Would somebody let me in the cooler secret?

[vanguard]

I've just started camping again after being a boy scout as a kid. I mention that to let you know my level of experience, very little. Aside from a refrigerator in the truck, what's the best way to keep things cool?

In April I put the ice in a ziplock bag and it actually worked. Later in April it failed. Ziplock bags are a great idea for holding ice but a really bad idea for holding cold water. You would think the upcoming transformation would have occurred to me but you would be over estimating me.

On my third try I used loose ice. However, this time I was hip to all the crafty tricks that ice will pull and I put the food in zip lock bags. That didn't work either. Maybe if I could get *all* of the air out of each bag it wouldn't open the seal after it gets squeezed but that's hard to pull off on some items.

What's your best trick, short of equiping your truck with a refrigerator and all the eletrical upgrades along with it, for keeping food cold. I rarely camp for more than 3 nights.

 

[chet]

ditch the zip locks and use palstic containers. They are sealed and keep things fresher longer. Also use block ice. Drain the water each morning as it aids the melting process.

A friend of mine built a rack that sits above his ice blocks and keeps his food seperate. Also keep the cooler in the shade under a blanket to shield it from the sun (light colored prefered.) those are all my tips and I can get 3-4 days out of a block in a proper cooler.:jump:

 

[Wanderlusty]

Drain and repack as you go. Sometimes that is easier to do than others. Depends how far out you are. I am in the same boat. Maybe one day, when the expedition gods smile upon me, I may have an onboard 'fridge, but until then, just kinda have to make do.

There are some high end coolers available. I just have a cheapie Coleman myself, where I do the drain and refill method, with loose ice and ziplocked food items. I can't speak to how much better the high end coolers work.

There is a reason people are willing to pay $600 + for one of those fridges, and you and I get to find out every time we go :camping:

Good luck.

 

[paulj]

While draining the melt water makes it easier to keep the food dry, I doubt if it helps slow down the melting of the ice. That melt water is at 0C, and still can absorb a lot of heat. I tend to drain the melt water only when adding new ice.

paulj

 

[njtaco]

I've just started camping again after being a boy scout as a kid. I mention that to let you know my level of experience, very little. Aside from a refrigerator in the truck, what's the best way to keep things cool?

In April I put the ice in a ziplock bag and it actually worked. Later in April it failed. Ziplock bags are a great idea for holding ice but a really bad idea for holding cold water. You would think the upcoming transformation would have occurred to me but you would be over estimating me.

On my third try I used loose ice. However, this time I was hip to all the crafty tricks that ice will pull and I put the food in zip lock bags. That didn't work either. Maybe if I could get *all* of the air out of each bag it wouldn't open the seal after it gets squeezed but that's hard to pull off on some items.

What's your best trick, short of equiping your truck with a refrigerator and all the eletrical upgrades along with it, for keeping food cold. I rarely camp for more than 3 nights.

Vanguard,

We (my family) have used plastic milk jugs, with a screw-on top, 3/4 or so filled with water (of course!) and frozen. Depending on the cooler and length of trip, anything from a quart to a gallon works. This also acts as an "emergency" source of water, as it stays clean in the container. A high quality cooler and what is essentially "block" ice will last a long time.
Other points to ponder:

1. Filling the jug to the top will often split it when frozen.

2. The cooler will not "recover" when opened frequently using blocks, due to little surface area. Four, one-quart containers keep better cold than one gallon container, but do not last as long.

3. The emptier the cooler, the more air exchange each time the lid is opened, so the ice does not last as long. Better to keep empty, sealed containers in there than none at all. Better yet take up any extra space at the start of the trip with nearly-frozen drinking water.

4. I use square tupperware or rubbermaid to use the space most efficiently (works for me) and to keep food dry in case of leakage. Ziplocs, plastic bags, and the like are just one more thing for the landfill when I get home, and an added, (albeit small) expense to the trip.

5. Many, if not all, of the same tips apply that you have read about concerning the fridges. Keep shaded, extra insulation (old quilt), open as little as practical, and don't go cheap on the fridge (cooler).

Just my experience on the relatively cool east coast. The desert guys will probably have more imaginative advice!

Bob

EDIT- I've got to type faster... 3 posts in the time it took me to type one... sheesh!

 

[erin]

I have had good luck with dry ice and saw dust over longer trips. It is a bit of a hassle becuase of the saw dust, but it holds the cold very well. Layering is very important with this method though. It does help no matter what method you use to get the best cooler you can.

 

[ducktapeguy]

Depending on what kind of stuff you're keeping cold, dry ice works great. I've done a week in the desert at 100+ degrees with two coolers. One was filled with dry ice and regular block ice, the other for food and block ice. When the ice in the main cooler melted, I just transferred ice from one cooler to another. You just have to minimize opening the cooler as much as possible, just open once a day to get what you need to transfer, then shut it.

Water frozen with dry ice is much colder than normal ice, and last longer. So you can still have popsicles up until the third day . Another advantage to dry ice is it doesn't get everything wet when it evaporates, it goes straight to a gas state, so your food doesn't get soggy.

 

[njtaco]

Erin-

How much is dry ice, and how much do you get for an "average" cooler? I haven't bought dry ice since college, and that wasn't even for a cooler! Do you have to chip away the "glaze" from time to time, or does that work for you?
Hope this isn't a hijack...I think it still applies?

Ducktapeguy-

Is it feasable to re-freeze jugs of water in the cooler with the dry ice? (I realize it should be possible.)

Bob

 

[whitethaiger]

Draining will make the ice last longer. Water just conducts heat so much better than air. Harry Lewellyn of Eco4WD actually did some experiments with various setups and proved it.

We employ all the points mentioned by njtaco above: ice in plastic bottles, limit open/close, don't add warm stuff, stock with stuff from fridge/freezer at home, cover in blanket. We have good success out here in the South West deserts even in summer with this approach.

Of course one of these day's we want a fridge also, but until then we sneak drinks into those big fridges of your travel companions :ylsmoke:

 

[awalter]

I use 2 liter soda bottles, leave 2 " from the top when you freeze along with a loose cap. When frozen, tighten the cap & you will not contaminate your food with water. Once melted you have emergency water available. This lasts for a good 4 days with my Coleman Extreme cooler here in the Southwest, even during the summer months.

 

[vanguard]

1. Filling the jug to the top will often split it when frozen.

Thanks for the tips everybody. FWIW, if most tall and thin containers resist splitting a lot better if you lay them on their side.

 

[justfred]

Here's a simple suggestion that hasn't been mentioned, from an 8-year Burning Man veteran (12 days in the desert, no place to get food, can get ice if you must but then you have to carry it with you back to camp):

Minimize food that must be refrigerated; eliminate if possible. Get canned or dried or packaged or other foods that don't need refrigeration. Milk, butter, eggs, cheese? Go without.

Food that must be refrig'd, such as fresh meat? Freeze it. Test at home first that it can be defrosted and stay edible. Remember that when it starts to defrost, you have to eat it.

If you alter your diet a little, you can eat fine without having to use a cooler at all. Alternatively, this leaves more room in the cooler for essentials like beer.

 

[Nullifier]

Keeping the cooler covered also works well. It keeps the direct sun coming in from the windows off it and really makes a big difference. Last time my wife and I went out west in the truck we were in utah and Az for 3 weeks. We had a "5 day" cooloer. The ice actually lasted 5 days which was amazing. We kept the cooler as full as possible, used block ice, drained it daily, and kept it covered.

 

[erin]

NJ Taco, not sure how much dry ice is anymore, haven't bought any in years, not even sure how readily available it is anymore. As to the amount we used to use, I would have to check with a friend that turned me on to this method, I haven't used it in years, and don't remember exactly. I know it wasn't alot though, maybe something like three layers, one hunk per layer, and we never chipped it down.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

It's been pretty much covered here.....so I will just mention what works for me.

I use empty 64oz. Juice bottles (like Ocean Spray)......rinse them clean.....fill with water I can use to drink later. Place in freezer several days before I head out on my trips (when my truck is working!...UG!).

I bring as many as I think I need and that will fit.....typically 6 bottles....sometimes more.

I keep my cooler covered and out of the sun. I limit the opening of my cooler.

I also bring frozen meat....and in winter I bring my world famous Pork Veggie soup! (frozen)....oh yea baby!

In the winter my ice can last 7+ days. In the summer 5-6 days.

All with no watery mess at the bottom of my cooler.

Also....I have a built in emergency supply of drinking water that takes up no extra room in the truck.

............:ylsmoke: .........:elkgrin: