Packing a cooler for off-road
05-18-2010, 06:09 PM
#11
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If you camp alot or just generally use a cooler alot. I would highly suggest the ARB Frig Freeze. It rocks. I use a cooler probably 3 days a week. Between work and my kids sports and generally weekends. It will freeze your beer. Frosty! Never have mushy sandwiches again. I'm not pimping it. Because its friggin pricey $$$. But it works great. Wife even uses it with the kids. Still have our 5 day extreme also. Great cooler too. 
05-18-2010, 06:49 PM
#12
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For longer trips it important to start with adequate ice in the cooler. You probably need about 50% ice if you plan on a 3 day trip.
For the drinks, the slush of water augmented by some block ice is helpful. The frozen bottles of water is a good idea too.
For the food, I use block ice exclusively, you don't have to have it Ice cold like the drinks, just keep it cool for a few days. Also plan your menu so you eat the perishable stuff first.
For meat etc, I like to start with a frozen steak and by the second day its ready to cook.
Keep things clean, start with fresh food and you can probably go three days without any refrigeration. ( though I wouldn't
)
Tom
For the drinks, the slush of water augmented by some block ice is helpful. The frozen bottles of water is a good idea too.
For the food, I use block ice exclusively, you don't have to have it Ice cold like the drinks, just keep it cool for a few days. Also plan your menu so you eat the perishable stuff first.
For meat etc, I like to start with a frozen steak and by the second day its ready to cook.
Keep things clean, start with fresh food and you can probably go three days without any refrigeration. ( though I wouldn't
) Tom
05-19-2010, 08:42 PM
#15
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There's probably an obvious answer to this, but what's the best way to keep a cooler full of food COLD for 3-or-more days on the trail? And does it matter if you're talking drinks or food?
My approach is generally to pack the beer-- uh, I mean drink cooler full of bag ice. This keeps the bottled beverages suspended in a frigid sea of ice and water. I periodically drain the excess water, which seems to make the ice last longer.
My bigger issue is how to pack the food cooler. Filling it full of ice is problematic because some of the stuff doesn't do well when suspended in water and ice for multiple days. Some packaging can leak, some gets mushy, and you just generally wind up with a mess. Is the better option to use ice packs:
Or just zip-locks full of ice? If so, how much? I'd welcome others' solution to the problem of keeping food cold for multiple days on the trail.
My approach is generally to pack the beer-- uh, I mean drink cooler full of bag ice. This keeps the bottled beverages suspended in a frigid sea of ice and water. I periodically drain the excess water, which seems to make the ice last longer.
My bigger issue is how to pack the food cooler. Filling it full of ice is problematic because some of the stuff doesn't do well when suspended in water and ice for multiple days. Some packaging can leak, some gets mushy, and you just generally wind up with a mess. Is the better option to use ice packs:
Or just zip-locks full of ice? If so, how much? I'd welcome others' solution to the problem of keeping food cold for multiple days on the trail.
05-20-2010, 06:37 AM
#16
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Most food doesn't need to be ice cold and is fine as long as it remains cool. Invest in a good cooler is probably the most important thing! One thing that I've done in the past is to cook the meat the first night and then just warm it up over the fire or grill the next few nights. Makes it a lot easier and you don't have to worry about raw meat thawing and getting everywhere inside your cooler. Plus you've already done your main cooking which leaves more time for your drinks!!
05-20-2010, 08:17 AM
#17
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Re: Dry Ice & Other Ideas
1 - you can touch it with your bare hands - just don't hold onto it for more than a second or two - make sure your hands are dry - any moisture will freeze and you'll stick to the ice. Think the same as a Hot Potato - you can touch it... just don't hold onto it.
Then again... better safe than sorry - use gloves and don't sue me.
2 - don't put it at the bottom of the cooler. Give it a light wrap in heavy paper, or a few wraps of newsprint, and have it sitting on top of everything else in the cooler. Warm Air rises, and Cold Air falls (as does Cold Carbon Dioxide)
3 - once packed, throw a thermal blanket (foil) over the cooler if it's going to be in direct sunlight
4 - if you're locking the cooler up overnight in an enclosed Jeep; air it out quick before you jump in for a long drive (just rolling the windows down will help a bit, but CO2 is heavier than air)... I know it's not as bad as carbon monoxide; but we don't want you passing out needlessly. Kind of goes without saying - don't sleep in an enclosed space with dry ice either.
1 - you can touch it with your bare hands - just don't hold onto it for more than a second or two - make sure your hands are dry - any moisture will freeze and you'll stick to the ice. Think the same as a Hot Potato - you can touch it... just don't hold onto it.
Then again... better safe than sorry - use gloves and don't sue me.
2 - don't put it at the bottom of the cooler. Give it a light wrap in heavy paper, or a few wraps of newsprint, and have it sitting on top of everything else in the cooler. Warm Air rises, and Cold Air falls (as does Cold Carbon Dioxide)
3 - once packed, throw a thermal blanket (foil) over the cooler if it's going to be in direct sunlight
4 - if you're locking the cooler up overnight in an enclosed Jeep; air it out quick before you jump in for a long drive (just rolling the windows down will help a bit, but CO2 is heavier than air)... I know it's not as bad as carbon monoxide; but we don't want you passing out needlessly. Kind of goes without saying - don't sleep in an enclosed space with dry ice either.
05-20-2010, 02:48 PM
#18
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As a professional chef who has spent many years in the catering industry, I can offer some dry ice tips, as we use it a lot:
It will last much longer if kept air tight, so seal it in a large freezer grade ziplock, or vaccum sealer if you have one. When packing for personal use, I generally use one or two blocks (approx 5-10 lbs, depending on where I get it) of dry ice per average sized (1 case of beer, how do you measure your ice chests?) ice chest, and supplement with frozen water bottles and/or cubed ice, as it is not the cheapest stuff in the world. I also reccomend keeping snackables and drinks in one ice chest, and your bulkier food items for meals in a seperate chest. This way you will only be getting into the cooler with your meats and such only once each time you are pulling supplies for a meal, rather than opening it up every time you reach for a cold bee... bottle of water. Also, it is a good idea to repack your foods in portioned out ziplocks, with a little air as possible, especially meats. This will be good for product quality as well as prevent meat juice from leaking everywhere. The packaging in most stores leaves a lot to be desired.
I didn't read through the thread, so if I am merely repeating others, I apologize.
It will last much longer if kept air tight, so seal it in a large freezer grade ziplock, or vaccum sealer if you have one. When packing for personal use, I generally use one or two blocks (approx 5-10 lbs, depending on where I get it) of dry ice per average sized (1 case of beer, how do you measure your ice chests?) ice chest, and supplement with frozen water bottles and/or cubed ice, as it is not the cheapest stuff in the world. I also reccomend keeping snackables and drinks in one ice chest, and your bulkier food items for meals in a seperate chest. This way you will only be getting into the cooler with your meats and such only once each time you are pulling supplies for a meal, rather than opening it up every time you reach for a cold bee... bottle of water. Also, it is a good idea to repack your foods in portioned out ziplocks, with a little air as possible, especially meats. This will be good for product quality as well as prevent meat juice from leaking everywhere. The packaging in most stores leaves a lot to be desired.
I didn't read through the thread, so if I am merely repeating others, I apologize.
05-23-2010, 02:31 AM
#19
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Dry ice is definitely the way to go, though investing in a fridge or freezer for the Jeep may not be a bad investment in the long run. I always pack two coolers, one for drinks and snacks and the other for food for meals. I also freeze everything thats freezable prior to packing it. I also try to pack the cooler as tight as possible. The dry ice will go on the top of the cooler with food and on the bottom of the cooler with drinks - its a lot easier to grab a cold drink that way. As things get used up, and it looks like one cooler will do, I combine the contents of both in order to keep it as tightly packed as possible. This usually happens around the last day or two, so I'm not too worried about the ice melting by opening it somewhat often.
05-23-2010, 04:06 AM
#20
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Packing a cooler for off-road
Careful with cans of pop/beer and dry ice. They can explode when frozen or in contact with the dry ice. Not like a Mentos bomb, but pretty messy nonetheless.