If we're going the tongue in cheek route... where's the solar panel and Engel spare parts tree with stranded wire vines?
Ice vs dry ice.
- Thread starter Borrego60
- Start date
If we're going the tongue in cheek route... where's the solar panel and Engel spare parts tree with stranded wire vines?
I was on the road for 6 weeks earlier this summer, only had to buy dry ice once, no problem finding it.
Sorry, I don't like a lot of gadgets. More to break.:mixed-smiley-030:
I carry dry/canned goods too. Those mountain house meals are great. http://www.mountainhouse.com/
Last edited:
rusty_tlc
Explorer
I for one out gas CO2 every time I exhale.:sombrero:
Between the CO2 from snoring and the methane from the campfire chili dogs, it's a wonder I don't suffocate in my tent every trip!
dzzz
™
Or is everything so frozen solid by the dry ice that you just think it's mountain house? Perhaps it was some nice fruit purchased the day before. Or a doggie bag from eating out thats been flash frozen.
The mountain house stuff is pretty good but I can make eggs and ham in the same time it takes to rehydrate eggs and ham. I do like Tang.
Or is everything so frozen solid by the dry ice that you just think it's mountain house? Perhaps it was some nice fruit purchased the day before. Or a doggie bag from eating out thats been flash frozen.
.
Funny...:elkgrin:
I keep two chest, one with dry ice the other with H2O ice. I think someone up the thread mentioned this method, one acts as a deep freezer the other as a fridge.
My buddy keeps on trying to talk me into a electric fridge/freezer....too many things to go wrong with those things. "My Way" :ylsmoke: has worked for years for me, no reason for me to change my habits, if you know what I mean. (Where is that Sinatra smilie when you need it?)
The Mountain House stuff I just use as back up, or I am too lazy too cook/clean. Heck some nights I am too lazy to even boil water.
Yep, I was dry ice/water ice in 2 coolers, now have a fridge to go w/them...cuts down on the soggy cold food
I am pretty anti-gizmo in my vehicles. The 4 that I own still have carburetors. I almost bought a modern truck recently, but I couldn't do it. Like maps and a compass over GPS too...
When we rode across the country on our bicycles, only carried instant style food.
Petrol powered 4 wheels, and ice chests are a luxury to me. Probably the only reason I do carry ice chests I like to carry in steaks to cook over an open fire.
Last edited:
I totally get that...somewhere along the line I went from 'simple everything' to 'must have gadgets and luxury' - I still have all my old gear, in fact just ran across my paniers from my Alaska bike trip in '95 (I'm a packrat lol)...now it's new modern cars, fridges, trailers to carry all my crap, I recently went on vacation and brought my laptop but forgot my gazeteer
...I think the young me would snicker and frown upon the new/old me 
MagicMtnDan
2020 JT Rubicon Launch Edition & 2021 F350 6.7L
Thought I'd update this since I was checking into the comparison. From the inter webs:
Source for the following: http://www.dryiceinfo.com/camping.htm
CAMPING AND TRAVELING WITH DRY ICE
Plan on using 10 to 20 pounds of dry ice for every 24-hour period depending upon the size of the ice chest. Dry Ice will keep everything frozen in this ice chest, including extra ice, so keep non-frozen goods to be refrigerated with regular ice in a separate ice chest. Dry Ice normally comes in 10-inch squares, 2 inches thick weighing about 10 pounds each square. Plan to put one square per each 15 inches of ice chest length. This will work out to 2 squares (20 pounds) for an average 40-quart cooler. For larger containers and longer camping or traveling times, multiply dry ice quantities by these rates. Dry Ice, at -109.0°F or -78.5°C, will freeze and keep frozen everything in its container until it is completely sublimated. These frozen items will take some extra time to thaw because they have been so cold.
HOW TO PACK DRY ICE
If the Dry Ice is placed on top of the food (cold sinks), it will work better. However it is sometimes in the way so many people prefer to keep the Dry Ice on the bottom of the ice chest for convenience. When packing items in the container fill the empty space with wadded newspaper or other filler. Any "dead air space" will cause the Dry Ice to sublimate faster. The best storage container is a three-inch thick urethane insulated box. Lining the inside of your ice chest with sheets of Styrofoam will increase the life of Dry Ice. Dry Ice sublimation (changing from a solid to a gas) will vary depending on the temperature, air pressure and thickness of insulation. The more Dry Ice you have stored in the container, the longer it will last.
TRANSPORTING BY AUTO OR VAN
Plan to pick up the Dry Ice as close to the time it is needed as possible. If possible pack insulating items such as sleeping bags around the ice chest. This will stretch the time that the Dry Ice lasts. If it is transported inside a car or van (not in the trunk) for more than 10 minutes make sure there is fresh air. After 15 minutes with Dry Ice only in its paper bag in the passenger seat next to me, I started to breathe faster and faster as though I were running a race. I couldn't figure out why I was so out of breath until I saw the car air system was set in the re-circulated position, not fresh outside air.
Source of the following info: http://www.desertusa.com/dusablog/how-to-keep-ice-cold-in-the-desert.html
Line your cooler with Reflectix (aluminized bubble wrap). You can find it at most home improvement stores. It was invented to insulate homes and buildings. Smart campers came up with the idea to use Reflectix to keep the heat out and the cold air in coolers. Cut the Reflectix into pieces that fit, lining the inside of your cooler, including the top/lid. You can even throw a sheet of Reflectix over the outside of your cooler to further insulate it.
Dry ice will crack a plastic cooler if it is sitting directly on the bottom of the cooler or touching the sides. The dry ice needs to be wrapped in paper (NOT plastic), and placed on a rack or barrier so it doesn’t crack your cooler. You can cut down a cheap Styrofoam cooler, place the dry ice in the bottom of the cut down portion, and then place that inside of the plastic cooler. This creates a barrier between the dry ice and the plastic sides and bottom of the cooler. You might also try putting a stainless steel dish rack with legs in the bottom of the cooler and then placing the dry ice on the rack. Stainless steel dish racks can be found in most stores that sell kitchenware.
Anything stored right next to dry ice will freeze. Keep this in mind when packing fruit, dairy products or other items that you don’t want to freeze. Dry ice does not melt, it sublimates and keeps items cold or frozen, and dry.
Another idea is to pack the dry ice in a separate cooler and surround it with frozen blue ice packs. Don’t put any food or beverages in this cooler, just the dry ice with frozen blue ice packs. Once the blue ice packs in your food or beverage cooler are used up, switch the blue ice packs with fresh ones out of the dry ice cooler. It’s a great way to refreeze your blue ice packs and avoid damage to your food by freezing it too much with dry ice.
Source for the following: http://www.dryiceinfo.com/camping.htm
CAMPING AND TRAVELING WITH DRY ICE
Plan on using 10 to 20 pounds of dry ice for every 24-hour period depending upon the size of the ice chest. Dry Ice will keep everything frozen in this ice chest, including extra ice, so keep non-frozen goods to be refrigerated with regular ice in a separate ice chest. Dry Ice normally comes in 10-inch squares, 2 inches thick weighing about 10 pounds each square. Plan to put one square per each 15 inches of ice chest length. This will work out to 2 squares (20 pounds) for an average 40-quart cooler. For larger containers and longer camping or traveling times, multiply dry ice quantities by these rates. Dry Ice, at -109.0°F or -78.5°C, will freeze and keep frozen everything in its container until it is completely sublimated. These frozen items will take some extra time to thaw because they have been so cold.
HOW TO PACK DRY ICE
If the Dry Ice is placed on top of the food (cold sinks), it will work better. However it is sometimes in the way so many people prefer to keep the Dry Ice on the bottom of the ice chest for convenience. When packing items in the container fill the empty space with wadded newspaper or other filler. Any "dead air space" will cause the Dry Ice to sublimate faster. The best storage container is a three-inch thick urethane insulated box. Lining the inside of your ice chest with sheets of Styrofoam will increase the life of Dry Ice. Dry Ice sublimation (changing from a solid to a gas) will vary depending on the temperature, air pressure and thickness of insulation. The more Dry Ice you have stored in the container, the longer it will last.
TRANSPORTING BY AUTO OR VAN
Plan to pick up the Dry Ice as close to the time it is needed as possible. If possible pack insulating items such as sleeping bags around the ice chest. This will stretch the time that the Dry Ice lasts. If it is transported inside a car or van (not in the trunk) for more than 10 minutes make sure there is fresh air. After 15 minutes with Dry Ice only in its paper bag in the passenger seat next to me, I started to breathe faster and faster as though I were running a race. I couldn't figure out why I was so out of breath until I saw the car air system was set in the re-circulated position, not fresh outside air.
Source of the following info: http://www.desertusa.com/dusablog/how-to-keep-ice-cold-in-the-desert.html
Line your cooler with Reflectix (aluminized bubble wrap). You can find it at most home improvement stores. It was invented to insulate homes and buildings. Smart campers came up with the idea to use Reflectix to keep the heat out and the cold air in coolers. Cut the Reflectix into pieces that fit, lining the inside of your cooler, including the top/lid. You can even throw a sheet of Reflectix over the outside of your cooler to further insulate it.
Dry ice will crack a plastic cooler if it is sitting directly on the bottom of the cooler or touching the sides. The dry ice needs to be wrapped in paper (NOT plastic), and placed on a rack or barrier so it doesn’t crack your cooler. You can cut down a cheap Styrofoam cooler, place the dry ice in the bottom of the cut down portion, and then place that inside of the plastic cooler. This creates a barrier between the dry ice and the plastic sides and bottom of the cooler. You might also try putting a stainless steel dish rack with legs in the bottom of the cooler and then placing the dry ice on the rack. Stainless steel dish racks can be found in most stores that sell kitchenware.
Anything stored right next to dry ice will freeze. Keep this in mind when packing fruit, dairy products or other items that you don’t want to freeze. Dry ice does not melt, it sublimates and keeps items cold or frozen, and dry.
Another idea is to pack the dry ice in a separate cooler and surround it with frozen blue ice packs. Don’t put any food or beverages in this cooler, just the dry ice with frozen blue ice packs. Once the blue ice packs in your food or beverage cooler are used up, switch the blue ice packs with fresh ones out of the dry ice cooler. It’s a great way to refreeze your blue ice packs and avoid damage to your food by freezing it too much with dry ice.
I haven't seen anyone post about using "salt-water ice". There are plenty of sites that talk about it including some you-tube videos on the subject. I mixed some plastic bottles up with salt water and froze them for a trip last weekend. They are colder than regular fresh water ice. I had a steak that stayed hard frozen for two days in a cooler. This would have not happened with plain ice. I'll be doing it again for my next trip.
troyboy162
Adventurer
How does the salt water ice work? Wouldn't it just lower the temp of melting and freezing?
verdesardog
Explorer
Dry Ice will freeze everything in your cooler....eve if it's wrapped in many layers of paper and set only on one side of the cooler.
Think frozen eggs and milk!
ask me how I know.
Think frozen eggs and milk!
ask me how I know.