Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Why We Bought An Icybreeze Portable A/C and Cooler
Article First Published: 9/20/23
Article Updated: 5/20/2024
If you’ve seen any of the videos with Jeff Foxworthy giving his stamp of approval on something that looks like a cooler, but it acts like an air conditioner, you’ve seen an IcyBreeze commercial. Icybreeze’s tutorials and testimonials of many celebs and sports stars seemed too good to be true, so we bought one and tested it out. We did have a specific purpose in mind for it too. Here’s how we use our Icybreeze and why we bought one.
Our Icybreeze cooler in our RV
Our 1995 RV dash air stop working. We priced getting a new compressor, and decided to forgo it. The roof air conditioners work great and with the generator, we knew we could keep it cool inside while we drove. However, living in Southwest Florida, we wanted a backup just in case we ever were without air completely. I tend to run hot, and air conditioner is my saving grace on most days and nights.
We collected all the questions you asked on YouTube and answered them in the video below!
After almost a year of ownership, we created another 5-ish minute video in 2024 that answers all the questions we got from our YouTube viewers of our short video. We still love this product! The shorter video is further down this article, and you can watch this video below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
We also discovered our heater was not working in the RV on a trip back to Florida (driving from Indiana) post our Hurricane Ian evacuation during the winter months. We bought space heaters, which worked perfectly, so it made us both start thinking about air conditioner “space coolers”. Then I saw the IcyBreeze commercial and my husband instantly said “that’s a swamp cooler”. I had no idea what that was, but after some research, I understood.
Get your own Icybreeze on Amazon or click the image below!
Tommy thinks the Icybreeze is a smart invention
The Icybreeze is basically a swamp cooler, in the form of a cooler. The concept is simple. You fill it with ice, which creates the coolant. Then the Icybreeze pulls the cool air from inside the cooler through a tube and then a device in the lid (which is an electronic control board, pump, and coil) pumps the cool air out through a vent (it looks like a car dash vent) in the lid. In my research, I’ve learned people have been building their own swamp coolers for years. Icybreeze just made it one that is very portable, is dual-use and they are selling it at a decent price point.
The Icybreeze has built in drink holders
You can plug it in or get the optional 12-Volt rechargeable battery that last around 6 hours on the lowest fan speed. The cooler comes with flexi-hoses so you can vent the cool air out further and it even has a dual vent attachment so you can direct the cool air into two separate spaces.
See our short video overview of the Icybreeze below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
We tested it out in the middle of summer, in our RV to see if it truly would cool down the space on its own, like a space heater would heat a room. We ran a test by turning off our A/C in the RV (when it was around 90 degrees outside), filling it with ice, turning it on, and letting it do its thing.
The Icybreeze air vent
Our results were decent, but it did not cool the space down quite like a real air conditioner. Our RV is 39 ½ feet long, so it’s a big space. While we had the Icybreeze running, the temperature rose in the RV very slowly, instead of quickly, so we knew it was doing something to help.
We decided one Icybreeze on it’s own was not enough, but having the tubes to direct cool air right onto us was helpful. We bought a second Icybreeze to see if that would help, and it did. We filled them with large ice packs as well as a bunch of ice. Packing it full of ice seems to be the key to having the coolest air flow from Icybreeze.
You can pack some food and drinks in with the ice and use it as a cooler too, so you don’t have to tote a second one along on an outdoor adventure. It has a built in drain plug, so you can drain it as needed.
The more the ice, the cooler the air becomes. We have the Icybreeze Platinum, which has the “extreme cool setting” and basically this function makes the air pump out faster, which does feel cooler to me. We placed a thermometer in the vent and it blew out at 62 degrees, but it seemed a bit cooler than that.
Both coolers kept cool air flowing for around 4 hours on a medium speed. We could have added more ice to keep the air cooler for a longer period of time, especially when it was plugged in. If you use the battery, it won’t work longer than 6 hours a low setting, as the battery would need to be recharged.
The inside an Icybreeze
We bought one with a battery option and one with a plug-in option only. We have a Bluetti Portable Power Station that we plug that one into, as we use the power station in our coastal home for power outages. It’s heavier than the Icybreeze battery, but it’s a great option if you want to have a power station to use around your house or when you are out and about using the Icybreeze.
The ice does melt much quicker in the Icybreeze than it does in our Orca cooler (which is comparable to a Yeti), but it’s also a lot lighter in weight. If it was made out of the same material as the Orca, the ice would last for days, but it’d be considerably heavier. The brand made this cooler to be lightweight and durable (and with wheels and a handle) so it could be portable on sports fields and tailgating, on boats, to the beach, camping and more. An Icybreeze would probably do great cooling a small tent.
Two Icybreeze coolers helped keep the RV cool, but again, not like a regular A/C. It was helpful when we traveled from one location to another, as we shut the door to the back of the RV to keep the space in need of cooling a bit smaller. We used the vents on the coolers to direct air to us (in the driving area) and in the area of our pets. This was helpful for a short period of time.
We still love this awesome invention!
We had a comment on our YouTube Icybreeze overview video from someone that found one on Facebook Marketplace and bought it to use in his car in which his air conditioner was broken. He said he loved it for that use and based on his experience, we’d recommend it for that purpose too. Another commenter asked if it would be good at a hotel lobby in the desk area to keep guests cooler while they check in. He was concerned about the noise. It does have a motor that runs, but it’s not too loud, and we’d say it’d be okay for that purpose too.
Check out IcyBreeze on Amazon by clicking this image
We also think it’d be great for babies or pets when on the beach or at the lake. We have a dog that runs hot (like me!) and I would feel very confident that she would stay cool if I had the vent directed at her when outside, like I did for her in the RV. Overall, if you think you would use an Icybreeze, it’s worth trying out. While we haven’t found it will cool a room like a real A/C, it does pump out cold air and can help cool you off when needed.
If you love this article, we know you’ll love this one too: Fun Camping and Beach Gear
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.