We packed the ice mule with 8 frozen water bottles, six baggies of homemade chicken salad, two frozen hot dog packs, four bags of celery, two bags of carrots, and three cucumbers. My husband hiked the ice mule almost out to our rustic cabin -- no running water or electricity -- and kept it there, not far from the wood burning stove, for two days. Water bottles still had ice after almost 48 hours, and all our food stayed icy cold.