Your most valuable piece of survival equipment in the aftermath of a natural disaster may turn out to be an efficient cooler.
by Leon Pantenburg
A cold beer or soft drink may be a personal priority on a hot canoe day trip or football game tailgating party. It’s nice to have a cold one, but the lack of such amenities is generally not life threatening!
Why Ice Is a Survival Necessity
But here’s another scenario (think Asheville, North Carolina): A major storm has come through and knocked the power grid down and blocked major access roads. It’s summertime hot. No electricity means ice will be hard, if not impossible, to find. A family member has health issues and meds that need to be kept cool. That’s the priority in the moment. In this case, an efficient, smaller cooler that can hold a modest amount of block ice for a long period of time can be critical to survival.
Another scenario that’s not life threatening, but a big morale booster for a small crowd that needs to stay motivated, bonded, and safe – you’re on a river trip with the guys and want to ration ice over several days. It’s hard work, slightly stressful and there can be tensions. Just the right situation where some ice cold drinks can boost spirits. Keep your small, airtight leakproof cooler filled with ice just waiting for its turn to open on day 3. This cooler below doesn’t disappoint.
The Titan Leak Proof Welded Cooler™, distributed through Arctic Zone, may need to be on your radar.
Here are the Titan specs (according to their website)
- Easy clean Hardbody® leak proof liner
- YKK® water resistant easy glide zipper
- two side mesh pockets
- Removable, adjustable shoulder strap with shoulder pad
- Deep Freeze performance insulation deflects heat and retains cold
- Heavy duty waterproof Coldblock™ base
- Holds 36 cans
- Made in Cambodia
My Review of the Titan Leakproof Welded Cooler
Coolers are like any piece of survival gear – you pick the best one for the job. I opted to review the Titan 36-can size as a smaller size, high quality cooler for a variety of scenarios.
Sometimes, a super cooler or an excellent large cooler may be too big and bulky for your specific needs. The interior requires more ice to keep it cooler, and the additional space may not be necessary and might be a liability.
On a day fishing trip, I’ll only take along several canned drinks, some lunch and various snacks. I don’t want or need a bigger cooler that takes up more space in the canoe or raft. It’s handy to have a smaller cooler to toss in the back of the truck. Or it’s also great to have a portable cooler retaining ice for the big catch. And if you don’t want to stink up your quality cooler, just transfer that ice into the bag of fish or cheap stinky cooler for the ride home.
Our Recent Trip with the Titan
My wife and I recently used the Titan Cooler by Arctic Zone on an overnighter event in Shaniko, Oregon for a bluegrass music gathering. The night before we left, I filled the Titan about halfway with ice from our freezer, locked the lid, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the ice was slightly melted and I threw it out.
We then filled the Titan with cold drinks, lunch, yogurt, fruit, and snacks, and added three medium sized frozen plastic bricks before hitting the road. Dinner was on the house the first night and we knew we didn’t need to get into the cooler. The next morning we opened it – 18 hours later – the food in the cooler was still cold and the bricks were almost liquid. In fairness, the cooler wasn’t packed and the bricks took up a small amount of room. But, with the air tight lid and spec claims, I thought it would stay colder. We opened once again for lunch. On the 2nd morning at the hotel, the food was at room temperature.
Several trips after that, the cooler was great for us on day one, but lost its cooling power on day two without a complete ice overhaul.
For the final test, I filled it with ice and only opened it once per day. After 3 days it was melted and water cold. It seems great for a couple of days if you don’t need to get in it. So, in summary it’s a great way to store frozen meat or ice for a couple of days with little in and out activity. It’s a great portable cooler with a daily ice refill. (NOTE: there’s no way to drain the water without a complete repack)
A word about ice retention claims:
Claims that refer to the length of time a cooler “holds ice” are typically based on a testing protocol where the coolers are filled 100% with cubed ice and are not opened during testing. The test is complete when all the ice has fully melted. No ice retention claim – IMO – can be an accurate reflection of real life usage.
One use is not an accurate indicator of a product’s value. I will continue wringing out the cooler this summer.
There are several aspects of the Titan cooler I like a lot.
Easy clean leak proof liner: This is a great amenity. When you’re done using the cooler, pop out the liner and hose it down and scrub it in the backyard. This is an easy cooler to keep clean. When fishing, I frequently throw fish in a cooler to keep them from spoiling. This, of course, can leave a smelly mess. This easy-to-clean liner is going to attract a lot of hunters and anglers.
Compact size: As mentioned, I have a lot of larger coolers. My 65-gallon Patriot is too big, bulky and heavy for most day trips. Same thing with my Anker EverFrost Portable Cooler. The 24 or 36-can sizes can carry a 12-pack, lunch and ice. It doesn’t take up too much room in the vehicle, and the cooler fits that “Just Right” category very well. This cooler will get used a lot because it is so handy and just the right size for a day trip or overnighter.
Insulation: The jury is still out on this one. The cooler needs to get used on some really hot days to really test the ice retention claims. So far, the cooler appears to be performing to specs.
The interior of the cooler has built-in Microban® to help protect against bacterial odors and stains. Microban® protection is guaranteed to last the lifetime of the product.
The cooler’s welded, waterproof exterior is resistant to punctures and UV rays and features YKK® water repellent, easy glide zippers. The exterior also includes a zippered mesh pocket on the front; heavy-duty, waterproof, molded base; accessory pockets; side carry handles and a removable, adjustable shoulder strap with anti-slip shoulder pad.
But there’s this:
The handles need to be bigger. The tips of my fingers were pinched by the latches on the side. The handles were not comfortable for me to use. My fingers got pinched when I was carrying the cooler, and I would not want to carry it any great distance. This made toting the cooler up the Shaniko Hotel stairs very uncomfortable.
The front pocket is too tight to put anything in other than a drivers license and credit card (and then try to get that out with trouble!) It looks like it was put there as a cosmetic accessory.
Shoulder straps make it easy to haul around.
The mesh pockets on the side were also too tight for much more than a bandana.
Pockets are great, but these weren’t usable for me and my stuff.
Do you need a Titan Leak Proof Welded Cooler?
Personally, I think a quality portable cooler has a place in any preparedness/survival setup. If you or your family needs to keep medications cool, it’s not an option to improvise.
Also, when the freezer goes out and you can’t expect power for a couple of days, you’ve got to cook up the meat. You need a spot to keep it cold, so dumping your frozen meat into the Titan will get you through a few days.
When an emergency hits, you don’t want to improvise. The portable Titan may be the best choice for you.
Disclaimer: Titan™ supplied the product for this review. I don’t work for the company, was not paid to review the cooler, and no person had input. The following is strictly my opinion.
For more survival information, check out my book “Bushcraft Basics.”
