Frunk as a camping ice cooler - test prior to a family Summer road trip.

[fpasta]

I was at the local REI shop for another reason this Sunday, and I noticed these folding insulated cooler bags. Specifically, their width is 9.5 inches when unfolded, exactly the width (depth?) of the frunk, and their height is about 14 inches.

So I got one (there are two sizes - I got the larger one) and after fitting it in the frunk, went back and got another one.

At 5 p.m. I filled them both with ice. The outdoor temp was 82 F. Each bag took 28 pounds of ice (four 7-pound bags each), plus I filled the remaining space with three more 7-pound bags, or a total of 77 pounds of ice to keep consistency with last week's test. See pic #1.

By 11 a.m. today (Monday) most of the outer ice was melted. The ice inside the bags was doing great. See pic #3.

I like this idea after playing with choices of frunk-focused insulation at Lowe's because:
- these well-fitting cooler bags have nice arm straps to carry from / to the car, whether camping or at the house or store.
- we now have a choice of using one bag or two (half the frunk or all of the frunk) as a cooler.
- I don't have to mess with adding frunk insulation.

See the REI tag, front and back, for product ID of these cooler bags (pic #2). NOTE: these cooler bags do not have a bottom drain... the water from melted ice will stay in the bag. I might put in brass grommet drains, maybe...

I will post here when all ice
Price: about $52 for REO Co-op members, per bag. I think the shelf tag was around $72. BTW, a li

Probably can make a drain easy.

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[21st Century Pony]

Probably can make a drain easy.

Yeah I happen to have a large diameter brass grommet kit.

 

[azerik]

Does the frunk get hot on RWDs too, or only the AWDs?

All. It's because the radiator is in front of it, not really because of the motor etc.

Has anyone else noticed it takes a LONG time for this car to shed heat? I get the pack heat but I think I've walked past my car a couple times and felt heat from the back. I think it's from the motor being wrapped in insulation.

 

[illinirdhd]

Great experiment. And you don't have to count on it staying cold for a full 2 or 3 days while you're traveling... Many of your charging stops will be where you can resupply with (water) ice or even "dry ice."

My husband jumps at every opportunity for dry ice. Maybe I should test some in the frunk, during daily Las Vegas driving & sitting.

 

[dtbaker61]

So, in prep for a major cross-USA trip with a 14-year old boy, I figured I'd test the frunk as an ice cooler for when we camp during the trip.

On Tuesday evening I emptied the frunk of its haphazard assortment of stuff, went to a grocery store and loaded it up with ice. It took 5 bags of ice, each bag with 16 pounds of ice, total = 80 pounds. See picture #1.

Yes, people loooked and stopped and pointed, and one guy actually was brave enough to walk over and ask... had a laugh when I explained why and wished me luck. His wife hung back though...

Nights this week were in the high 60s Fahrenheit. Days were in the high 70s to about 81 today.

Yesterday, I peeked into the frunk in the morning and during the day... the ice was mostly holding up well. About 3/4 volume by yesterday afternoon. I drove about 60 miles through the day as well as parking, always in the sun (driveway and no garage in this 1930s house). I forgot to snap a pic though.

This morning, the ice was at 40% volume. See pic #2. I'll bring a stout steel concrete chisel on the trip to break the ice up as it melts and solidifies into a carapace.

By about 3 p.m., the ice was visibly giving up the battle, although the frunk was still cool inside, by hand feel. See pic #3.

By 7 p.m., about 46 hours after I packed the frunk, the ice was a disappearing shadow. See pic #4.

I had hoped for 5 days in these temperatures (haha - I know) but am happy with 36+ hours. Good enough for orange juice and maybe cheese and meat for grilling... definitely not for eggs or mayo.

NOTE: My car is a star white Premium with a black top and a pano roof. Obviously, ice in a black-painted car will be gone faster.

Hope this helps someone plan during trips. Based on this test, we'll definitely use the frunk as an ice chest while camping in the national parks... at least 36 hours in warm temps (65 thru 81 degrees F). This will save cargo space by eliminating a cooler in the trunk for when we're roughing it.

good idea for 1-day, bad idea for multi-day

get a small dometic or IceCo 12v cooler. $299 for small ones.

 

[MisterSofa]

As Martin promised, the REI foldable cooler is now on sale.

Will 2 of these fit in the frunk?

 

[21st Century Pony]

Will 2 of these fit in the frunk?

Yes. See my post #71 and the ones right above it, with pix. These lasted with ice all of three days & nights, with daily driving and all.

 

[awp0]

Just in case @AOSK is paying attention and interested...... Something like this would be really cool with an MME-specific fit: https://tesloid.com/product/model-y-frunk-cooler-food-bag/

(and thanks for the REI alternative, looks like it gets the job done)

 

[AOSK]

Just in case @AOSK is paying attention and interested...... Something like this would be really cool with an MME-specific fit: https://tesloid.com/product/model-y-frunk-cooler-food-bag/

(and thanks for the REI alternative, looks like it gets the job done)

one of my friend is making a actual cooler for the Mach E, im going to chat with him about this in a couple days and see what we might come up.

btw, i saw they are selling it at 100$+, would owners purchase this at this price point?
we didnt want to make it because we worry the shipping cost would be very high, and thus the retail price will be high.

 

[awp0]

one of my friend is making a actual cooler for the Mach E, im going to chat with him about this in a couple days and see what we might come up.

btw, i saw they are selling it at 100$+, would owners purchase this at this price point?
we didnt want to make it because we worry the shipping cost would be very high, and thus the retail price will be high.

Yeah, $100+ is a little steep but I'd pay it. I assumed a soft-sided cooler like that could be folded up for cheaper shipping? I could be totally wrong though, especially if it has good insulation.

 

[bbulkow]

Yes except for space flexibility.

There are two of us going on a six-week cross-continent road trip. Just like on a sail boat or a sailing ship, space is at a premium.

I have a 12v cooler that never did well. Maybe I'll bust out the electonics and install them in the frunk, with a little insulation maybe? I haven't found a really good use for the frunk, maybe this is it.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

one of my friend is making a actual cooler for the Mach E, im going to chat with him about this in a couple days and see what we might come up.

btw, i saw they are selling it at 100$+, would owners purchase this at this price point?
we didnt want to make it because we worry the shipping cost would be very high, and thus the retail price will be high.

I’d pay it for a proper fit. As mentioned, a proper material might fold into an easier to ship box as well.

 

[sdoo25]

This fits surprisingly well with room left over for other items that don't require cooling:

Is that a 20 can or 30 can?

 

[Mrn]

Is that a 20 can or 30 can?

It's called the softpack20 on the SKU id tag.

 

[OON7]

One large bag of ice, lasted about 8 hours, ambient temps were around 70F. Got the job done for what we needed.

I would pay for something proper as long as it could fold up, I do use my frunk for traditional storage as well so would be nice to keep something in the car but unfold only when needed.

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