Ice Bricks & Gel Packs

An ice brick is a rigid plastic case filled with a freezing solution, so it holds its shape, stacks neatly, and works as a solid block of cold in your cooler. A gel pack is a softer, flexible pouch filled with gel that moulds around your food and drinks, reaching the gaps a hard brick can't. Bricks are the pick for sturdy, long-lasting cold in an ice box, while gel packs suit bags and lunch boxes where you want the cold wrapping around the contents.

It depends mostly on size: a larger brick or pack holds its cold far longer than a small one, which is why the chunky options suit full-day and multi-day trips. In an insulated cooler, a big brick can stay frozen for many hours and helps your other ice last longer by keeping the internal temperature down. For the longest hold, go with the largest size your space allows.

Match the size to your cooler and how long you're out. A small 150ml ice brick is great for a lunch box or a few drinks, while larger bricks and the 2kg gel pack are made for big ice boxes on longer trips. A good approach is one or two larger units for the bulk of the cold, plus a small one to tuck in beside whatever you want kept coldest.

Freeze them solid before you head off, which usually means leaving them in the freezer overnight or for at least 12 hours. Pack them in once they're fully frozen, placing them on top of and around your food, since cold air sinks and works its way down. Spreading them through the cooler holds a more even temperature than stacking them all in one spot.

Yes, both are designed to be refrozen and reused for years. There's no loose water or mess to deal with, and once a trip's done you just rinse them off and pop them back in the freezer ready for next time. That makes them cheaper and tidier than buying bags of ice every trip.

Slim ice bricks like the slim large 650ml have a thin, flat profile that sits neatly against your food instead of taking up a chunk of space. They're ideal for soft coolers, lunch bags, and esky baskets where a bulky block would get in the way. You get the cold where you want it without sacrificing packing room.