash your hands thoroughly.

A picnic in nature is an event that will relieve work fatigue in adults. Children will have enough time to play in the fresh air and taste delicious supplies made by mom and dad. A refrigerator made with your own hands from available materials will fulfill its functions and save the family budget.

You can see how all the working aspects of making the refrigerator bag itself actually look in the attached video.

Cold accumulators are a necessary item for a refrigerator bag. What does a regular diaper have to do with it? All answers are in the video tutorial.

A polystyrene box is useful anywhere. How to make it - you can see everything with your own eyes.

Making a do-it-yourself refrigerator box for a car

We will produce thermal boxes for road transportation in the form of a box. It will be both stable while driving and practical for use. All we need for manufacturing is:

special reflective film (sold for heated floors);
hard foam with low friability;
plexiglass;
polyurethane foam in a container.

Illustration	Description of action
We glue together all the sides of the thermal box; they will be made of foam plastic.
To fix all fasteners we use ordinary polyurethane foam.
We put plexiglass on the bottom of our travel refrigerator. It will prevent fragile walls from damage.
We make a lid with a protrusion to seal the thermal box tightly. Then we cover all sides of our invention with a special film.

To maintain the desired temperature of food in such a device, you do not have to buy cooling batteries. It is enough to keep food or water in the freezer for a short time. If space allows, you can also cool the box.

Increasing efficiency

Taking into account the recommendations, you can make a cooler bag at home without any problems.

However, few people know how to multiply the efficiency of a portable refrigerator:

The first tip will be useful for those who travel a lot by car. The blanket will be an excellent helper in maintaining the desired temperature in the bag. Just wrap your portable cooler in it.
Direct sunlight will reduce the effectiveness of the bag. It should be kept away from sunlight.
The best place for batteries is the bottom of the bag. If, with this position of the batteries, the food does not fit into the bag, then there is a backup option: you can surround the food with it.

It’s great if the products are chilled.
The closer the food is placed to each other, the slower the temperature inside the refrigerator will rise. The empty space in the bag should be filled with any container of water or a folded blanket.
Before arriving at your holiday destination, it is better not to open your bag often (if this is not possible, then this should be done as rarely as possible).

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Another way to make a homemade cooler bag

Another simple and budget-friendly way is to make a bag yourself from ordinary cardboard boxes. To produce them you will need two pieces, and they must be of different sizes. It is optimal if one is 2-3 cm wider than the other, since you will have to insert one into the other. The space between the two boxes must be filled with foam or dense foam.

Many people use foam rubber to make camping refrigerators. This is extremely undesirable, because this material absorbs heat well.

Using a similar principle, you need to make a lid and line its inside with insulation (foam or polystyrene) so that it fits tightly onto the container. The top of the box can be covered with thick foil or reflective film.

We make our own batteries for travel refrigerators

It is not necessary to purchase refrigerants for camping thermal containers. It’s quite possible to make them yourself. For this you will need durable plastic bags, salt, water and gelatin. The solution must be concentrated. We dilute half a pack of salt in three liters of boiling water, add two packs of gelatin to it. Pour the contents into heat-resistant sealed bags and cool. Before use, immerse them in the freezer until hardened, then place them in a thermal bag at the bottom or between products.

Types of cold accumulators for thermal bags

Containers with liquid to maintain a low temperature are made based on helium, glue or silicone. They all maintain the desired temperature equally from the moment they are placed in the bag after freezing. You can make such DIY products from any plastic container, but it is better if they take up minimal space in the mini-fridge.

What materials will we need?

In order to make a portable cooler bag, let's briefly understand how it works and what we may need in the process of making a “hand made” thermal container.

It is not entirely correct to call portable cooler bags that way, because they do not produce cold. Such bags are essentially just thermoses that maintain low temperatures for a certain time due to slow heat exchange with the environment.

Based on this, we determine what we need:

the bag itself - you can sew it or adapt a ready-made one, the main thing is that it has a tight and reliable zipper;
thermal layer - for this you need to select a foil insulating material in the store - foil isolon;
fastening materials - metallized tape or furniture stapler.

Also, as an auxiliary source of cold, you can use special batteries - sealed containers with saline solution. Cold accumulators are pre-frozen and then slowly thawed in a thermal bag, maintaining low temperatures inside for a while. You can buy cold storage batteries in a store or make them yourself, we will definitely tell you about this too.

See also -

No-frost or drip refrigerator - which is better?

How to use a mobile refrigerator and extend its service life

Typically, portable refrigerators in the form of bags are used mainly in the summer season, when it is time for food to spoil quickly. But even after several uses, if the operating rules are not followed, difficulties may arise with the function of the device:

Do not store sharp, pointed objects, especially cutlery, inside the refrigerator.
Avoid using glass or metal utensils inside the bag. Such containers can easily damage the side walls of the device.
Don't pack too much into your cooler bag. This will lead to a violation of the integrity of the thermal insulation, after which it is extremely dangerous to store products in such conditions.
Do not keep foods open, especially those that have a characteristic odor: fish, smoked meats, sausage and others. They eat into the polystyrene foam.
Periodically wash the cooler bag and treat it with kitchen antiseptics.

Most bags that you make with your own hands can easily withstand wet treatment with detergents. Therefore, take this into account during the cleaning procedure. If you have any questions about the topic of today’s article, be sure to ask them in the comments below. We welcome feedback and are ready to discuss exciting issues with you.

What it is?

A refrigerator bag is an item that will help keep food fresh for 12 hours. Externally, the bag is no different from its other “brothers”. However, this product still has a little trick.

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Varieties

Conventionally, such bags can be divided into three groups:

For shopping trips;
Mobile bags for transporting products;
Car trunk bags.

It will keep your food warm in winter and cold in summer.

The listed options differ from each other in shape, size, and materials that are used for the base bag and to maintain temperature conditions. The degree of preservation of heat or cold in any of these bags is the same.

The bag can be used to keep food warm or cold for several hours.

How long does the effect last?

The operating time of a homemade cooling system depends on several factors:

properties of the material from which the device is made;
insulating characteristics of the bag;
box volume;
initial temperature of products;
rationality of layout.

On average, the effect lasts 10-12 hours, provided that the entrance to the box is hermetically sealed. A large bag will require 2-3 batteries.

They need to be placed in this order:

the first is laid on the bottom;
the second is placed between the products in the center of the box or on top.

The more sources of cold contained inside, the longer the temperature acceptable for food is maintained.

A DIY cooler bag can be made within one hour or even a few minutes, if you have the necessary material on hand. In the process of gathering for an active pastime in nature, you can sew a useful item without delaying your friends and family. The thermobox will come in handy many times over when you have to go on a long journey.

Cold accumulator

For many people, at the mere mention of the phrase “cold accumulator”, one picture appears in their head: they need a special device that will perform the function of generating frost.

However, a cold accumulator can be made from scrap materials that are found in all homes.

Ice bags

To get it, you need to pour water into ice molds and put them in the freezer. Once the water has hardened, you can start making ice packs.

Place ice cubes in a zip-lock bag and close the bag. The second bag will serve as protection against leakage, so the first bag will have to be placed in another one.

Ice bottles

To make them you will need the following:

empty containers containing carbonated drinks;
water (the amount of liquid depends on the size of the bottle);
salt (6 tablespoons per 1 liter of water).

You need to make a strong solution with salt. The salt must be dissolved in water, after which the resulting solution should be frozen. Salt will prevent the ice from melting quickly. This means that the bag will retain the cold much longer.

Diapers and battery

This method of creating a refrigeration unit is recommended for families with small children. You need to pour water into the inside of the diaper. You should wait until the liquid is well absorbed into the diaper itself. The baby hygiene product will need to be cut. The gel mass should be placed in a plastic bag with a zipper and placed in a second bag. After this, send the finished package for freezing.

Gel battery

It is created on the basis of saline solution. The solution must be concentrated, which will subsequently allow its volume to be increased to 3 liters. Add wallpaper glue or gelatin to the diluted 3-liter liquid. Place the gel mass in the prepared container and put it in the freezer. Gel battery melts much longer than regular ice.

Based on ammonium nitrate

Knowledgeable summer residents use this product as a fertilizer in their suburban areas. It’s easy to get a high-quality cooling element from such an assistant in the country.

Nitrate can cause the air temperature to drop by twenty-three degrees.

The two ingredients (water and ammonium nitrate) are taken in equal proportions. You need to pour fertilizer into the prepared bottle and dilute it with water. The refrigeration accumulator is ready.

There is a second option for creating this cooling element. Saltpeter is added to frozen water. The cooling effect of the fertilizer battery will thus increase several times in time.

Foamed foil polyethylene

Chilled foods won't stay warm in a foil-lined bag, and hot snacks won't cool down. Any building materials store always has it in its assortment.

Aluminum or metallized foil and keeps the temperature in the bag. This polyethylene is available with one-sided or double-sided coating. Double-sided foil polyethylene has the best characteristics.

Based on the listed refrigeration tools, you can make a portable refrigeration chamber.