ice box??

[smoecamping]

Need some help please...
We bought a 92 Rockwood pu and it has an ice box. We have no idea how it works and where to begin.  :eyecrazy:
Does anyone have any tricks or advice on how to get it cooling, etc?? We tried last time we were out but could not find even a place to begin. LOL!!!!!

As you can tell...we are very new!! haha!!!

Thanks
Smoe

[wavery]

Need some help please...
We bought a 92 Rockwood pu and it has an ice box. We have no idea how it works and where to begin.  :eyecrazy:
Does anyone have any tricks or advice on how to get it cooling, etc?? We tried last time we were out but could not find even a place to begin. LOL!!!!!

As you can tell...we are very new!! haha!!!

Thanks
Smoe

Hi Smoe,

WELCOME TO PUT!!!!

I assume that you mean "Fridge" and not "Ice Box".

What model do you have?

[smoecamping]

nope ice box.....not a fridege.....

but i just found out how to use it...

i need to go see ma and pa kettle for dry ice...yikes...that's different...lol!!!!
 :confused:

[wavery]

nope ice box.....not a fridege.....

but i just found out how to use it...

i need to go see ma and pa kettle for dry ice...yikes...that's different...lol!!!!
 :confused:

Dry ice is very dangerous stuff to handle. You might want to consider using regular ice. Dry Ice may also freeze everything in the ice box. Some people fill a bunch of small water bottles and freeze them. Then drink the water as the ice melts.

Other people use those chemical ice pouches. I've tried them and don't like them. They take up valuable space. I don't think they last as long as ice (although they claim to last longer) and they need to be stored after use.

[flyfisherman]

Most of the ice boxs that have come standard in most popups are generic. The top tray slides out and the ice is placed there, plus there's a hose that runs from that top tray down through a hole in the floor of the camper so all the water runoff has someplace to go other than the popup floor. The food stuffs are placed on the bottom and the theory is with cool air falling, the provisions will stay cool. (like in your dreams!) They are very inefficient and about the very best thing that can be done is to tear them out and convert that area to valuable storage space!  Then go buy a Coleman Xtreme ice cooler, the kind that really works, and you'll be a much happier camper!



Fly

[smoecamping]

thanks everyone for your info.
i think i like the "rip it out" theory the best, because honestly you can't have too much storage or too many coolers. LOL!!!

Thanks again!
Smoe
 :#

[shinobi]

We ripped our icebox out, we weren't sure how it worked and didn't need it. It is the perfect place to store our propane tank when we are closed or don't want it stolen

[Hargus]

We used to have a Rockwood and we ripped ours out. We opted to use the space for one of those small fridges you would see in a dorm or an office. I think some have done the same. Just make sure you have a spot where it can vent.

[paulski617]

We've found that the one in our jayco actually works fairly well using the large blocks of ice, but not so well using cubes.

[Funrover]

Well... I just go to Wal mart or gas station... buy ice and place on the top shelf. Keeps everything nice and cold! It amazes me how well it works!

[ScouterMom]

Most of the old 'ice boxes' I've seen just have a thin ( about 1") layer of styrofoam around the plastic box - they don't insulate that well.

Our first camper ( a '76 starcraft) had one that opened from the top - like any cooler - and we lifted out the plastic liner and added better foam insulation around it.  It did work well after that, and it was handy that it drained itself away from the camper with a short hose.  But we used it mostly for drinks, and used an electric cooler for the meat and milk.

Our current camper, also a 70's starcraft, has an 'ice box' like yours with a vertical opening door and the slide-out ice tray. It's meant to have a block of ice on top.  The campgrpound we go to alot actually sells 'blocks' of ice sized for these trays. (we used them in our regular coolers, and a 'block' will last longer than 'cubes')  I have seen alot of mods where they replaced the original 'cooler' with a camper fridge (expensive) dorm fridge or storage. Ours does have a drain, but we have not used it. (in refurbishing this old PUP, we just got around to getting the stove working)  I prefer my larger & better insulated coolers anyway, & I also prefer to cook outside the camper, so I'd rather have the food outside, too. Because this camper has the 'high' sides - I bought a 33" tall dorm fridge ( a little larger than the 'cube' ones) which will fit perfectly in the spot that used to be a drop-down closet.  

If you use the cooler as a 'cooler' - you might try freezing an empty milk jug with water - it should be about the right size and will last longer than cubes.

laura

[fleagalbaum]

The problem with ice boxes is they are inside the camper and everytime you need to get another beer, you wake up the kids.

[Starbuck]

We didn't bother to rip ours out. Just remove the drain tube, plug the hole and we now have a convenient place to store dry food that bugs won't get into. It's great for cereal, crackers, etc.

[sacrawf]

I last had an icebox in a mid-70's slide-in pickup truck camper.  It seemed to work very well in keeping food cool for a weekend trip, but it used a lot more ice in doing so than modern coolers.  The insulation wasn't that good, and you lost the benefit of the cooling effect of the melted cold water as it drained out the hose.

Since it was a pickup camper without the over-cab bed, it only had a sink, 2-burner stove, furnace, a fold-down dinette/bed, and the ice box.  Because of the limited space, the manufacturer installed the ice box right above the the furnace. Needless to say, when you had to use the furnace, you removed the food from the icebox to put it in a cooler.

[dthurk]

We used the tray as a template to form a shelf out of 1/2" plywood.  The icebox became a great pantry.  We used a dorm fridge from WalMart as an inexpensive alternative to the 3 way reefer.