I pack my Fishpond Blizzard soft cooler with reusable ice when I fish, leaving it in the hot car for a few hours.  My drinks have always remained pretty cold but when I started taking fish home in a separate fish kill bag I started looking for reusable ice that was compact, kept fish cold for long periods of time, and could handle some abuse.  This past El Nino summer was so hot and humid that some of my fish were a little soft and mushy the next day.

I had been hearing about Arctic Ice on fishing shows and in fishing magazines and read through the positive reviews.  Unlike standard “blue ice” that transfers its cold temperature to the items around it, Arctic Ice is designed to draw heat from the surrounding items thereby keeping them cold longer.

I purchased the Medium and Large Alaskan Series blocks since the Chillin’ Brew and Tundra series were meant to keep things close to freezing, or frozen, respectively.  As a test I put my drinks in the soft cooler with one block of blue ice and the Medium Alaskan series block.  When I accessed my drink in the hot car a few hours later, it was colder than it was in the fridge and the “blue ice” was still frozen solid.  The Medium Alaskan Series Arctic Ice had melted halfway but their site says that the block will continue to keep things cold even after the block is completely liquid inside.

I’ve used the Arctic Ice blocks in my soft cooler and in a larger hard cooler for 3 weeks now and can verify that they keep items much colder, longer than standard “blue ice”. They may cost twice what “blue ice” costs, but are made to last for years and years and are a much better product.  I highly recommend them.

I currently am not receiving any compensation for this review.