Gel Ice Pack Recipe off the Southbound Group

We are fond followers of the Southbound Group, a Yahoo cruisers group that is chock-full of information and good ideas, especially focusing on the west side of North, Central and South America. Discussions range from safety tips to what bus is best to take from here to there. If you are cruising south, the Southbound Group is worth checking out:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbound_group/  


Remember-  if you reply to a comment on the Southbound Group to delete the previous message content that is attached to your message before you hit 'Send'. The Moderators do a good job of cutting through the crap and they really appreciate it when they don't have reply posts containing the  exact same message dangling off your responses.


I found a great little recipe on the Southbound Group submitted by s/v Evenstar. If you're out in the middle of nowhere and you run out of your 1-time use packs (or they get smashed and become unusable), here is a fabulous option. Of course, it's better to have them handy BEFORE you need them. Here is what Evenstar had to say:


On several occasions a 'gel' ice pack was needed
while cruising. The following is a recipe to make
your own gel ice pack:
Contents: 
- 2 large ziplock bags (sliding locks bags 
tend to leak. Try not to use them)
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Water
- Duct Tape
Ratio:
1 part Rubbing Alcohol
2 parts water
Directions:
Fill ziplock with alcohol and water. Bleed out all the air
and seal the ziplock. Put full bag into the 2nd bag. Seal
with duct tape and place in freezer. *** More water will
make it more firm. More alcholo will make it more slushy.

S/V Evenstar