I stumbled across this link which seems rather ingenious and was wondering if anyone has tried such a contraption whilst hiking? If not, do you think it would be effective? I'm tempted to try to make one and then see how it performs in various temperatures.
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1I never tried this fridge, but there are a lot of canteens, for example old German military ones, that have a felt cover that works on the same evaporation principle. You keep the felt wet, and evaporation will cool of water in the canteen. In hot weather, it works surprisingly well.– Jan HlavacekCommented Apr 24, 2012 at 2:56
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1Cool idea. I can't fathom wanting to carry it around, but it might help keep things cool (and not gross) on river trips.– Greg.LeyCommented Apr 24, 2012 at 20:02
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1For the cost of a couple of garden pots, you can "build" one yourself to try: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-in-pot_refrigerator– sdgCommented Jan 3, 2013 at 2:51
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3 Answers
The one problem I see is that it actually doesn't keep things cold enough. The listed rate is 6°C (42°F). For refridgeration you want no more than 4.4°C (40°F) and ideally want closer to 1°C (34°F).
At 6°C (42°F) it makes that a little more than a growth chamber for many bacterium: Food Safety.
answered Apr 24, 2012 at 22:49
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This is a good point - though I guess it's better than nothing?– berry120Commented Apr 27, 2012 at 14:14
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2@berry120 -- I'm not so sure. There's kind of a sweet spot for bacteria growth. In very hot climates, this may actually aid bacterial growth by keeping them in that sweet spot instead of getting too hot to continue growth. Commented Apr 29, 2012 at 0:04
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@RussellSteen : Out of curiosity, what makes that spot so sweet to the bacteria?– ShawnCommented Mar 14, 2013 at 3:12
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@Shawn -- It's a temperature range that kills almost nothing, and actually encourages growth of many dangerous bacterium. Commented Mar 14, 2013 at 3:17
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1Is that low refrigeration an american thing? Here in Germany, best before dates are typically given for a maximum of 8°C. There absolutely is no need to waste energy by going to 1°– ManzielCommented Jan 8 at 9:57
Good point..I have taken a safety and sanitation class as well, however the bacteria will produce at higher rates at higher temperature levels in this zone, so it does help. Tons of people in Africa use this cooler every day.
Not impossible, but IMHO not worth it...
Carrying it
You could attach it to the outside of your backpack, where it would get plenty of ventilation. But still, the design, while simple, will have some weight to it. I'd guess 0.5-1kg including the water needed for evaporation. That is a fair bit of extra weight to haul around.
Keeping it in the shade
Important for a Pot in Pot Fridge (which this essentially is) is to keep it in the shade. While walking this would be harder, with various sides of your pack being exposed to the sun as your walk and turn... Now, you could of course build some shade cover over it, but doing that without impeding airflow sounds... at least bulky and somewhat annoying (plus adding even more weight).
Keeping it wet
For the thing to keep working you'd have to constantly add more water. I don't know numbers, but I'd assume that over a day you'd have to add an amount of water which is on its own, again, relevant in terms of weight (i.e. additional water you need to carry just for the fridge cooling).
Now, camping is another matter. All the above points aren't really big factors then - so I could see this work well as an improvised fridge, helping you keep some small number of luxury food items for a bit longer... maybe 2-3 days instead of just 1...
Note, I don't think the 6°C number is that realistic... It certainly depends on a lot factors, many outside of your control. But even just keeping things "a bit cooler" can help a lot if we're just talking about keeping some items for a little longer in hot weather.
