Abstract: A portable cooling apparatus. The apparatus includes a thermally insulated housing, such as a conventional hand-carried ice chest with a lid for removably covering the main opening. A thermally insulated dry ice chamber is disposed inside the chest. The dry ice chamber is vented and a fan is contained within the chamber. Dry ice is placed in the chamber and sublimates into cold gas which expands and passes from the vented chamber into the chest to cool the chest. Cooling action is increased by selectively actuating the fan to drive the sublimated gas rapidly into the chest, thereby causing air movement within the chest in a circulating flow pattern passing through the ice chamber.