The Arktos Ice Bandage is for the treatment of sports injuries, in particular muscle strains and tears.
It requires no prior refrigeration and is easy to use: just open the packet and wrap it around the affected area.
The cotton bandage is soaked in ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, menthol and Cetiol which combine to cool and anaesthetise the area for up to two hours.
This is particularly useful in the first 24 hours after you get the injury. It's not as useful if you try it a month after you get the injury, as we did, but that wasn't something we could control.
The bandage is three metres long, and we found by cutting it in half we could get two uses out of it. Once the alcohol evaporates it could still be used as a normal bandage, just without any cooling effect.
One Ice Bandage costs £3.91, significantly more than a large packet of frozen peas (£1.50) but a lot more convenient to have in a first aid kit, as you don't have to carry a freezer around with you.