JohnRich 4 #1 October 26, 2007 I recently returned from a 7-day wilderness canoe trip. My ice chest had some perishable foods in it, and I packed it full with ice the day before the trip. I also had a pair of two-quart jugs of water, frozen solid. My experience has been that those solid blocks of ice keep things cool even after the ice cubes melt. But four days into the trip, with daytime temperatures in the high 80's, my ice was gone, and my sandwich meat was questionable. Fortunately, I had other food options as a backup, like MRE's, but they generally taste like crap. So, I've heard that dry ice can be used to keep a cooler cold for much longer, to preserve fresh foods for a full week. I have another one-week wilderness trip coming up in February, and I want to try to do better. Does anyone have any advice to offer on this dry ice technique? Photo: Pecos River, southwest Texas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #2 October 26, 2007 No advice but we have had food shipped to us that way before and it seemed to work well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #3 October 26, 2007 http://www.praxair.com/praxair.nsf/7a1106cc7ce1c54e85256a9c005accd7/d2ab0bdbc33e109d85256c6f0053bcf8?OpenDocument and http://www.praxair.com/praxair.nsf/d63afe71c771b0d785256519006c5ea1/3daa79f54952ff4085256c72006ba966/$FILE/Packing%20Chart.pdf Additional notes; The container counts! Oddly enough, the cheapo $5 styrofoam is pretty darn good as long as you keep the lid closed. While it's important to keep the lid closed, it should never be air tight. The sublimating dry ice has to vent. Speaking of which, after you've packed the container with dry ice, when you're transporting it in your car, you might wanna make sure you're getting at least a little fresh air into your cabin at all times otherwise the CO2 buildup can be, well, potentially fatal if it went on long enough.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewGuy2005 53 #4 October 26, 2007 No advice until you show more pics!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
punkd 0 #5 October 26, 2007 NEVER STORE DRY ICE IN GLASS OR OTHER SEALED (AIRTIGHT) CONTAINERS OR COOLERS. Storage in a sealed container can result in a rupture or explosion of the container from over-pressurization. -- Funny, that kept us entertained around the bonfire all night! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #6 October 26, 2007 We did dry ice on the bottom of the cooler. Froze all the eggs so the busted open. It was not a pretty site. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #7 October 26, 2007 I have one of those LL Bean soft insulated bags, and use the "blue ice" re-freezable things. Keeps stuff cold for hours and hours...So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squirrel 0 #8 October 27, 2007 i used to work with Coleman...try the "extreme cooler". it has thicker insulation, and will hold ice for 5 days in 95 degrees...if not opened. ________________________________ Where is Darwin when you need him? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeepDiver 0 #9 October 27, 2007 just put a little dry ice in a 16 oz. soda bottle with water and screw the cap real tight. http://youtube.com/watch?v=cTP4yp8y_NA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #10 October 27, 2007 If able, keep a sleeping bag or some other insulator wrapped around your cooler as much as possible. The extra insulation will keep your stuff cooler much longer, regardless of what kind of ice you use. We use an old quilt over our cooler in the summer. It really makes a difference. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdthomas 0 #11 October 27, 2007 John Why are you holding back on the pics man? break em out!www.greenboxphotography.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shell666 0 #12 October 27, 2007 We started using dry ice in our coolers in Lost Prairie a couple of years ago. It works great and lasts about 5 or 6 days as long as you're not opening and closing the cooler a lot. If you're going to use it, dedicate it to one cooler for things that you don't mind freezing solid (like meat). ANYTHING that gets close to the dry ice in the cooler will freeze solid. OJ, milk, eggs, etc. And post more pics. That looked like fun!'Shell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #13 October 29, 2007 QuoteCO2 buildup... NEVER STORE DRY ICE IN GLASS OR OTHER SEALED CONTAINERS... We did dry ice on the bottom of the cooler. Froze all the eggs so the busted open... the "blue ice" re-freezable things. Keeps stuff cold for hours and hours... keep a sleeping bag or some other insulator wrapped around your cooler... dedicate it to one cooler for things that you don't mind freezing solid (like meat). ANYTHING that gets close to the dry ice in the cooler will freeze solid. OJ, milk, eggs, etc... post more pics... Thanks for all those replies. That's the kind of practical advice I was looking for. I was worried about freezing things that I don't want frozen, and that sounds like a legitimate concern. The procedure I've heard is to have two coolers, one with regular ice for "cold" and one with dry ice for "frozen". Then you move stuff from the dry ice cooler to the regular cooler the day before you want to cook it, so that it is thawed and ready to go when you need it. So you just transfer stuff once per day. What about handling? I take it you should use gloves? I don't think the blue plastic cubes would help extend my cold time. I froze a pair of two-quart jugs solid, and they melt in about three or four days inside a cooler. I need longer than that. We had one guy who swears that just putting a wet white towel over your cooler will add an extra day of ice time, just from evaporative cooling, instead of direct sunlight. I need to try that too. I'm still getting the photos organized, and will post some from the trip later when I'm ready. I'll start a new thread for it. Meanwhile, here are a couple of teasers: 1) This is how I kept my drinks cold while in camp in the evening: Insert them in a mesh bag, and dangle them in the river! 2) Fresh-caught small-mouth bass for dinner. 3) Mountain lion tracks, which I found both upstream and downstream from our camp site one night. 4) One of the many rapids we faced. Here you see two people "lining" their canoe down the rapid (floating it through while holding onto the bow and stern lines). I ran all but one rapid, and that one was so ugly only three out of the 12 people dared it. I do have a fresh crack on the inside of my canoe from whacking a rock, which I'll now have to patch. This limestone has sharp edges and is really tough on canoes. A plastic canoe is the only way to go - fiberglass, kevlar or aluminum are all eaten for lunch by the river out here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davedlg 0 #14 October 29, 2007 We managed to keep regular water ice in coolers for 12 days while rafting the Grand Canyon this summer during record heat of 120 degrees. We employed a number of tricks to do this. First, we froze the ice directly into the bottom of the coolers. The ice was not frozen all at once, but 'layered' every day. This helps keep the ice from cracking, which will cause it to melt significantly faster. You need access to a walk in freezer to do this... Second, we drained the coolers every morning. Getting rid of the water out, prevents ice from melting. The water is warmer than freezing - get rid of it. Third, we had a higherarchy of coolers as we went through the trip. The meat cooler was the highest priority. All the meat was deep frozen in advance, and that cooler was only opened once a day, in the mornings, and anything we needed for the day was removed to 'warmer' cooler, that we opened as we needed. Every time we opened a cooler, we had a plan for what we wanted, knew where to look, and only kept it open for a few seconds. Fourth, we consolidated the coolers as they emptied out and the ice got thin. Coolers work a lot better when they are full. Air is warm and will melt ice quickly. Dry ice is, in my experience, not effective for a number of reasons. It can crack the inside lining of coolers unless well insulated. Adding this insulation reduces the space that the ice can actually be used for. It also tends to 'steam off' rather quickly. I think dry ice would be good in a cooler that doesnt get opened until several days into the trip, but if it is a cooler that gets opened and closed a lot, it might be a problem. Oh and I've got some pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #15 October 30, 2007 QuoteWe managed to keep regular water ice in coolers for 12 days... Wow! Excellent suggestions for ice chest management, from professionals. I'll have to see what I can incorporate from that, within the limitations of my small canoe. All that web site info on dry ice has kind of got me scared about the hazards of dealing with it. And it would take 50 lbs. of the stuff, according to the packing chart, to last 7 days. I don't think I can handle that much weight in my canoe... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdthomas 0 #16 October 30, 2007 John Come on, I know that you have more pics then those.. My wife and I love your pics and storys. here is a pic of Christina and a goose on the Marmaton river in Ft Scott, Ks. Joewww.greenboxphotography.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #17 October 31, 2007 QuoteCome on, I know that you have more pics then those.. My wife and I love your pics and storys. here is a pic of Christina and a goose on the Marmaton river in Ft Scott, Ks. I'm still getting the photos organized. It may be next week before I get time to start showing some of them in an organized fashion. Nice canoe and goose photo. I love the pattern of symmetric ripples a bird makes in the water when taking off, as their feet and wingtips dip into the water. Maybe these will help keep you interested in the meantime: Photo 1: I also like the patterns that water carves into solid rock. Photo 2: An ancient Indian pictograph dubbed "The Flying Shaman". I fiddled a bit with contrast and gamma to make it stand out better. Now that I look at it more, that could just be a turkey, rather than a shaman. Photo 3: A stone where the Indians sharpened bones into tools like awls and needles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #18 October 31, 2007 I used to camp and hike a lot more "back in the day" and never botherd much with coolers and ice for that reason (too much of a pain to keep perisable stuff cold) and too much of a pain hiking with a cooler full of ice... Anyway... what's the matter with MREs? I wish when I was back in the Boy Scouts MREs were more readily available. K-Rats, C-Rats and those freeze dried food-stuffs available to hikers back then left a lot to be desired. I suppose with all of today's technology being able to plan, pack and prepare good & palitable food while in the wilderness is becoming a lost art... just open a bag & pass the Tabasco. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #19 October 31, 2007 Quote Anyway... what's the matter with MREs? I wish when I was back in the Boy Scouts MREs were more readily available. K-Rats, C-Rats and those freeze dried food-stuffs available to hikers back then left a lot to be desired. I suppose with all of today's technology being able to plan, pack and prepare good & palitable food while in the wilderness is becoming a lost art... just open a bag & pass the Tabasco. I use MRE's now and then, especially for hiking, but I don't find the taste very pleasing. They're more of a "Okay, I need calories, so I'll force them down" kind of food. But for canoe camping, I have the capability of carrying more weight, so I prefer something more "gourmet". For example, you can buy both salmon and rice, pre-cooked, in foil packets that require no refrigeration. Just heat and serve. On this last trip, I also had fresh eggs every morning, and was the envy of every oatmeal-eater in the group. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #20 October 31, 2007 ... so much for "roughing it"... I suppose you had an air-matress and pillow too? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #21 October 31, 2007 Quote ... so much for "roughing it"... I suppose you had an air-matress and pillow too? But of course. And also tables and chairs. You can easily put hundreds of pounds of stuff in a canoe. With that capability, why rough it? Attached: typical camp scenes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #22 October 31, 2007 Quote I suppose with all of today's technology being able to plan, pack and prepare good & palitable food while in the wilderness is becoming a lost art... It's work, but you can eat really well (tasty and healthy) out of a backpack if you have a food dehydrator and some imagination. Which is why I'm "letting" flyangel2 take care of the food for our month long trek in Oregon next summer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #23 October 31, 2007 ... that ain't camping that's moving! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #24 October 31, 2007 Bah! Enough oatmeal, some dried fruit, GORP, Bolton Biscuits and this pattie' (sp?) we used to call "cat food", mabye some hot chocolate and/or Tang and as long as you could get potable water and start a fire... plus pack, tent, mess kit, couple of cantiens, sleeping bag (or just a blanket in the summer), boots, several pair of dry socks, a change of clothes, poncho/ground cloth, first aid kit and a knife & we were good for a week backpacking! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #25 October 31, 2007 A change of clothes? WTF? Geez, it was only a week. At 15-20 miles a day for a month, we're gonna need food that cooks fast, tastes great, has a lot of nutritional value and doesn't add a lot of weight to our packs. And we're trying to do this without spending ridiculous amounts of money too. So dehydrating our own makes sense. Besides, I hate raisins and peanuts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
