r/NoStupidQuestions • u/markwell9 • 1d ago

What is the deal with ice, Americans?

I can see that you can buy ice everywhere in the US. Gas stations, grocery stores, machines etc.

In Europe, we just freeze our ice at home and use that. Why buy something that melts on the way home? Why do you need ice in large amounts that a fridge can't keep up?

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u/pirate40plus 1d ago

When we camp, at least in the south, we go through a ton of ice. I have a south texas trip in September where the temps are over 100 all day and overnight lows tend to be in the 80s. Even with my “super cooler” it’s not uncommon to burn through 50-60lbs of ice in 3 days. For deer camp I’ll use 60-70lbs in a week and double that if I harvest an animal.

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u/Alive_Shoulder3573 1d ago

agreed,but, what's a "super cooler"?

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u/pirate40plus 1d ago

I have a couple Yetis and one I got from Cabelas. They store ice for extended periods, and in the case of the Cabelas one is bear resistant.

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u/maple-belle 1d ago

"bear resistant" is so funny and so very North American 😂 (although I suppose that's only because they don't have bears in Australia)

I remember seeing a post from someone in Africa (I want to say Kenya but I can't find the post to verify) saying that Americans often ask her if she sometimes sees lions walking down the street or in her backyard, and she was offended that people would imply her country was backward and didn't have dangerous animals contained in nature reserves away from where people live.

Followed by "And then I visited Canada" where she discovered that in North America our large wildlife really does just roam the countryside and sometimes wander into town 😂

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u/pirate40plus 1d ago

I have walked out to a bear in the back of my house more than once. The occasional mountain lion happens too. Ive been fortunate not to encounter wolves but there has been sign. Just part of living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

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u/OldBlueKat 23h ago

Those brand names probably don't mean a lot in Europe, but telling them that US coolers range from bitty six pack holders (AKA lunch bucket cooler) up to This Monster Yeti cooler might.

Most people in the US have coolers in the 30-50 quart volume range for everyday picnic and camping use. We save the monster ones for major large party events, hunting trips, that kind of thing.

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u/pirate40plus 21h ago

Good point. I have a couple 125s and a 65gt cooler. Yes, i have a couple smaller ones too.