we've used ice too but at school my friends only have the trays so it runs out... and yes, joel, snow works just fine. i didn't do the packing, my friends did, but they packed it loose enough and this bong is pretty fat. and yeah the snow melts pretty quickly but it lasts plenty long enough for one bowl. i dunno maybe it only works on our one bong b/c it's pretty big.. but give it a try, it's well worth it.