How we choose which coolers we review

With so many coolers to choose from, we can’t review them all. Instead we aim to test the most popular brands and types on the market, and the coolers you’re most likely to see in camping and outdoor stores, as well as other major retailers. 

To do this, we survey manufacturers to find out about their range of products, we check market sales information, and we also check for any member requests to test specific models.

How we review coolers

Although ÌÇÐÄVlog maintains a and the vast majority of our product testing is done in-house, for coolers it’s a bit different. Our refrigeration experts can tell how most coolers will perform just by examining their construction and materials.

Scoring criteria explained

The ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating, our overall score that determines which products we recommend, is based entirely on performance – i.e. how long the cooler will keep its contents cold. , and are scored as follows:

• 80%: These are the coolers to go for if you need their contents to stay chilled on one load of ice for a long time – in the case of a large cooler, this can be several days.
• 70%: These are good performers and can keep their contents chilled for a few days – enough for a weekend camp, for instance.
• 60%: These are OK performers better suited to short-term use. Don’t rely on them for more than a day or two of chilling.

The scores are only comparable within each size category (medium, large and extra large), as a larger cooler naturally holds a greater mass of ice and chilled food and therefore takes longer to warm up.

Our test lab

ÌÇÐÄVlog has high-quality NATA-accredited laboratories, and lab staff with many years of experience across a range of laboratory disciplines and product areas. Our lab equipment is calibrated to ensure accurate and precise measurements.

The post How we review coolers appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

On this page:

• What does our overall score consist of?
• Other criteria
• Our test lab

With more years combined experience than we can count in our laboratories, we’re proud of our expert testers. They’ve seen all types of products come through the labs, but one thing never changes – it needs to meet its claims. We test many types of products, but our focus on the basics means that when it’s time to buy, you can be sure the product you bring home does its job well.

On top of this, many of our testers sit on Standards committees, both national and international, so we keep up to date with how labs and manufacturers are changing the standards and to give consumers a voice in this forum, where sometimes only government and industry are represented.

How we choose which repellents to test?

Why do we choose one repellent over another to test? There are a number of reasons, but our priority is to test what you’ll see in the stores.

When we know what you want, our buyers go out and use your member fees to buy the repellents from a variety of retailers.

How often do we test repellents?

The last time we tested them was several years ago – but we like to check in periodically with the category to see how they are changing formulations to see whether anyone is creating a product that is exceptional.

How does ÌÇÐÄVlog test mosquito repellents?

We use external labs that specialise in testing for repellency. Each product is applied liberally to the forearm of a human volunteer between the wrist and the elbow. Lotion and cream formulations are then spread evenly after application. We get the lab to test each product four times. 

Repellency testing is conducted in cages constructed out of clear plastic for easy viewing and fine polyester netting for ventilation. Approximately 40 unfed, 5 to 10 day old female mosquitoes are introduced to each cage. The mosquito used is the Dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti. 

Assessments are made prior to application of the treatments and then at 5, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 240 and 360 minutes after application. During each post treatment assessment, arms are exposed to caged mosquitoes for three minutes and the number of ‘attempted’ landings and ‘successful’ landings were recorded.

What does our overall score consist of?

We weight the different time periods regardless of claims. The overall scores weights each period of time the product repels mosquitoes – the longer the better. It excludes 5 minutes. Weightings are as follows: 30min = 5%, 60min = 5%, 90min = 10%, 120min = 15%, 150min = 15%, 240min = 20%, 360min = 30%.

Other criteria

We list all the claims given for each product, however we don’t test them as we try to focus on their prime purpose – how long they can keep mosquitoes from landing on you.

Our test lab

We maintain labs that are up to date with the latest reference machines and calibrated measurement tools to bring you results you can count on.

The post How we test mosquito repellents appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Here are five simple tips to help you keep your esky, ice box, chilly bin, cooler – whatever you want to call it – as cold as possible. 

1. Pre-chill everything

Every cold thing in your cooler will help everything else stay cold – but a room-temperature bottle of soft drink will let the team down and bring the temperature up. 

It’s worth getting organised in advance to make sure your drinks stay frosty. You could even freeze food and non-carbonated drinks the night before to keep things extra chilly. 

ÌÇÐÄVlog tip: To keep your food safe, it needs to stay below 4°C (or above 60°C), so packing your cooler should be the very last thing you do before heading out of the door to make sure everything stays as cold as possible. 

2. Fill ‘er up

A full cooler is a cold cooler. “You want the maximum thermal mass you can get,” says ÌÇÐÄVlog cooler expert Ashley Iredale. “The fewer air gaps, the better.”

Any unfilled space in your cooler will warm up, so fill up empty space with ice bricks, ice, cold food and drinks. 

If you’re using ice bricks, place a layer on the bottom and a layer on the top – and squeeze some down the sides if there’s room.

If you’re packing food and drinks together, put cans and bottles down the bottom, and use oven racks to keep your salads, sandwiches and other foods separate on top. This will stop your food going soggy when the ice melts. 

“Some of the bigger, more expensive coolers come with baskets for this purpose, but you can rig up a DIY version yourself without too much hassle,” says Ashley. 

ÌÇÐÄVlog tip: You can make huge ice blocks by freezing water in ice cream containers or 1L milk bottles. But you’ll need to plan ahead to make sure your cooler has enough room for these and all your food and drinks.

3. Location, location, location

When it comes to where you place your cooler, choose wisely.

First, make sure it’s in the shade, not your hot car or the blazing sun. And think about where the sun will be in a few hours’ time – you don’t want to move a heavy cooler.

If it has a drainage point, consider where the melted ice will actually drain to. Make sure your tent or picnic blanket isn’t downhill from your cooler, otherwise the great thaw will literally put a dampener on things. 

And a word of warning about safety. Secure your cooler when travelling in your car: in an accident, it could become a projectile if it’s not tied down. And no-one wants to be knocked off by a flying VB stubby. (It would be a particularly Australian way to go, but still.)

4. Keep a lid on it

Keep the lid of your cooler closed as much as possible, and try to open it as little as possible – be generous and ask your mates if they want a drink when you’re getting one. 

And make sure the lid is fully closed each time. Were you born in a tent? 

“To boost your cooler’s insulation, you can buy or make an insulated cover,” says Ashley. “A lot of camping fridges come with covers for this reason.”

5. Get mobile

Turn your cooler into a fridge for long-haul trips by using it in combination with a camping fridge.

Set your camping fridge to freezer mode and make ice bricks in it, then add them to your cooler as needed – that’ll keep you going indefinitely.

Liquid ice bricks stay frozen longer than gel-based ones.

The post Five hacks to help you get the most out of your Esky or cooler appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

How the Scrubba works

If you’re travelling for business, you may need to spend the money on your hotel’s laundry service to keep your shirts and smart, tailored items looking fresh. But for casual travellers, clothing doesn’t need to look perfect, especially if you’re away from civilisation. The Scrubba – an Australian invention – may be just what you need.

The Scrubba is a sealable, waterproof bag with an opening at one end where you put a small amount of clothing, warm water and detergent. You then roll it up, push out the air, and push down on the bag to rub the clothes against an internal washboard. The washboard is made of a stronger plastic that has small blunt spikes to create friction and loosen dirt.

Once you’ve pushed and rubbed the clothes long enough (for 30 seconds to quickly refresh them, or up to five minutes to clean) you untie the bag, empty it out and rinse the clothes off. 

Dry the clothes, and you’re ready to go get them dirty again.

So how well does it wash?

We tested the Scrubba with three small towels. We attached soiled swatches to the towels and followed the instructions, using powder detergent. We removed the swatches from the towels after using the bag for three minutes. After drying the swatches, we used a spectrophotometer to read how much soil had been removed. 

The Scrubba removed about as much dirt as our worst performing top loading washing machine, so this little bag is removing dirt – just not much. Although it’s not a great result, we think you could improve it with better quality detergent (maybe a liquid so it dissolves quicker), water that’s a bit warmer than we’ve used, some more scrubbing, or all three.

ÌÇÐÄVlog verdict

The Scrubba works, and with some experimentation – perhaps some extra scrubbing and better detergent – we think it will get your clothes clean. If you’re happy carrying another piece of travel gear in your luggage and don’t mind the limited capacity, it’s certainly going to save you some money over hotel laundry costs in the long term. 

If you’re some distance from any laundry facilities – if you’re camping, for example – this may be one of the better solutions available. However, if you have access to a local laundrette you might prefer the connection with the locals and the ability to wash more clothes at once.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Cost: $64.95

Contact:

The post The Scrubba wash bag review appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.