CryoMAX Cold Pack Medium

Love the big size it covers larger pain areas , stays cold for long time, personally I don't wrap it to attach around my back. I have but I like laying flat on my bed using it on my back. As far as ice packs go and I have had so many different types. I have to honestly say, I like this one the best. If you have large area of back pain, this is an item that will give you a lot of comfort and help ease your pain. Totally worth buying.

I was very hesitant to believe that these would work for eight hours. It’s summertime and I live in Hawaii. Ice packs seem to only last for 20 or 30 minutes around here. A couple days ago on the hottest day we’ve had in a long time, I brought my 2 ice packs with me as I had injured my back. I originally bought two so that I could wrap them around my arms after Allergy Shots to help with the swelling. Anyways, I started around 9 am , I ran around doing errands with it on my back. Around 1 o’clock, I was going to an event in the park and did not want to bring it. I had brought one additional old-school hard ice pack as well with me (Read the directions to see why). It has been inside a cooler. (and was not super cold anymore) I put the 2CRYOMAX ice packs on top of each other with the hard one in the pile as well. I took my sunshade for the windshield and laid it over the ice packs that were on my seat. The windows were up, and the car was in the sun with no other shades. It was crazy hot that day. I came back around 5 PM and absolutely positively could not believe that the CRYOMAX ice packs were still cold. I honestly was not expecting that, I had already been impressed. I don’t mean, cool, they were cold! Definitely read the directions and make sure they are frozen solid before you use them if possible. The liquid won’t freeze the same way the little balls will. I am beyond impressed with this product and have already shared it with the injection center at my hospital. The only two things that I would want to see changed would be the color of the liquid, if it were to leak, in my opinion, that color would be likely to stain. The other thing I would like to see them change is having the flexible plastic CYROMAX Pac, feel more durable. Don’t get me wrong, my gut tells me that it is extremely durable… It’s more of a psychological thing I think. I will update if there are any problems. Super impressed!!!! There are some reviews that say that it does not say cold. I think the problem is that they are not letting the balls freeze solid first. Additionally, I have noticed that once my arms are numb from cold, it often feels like any ice pack I’m using is no longer cold, but if I take the ice pack and put it against a different part of my body, I realize it still is very cold and that I was just numb to it. Perhaps some users have had that happen. I’m not affiliated and I have not been paid or given anything free or whatever it is companies do to sometimes get reviews. Even if these only work half as good as they did that day from now on, they’re still incredible! I’m just a super happy customer!

I have been buying these ice packs for years and I use two a night in intervals. It helps to keep me cool, which helps me ward off migraines. I sleep on one wrapped in a towel and stick it on top of my pillow. When it has melted to room temperature, it usually wakes me up and I go out and switch it with the backup in the freezer. The size is perfect for neck and head, quality is pretty good and the design is well thought up. It even comes with its own cover so you don’t need a towel for the most part. I just use one for extra cushion and so it doesn’t freeze my skull and brains, lol. If you don’t put them away flat and with care, the outside gel water will leak and then you can still use it as the balls stay intact and frozen but they will then only last about 90 minutes. I recommend these ice packs to anyone who suffers with migraines or vertigo.

These ice packs are AMAZING (will explain the Subscribe & Save caveat). I have chronic pain so I have 2 sets of the ice packs I need that are in a constant rotation. Why you need it: * Once fully frozen, it really does last up to 8 hours. I easily get 6 and usually the full 8. I'm sure the conditions and amount of insulation being used affect this. * You won't find any other kind that stays colder or for longer- I have tried them all, trust me. * The covers they come with are excellent insulators (which you will NEED). The straps are also super helpful for various situations since the strong velcro can stick to any part of the cover. Wrap around any size limb, or use to wrap around/ attach to stuff (I use them to hang the ice pack against the back of my wheelchair for back pain). * Even if only partially frozen, can get a lot of use out of them * The bumps are not uncomfortable * There are some easy work-arounds to some of the problems Tricky things to know/ keep in mind: * They take a long time to get fully frozen, and freeze best with air space in the freezer. I've found it takes 3-4 hours to get completely frozen. The blue bubbles will freeze hard first, then the pink liquid "matrix" will freeze last, and that's where the magic is, you need that pink stuff for it to last longest. * It's not that moldable when fully frozen, but if you use it when the pink isn't completely frozen yet, then it will bend more, along the gaps between blue bubbles. * There's a reason they're offered on "Subscribe & Save"! The pink stuff will eventually leak out (and get stuff wet), and with continued use some of the blue dots will also pop and leak out. Without the pink matrix, you can still use it with just the dots, but it's not nearly as long-lasting (freezes faster though). So with constant daily use like me, you'll need to replace them after about 4-6 months. (I don't recommend actually getting on S&S, just replace as needed.) Work-around: Always keep these in a 2-gallon ziplock bag! Doing this has extended the life greatly, and prevents the liquid getting on things when they do leak. (You might need to replace the bags once in a while but that's better than losing the liquid.) I also duct-taped around the edges of a couple of my ice packs, but it's unclear if this has made much difference, I can't tell where exactly the liquid gets out. The bags are most important. Pics- 1) a fully frozen one I've been using for about 6 months, in a ziploc bag. One or 2 blue dots have popped but nothing leaking, so it's fully functional 2) A thawed and "dying" ice pack- several blue bubbles have popped, the pink has begun to leak out (my bag is worn out too), I will have to replace this one soon to get 8-hours of function per use 3) This is a frozen but completely leaked out one, the pink is gone (I didn't have this in a bag!), I can still use it for some things with just the frozen bubbles, and it is flexible but will thaw a lot more quickly. (Side note- the 6x12 don't last as long as the 12x12.) The bottom line/ TL,DR: these are definitely worth it despite the leaking requiring you to replace them periodically. They're the best and only solution for nearly all-day use for chronic pain and/or taking on a day out.

Great Stays cold Great size

I use gel packs to help reduce swelling and spasms in a chronic neck condition. I leave the ice packs on until they are no longer cold. For this reason, I am looking for an ice pack which gets cold and maintains it's cold for a long time. I also need a 5 by 10 to cover my entire neck about half way around. Lastly, I need a holder with a comfortable velcro strap to apply compression. It is important to note that my reviews are based on these needs. People use these packs in many different ways. I had been using the the Medi-Temp Universal Plus Hot/Cold packs. They worked well and got cold enough that they needed to be massaged a bit after coming out of the freezer in order to make them bend. Eventually, they stopped freezing well after a year of constant use. I decided to try a few different options before doing a mass replacement. I purchased three different products for my evaluations.I will review all three together and post the reviews under all three products so that others with neck problems can consider all the feedback together. Used for the last year: http://www.amazon.com/Medi-Temp-Universal-Plus-Cold-Therapy/dp/B000A3IOYG/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1447259648&sr=1-2&keywords=medi-temp+universal The Medi-Temp packs freeze very well and hold their cold for a long time. The holder is a little flimsy and the Velcro has problems after too much usage. I recommend not taking the packs out frequently. The Velcro strap is a good size for a neck and provides good compression. The ice packs themselves tend to develop leaks so be very careful with them even when frozen. I did get a solid year plus of daily use out of the packs before they wouldn't hold cold as well. For $16, I feel this is a good purchase. 2 reusable 4 by 10 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014LQZV8E?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0 These packs seem to have a thicker plastic than the Medi-Temps so I do not expect they will be as prone to leaks. For $14, two packs is a good deal. They freeze well and hold their cold as well as the Medi-Temp packs. They just don't come with a holder. I have seen holders advertised separately but $15 for a Velcro strap holder seems high. I am just using the Medi-Temp holders. Since you can buy a Medi-Temp holder and gel pack for $15 that seems like a more economical approach. The one downside to these packs are they are 4 by 10 instead of the 5 by 10 of the Medi-Temps and that makes them cover just a little less. My neck problems cause Occipital headaches so having that extra inch of gel pack fold up under the back of my head provides extra relief. Caldera Therapy wrap - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027CU1DA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The Caldera came with a VERY nice holder and Velcro strap. It's plush and it almost seems like it acts as a bit of an insulator to keep the pack cold longer. Unfortunately there are just too many issues with this product for me and I won't be buying more. The first issue is that it simply does not get cold enough and that is a critical flaw for cold pack. It does stay very flexible but I need cold more than flexible. The second issue is that the really nice holder and Velcro strap does not actually stick to the strap itself. For someone needing neck compression, that is required. I would recommend this product for people who need a flexible pack and and are concerned about frostbite with extended use. This product - Cryo-Max reusable 8 hour - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QFZL1Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This was really the oddball product. It is not a normal gel pack. It has blue spheres that freeze solid like ice and they are held in place by flexible gel. I will say that this product does maintain it's cold longer than other products but it is a little bit hard to manipulate. It does not stay cold for 8 hours during use though. Not even close. Also, the pack is too wide to be comfortable on a neck. Lastly, the Velcro strap is too thin. In order to get compression around your neck you have to strangle yourself. Every other pack holder I have used has a wider strap so it spreads the force across your entire windpipe. My belief is that this product would be fantastic for a lower back ice pack but it simply not right for a neck for several reasons. That being said, I am now looking at the picture with the guy using it on his hip. I am not sure I would want that thin strip compressed across my stomach either. I think they need to make that strap wider. I wish they made one in a 5 by 10 size with a wide strap.

Move it…stays cold for hours…the strap helps to wrap around were is needed and doesn’t fall off…all and all a good buy!

Used ONE TIME and it leaked pink fluid onto and INTO my new $1200 mattress. I bought two of these 6x12's many many years ago (like 7 or 8 years ago) from my local Walmart and those two are still perfect (same CryoMax brand). I wanted two more but my Walmart no longer sells this brand/style. I did buy and try one that Walmart carried for a while (bought my third one last year), but it was some clay mixture inside and that one sucks :p it only lasts maybe half an hour. So I came to Amazon to get a couple more of the "better ones". I got this one 6x12 and a larger 12x12 on June 22. I opened and inspected them, put them in their blue covers and then into the freezer. I used them the next night, June 23rd. I have residual hot flashes (postmenopausal) and pretty sure I have hyperthyroidism (unmedicated), so my body is almost always out of whack at bedtime (overheating right away). I put these CyroMaxes on top of my legs and on my chest, or next to my cheek. When they work they're a godsend. They keep my body temp from spiking and I can fall asleep within an hour. About half an hour into relaxing - I felt dripping by my cheek. At first I thought it was condensation (as my other older ones also do just a little when they come right out of the freezer). I was juuuuust about dozed off when my brain said wait a minute - this things still dripping. At that point it had been in use for about 45 minutes. Get up, turn the light on, see what's going on, and it's leaking all over my bed! Run it to the bathroom sink - dripping all the way - it's just gushing out :p Take the blue over off and nearly all the pink fluid is gone with a huge hole in the corner and one of the blue sections in the middle of the row on that same side also burst/missing most of its fluid. I took one of my old ones out of its blue cover and compared the two then took the 12x12 out of its cover. The plastic they used on my old ones is far better than the new ones. The old ones have a more pliable, softer feeling (yet much sturdier) clear plastic casing. The new ones have a really brittle, crinkly plastic. This is not an improvement! This is a major design flaw. Once frozen the plastic just cracks under the slightest movement. I can only guess the Company went with a cheaper plastic to make the product cheaper to manufacture, which is an obvious mistake. They can't possibly "not know" that this is happening. I came here to read the reviews and see that this is a problem that many other buyers had. I won't return it because I already threw away the box (recycled it at my work the morning of June 23rd, then used the new ice packs for the first time that night) thinking there was not going to be any issue as I'd already had and used this same size and/or brand for years. My mistake :p It's a real drag that the Company ruined what was once a perfect product - and now it's clearly Not a perfect product. I can't find any other brands out there that are as good as this brand USED to be...which now includes this brand itself...their quality fallen to the masses of cheap unreliable products...