I have a Jiffy Propane auger and a Mr. Heater propane heater for ice fishing, which I rig with propane bottles prior to each trip. On each ice fishing trip, I carry a couple of extra propane bottles in my ice fishing sled. I have been lucky in that my propane bottle have never frozen or exploded on me. Preemptively, I built a simple portable propane storage solution that keeps my propane bottles warm and secure.

Making this simple storage solution is easy. I made mine in less than one hour.

First, I made a simple jig out of a recycled MDF sheet. I cut out a simple rectangle based on the inner dimensions of a recycled cooler. I used my Rigid sander to get it to the exact size so that it fits snug in the cooler. I then made two centered and equidistant 4 1/8″ holes using a whole saw bit and my DeWalt drill.

Second, I cut a series of 2″ thick foam insulation form panels using my template, a hacksaw blade, and a 4 1/8″ whole saw bit.  When drilling out the holes in the insulation foam, make sure the drill bit is spinning before it touches the insulation. Also be sure to wear a dust mask and eye protection. Insulation shavings go everywhere! And lastly, I stacked the foam panels into the cooler.

This inexpensive portable propane bottle storage solution works amazingly well. My propane bottle are protected from freezing and propane ping pong.