best camp cooler

[James.]

Re: best camp cooler

We've got a Colman 50 qt., 5 day cooler. Before loading, I freeze 3 or 4 half gallons (or 2 gallon) containers of drinking water, and wet a bath towel , but don't freeze the towel solid. Everything else going into the cooler gets put in the fridge. When I load it, of course, the frozen water goes in first, surrounded by the other smaller items, with holding a few drinks for traveling. Then spread the frozen towel over the items on the bottom of the cooler. Then place the traveling drinks and any other cold items on top of the towel. Keep the cooler covered while traveling, opening only when necessary. We've gotten a week plus using this method. Happy camping.

So you use the frozen towel as sort of a frozen divider? Thats a good idea.

[MacGyver]

Re: best camp cooler

I was thinking of either using the construction foam they use under the stucco or (because I don't think that has much r value) I thought I could use the Great Stuff expanding foam insulation and using a mold, make a custom fit divider for my cooler.

I think you'd be better off with a sheet of closed cell polyethylene foam. That spray foam soaks up water unless it's painted. It would also probably wind up breaking because it's rigid once it's set up.

[tplife]

Re: best camp cooler

We've also had good luck on longer trips by packing one cooler wtih marinated frozen meats and dry ice, and the other cooler for drinks and non-frozen stuff in "wet ice". I don't see many "bad" coolers out there, and as long as it has a drain to remove the water once in a while, you should be able to get through a long weekend and still have some of your block ice left. We make our own using tupperware containers, but of course would never use a closed container for that since the ice would melt faster (elementary science brother). Some places where water is critical, the additional drinking water in a container might just come in handy for "whiskey & water"!

AFA Canoe camping - if you haven't tried it, make a point to experience it. We were fortunate to have some great rivers with unspoiled forests for canoeing (and camping) in the Pine Barrens. Camping by canoe is defiinitely at the top of my list!

[coloradowalt]

Re: best camp cooler

You can find those blue closed foam sleeping pads at Wally World relatively cheap. That would be ideal. This is one of those ideas that you slap your forehead....

As someone else mentioned we also use a separate cooler for drinks. But sometimes space is a premium and only a single cooler gets to ride in the canoe. I am "borrowing" the barrier idea.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: best camp cooler

We've also had good luck on longer trips by packing one cooler wtih marinated frozen meats and dry ice, and the other cooler for drinks and non-frozen stuff in "wet ice". I don't see many "bad" coolers out there, and as long as it has a drain to remove the water once in a while, you should be able to get through a long weekend and still have some of your block ice left. We make our own using tupperware containers, but of course would never use a closed container for that since the ice would melt faster (elementary science brother). Some places where water is critical, the additional drinking water in a container might just come in handy for "whiskey & water"!

Just wondering......since you leave your block ice containers open how do you get past cross contamination of food stuff? When I use blocks of ice from the local fishmongers in my coolers it looks a right nasty and unappetizing mess. Which is why I switched to closed containers.

Refresh my memory banks please. Which part of elementary science are you basing your thunk on? Sister:he:.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: best camp cooler

You can find those blue closed foam sleeping pads at Wally World relatively cheap. That would be ideal. This is one of those ideas that you slap your forehead....

As someone else mentioned we also use a separate cooler for drinks. But sometimes space is a premium and only a single cooler gets to ride in the canoe. I am "borrowing" the barrier idea.

Last September we camped with one cooler(think it was the 58 qt) only for about 8 days. Barrier in place and all was well. It's true it was only the 2 of us yet it certainly worked nicely.

[tplife]

Re: best camp cooler

We keep our food in containers or bags and not exposed to the air to speed bacterial growth. We take the ice blocks out of the containers once it is frozen. The Science? The science you learned way back when in Physical Science, or Physics: About.com Chemistry
"When you melt an ice cube in a cup of water it is exposed to both air and water. The part of the ice cube in the water melts faster than the ice in the air, but as the ice cube melts, it sinks further down. If you support the ice to prevent the ice cube from sinking, you could see the part of the ice in the water would melt more quickly than the part in the air.
Other factors come into play. If the air is blowing across the ice cube, then the increased circulation may allow the ice to melt faster in air than in water. If the air and water are different temperatures, the ice may melt more quickly in the medium with the higher temperature". - Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D

[James.]

Re: best camp cooler

I think you'd be better off with a sheet of closed cell polyethylene foam. That spray foam soaks up water unless it's painted. It would also probably wind up breaking because it's rigid once it's set up.

I did not know that about the spray foam.

You can find those blue closed foam sleeping pads at Wally World relatively cheap. That would be ideal. This is one of those ideas that you slap your forehead....

As someone else mentioned we also use a separate cooler for drinks. But sometimes space is a premium and only a single cooler gets to ride in the canoe. I am "borrowing" the barrier idea.

Noted. I will have to check them out.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: best camp cooler

We keep our food in containers or bags and not exposed to the air to speed bacterial growth. We take the ice blocks out of the containers once it is frozen. The Science? The science you learned way back when in Physical Science, or Physics: About.com Chemistry
"When you melt an ice cube in a cup of water it is exposed to both air and water. The part of the ice cube in the water melts faster than the ice in the air, but as the ice cube melts, it sinks further down. If you support the ice to prevent the ice cube from sinking, you could see the part of the ice in the water would melt more quickly than the part in the air.
Other factors come into play. If the air is blowing across the ice cube, then the increased circulation may allow the ice to melt faster in air than in water. If the air and water are different temperatures, the ice may melt more quickly in the medium with the higher temperature". - Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D

OK........lemme see if I can muddle this around in my head.........you've an open container (block ice) surrounded by various food stuff and it's exposed to both water and air within it's encapsulating environment, the cooler. Sooooooo doesn't it melt faster in your scenario than if you removed at least one of the melting factors (AKA water and air)? I'm using as a given that both air and water are the same temperature within the cooler most of the time (yeah yeah sure there could be fluctuations due to opening the cooler but let's pretend we're in a lab and both are constant).

Or are you consistently and constantly draining off all the water to exclude the water in order to maintain a science experiment ideal environment?


As for the food safety question....what kind of containers are you using cuz goodness knows I need some of them!?! All my containers have an osmosis type moment and take in water readily except the vacuum sealed ones.I can get around this by a variety of means but doesn't change that it would be so much easier with your impermeable containers. Hope they are reasonable in price.

ETA: the entire about.com article Ms. Helmestine wrote is useful too .

[ScooterGirlinALA]

Re: best camp cooler

...As for the food safety question....what kind of containers are you using cuz goodness knows I need some of them!?! All my containers have an osmosis type moment and take in water readily except the vacuum sealed ones.I can get around this by a variety of means but doesn't change that it would be so much easier with your impermeable containers. Hope they are reasonable in price.

ETA: the entire about.com article Ms. Helmestine wrote is useful too .

Have you tried Lock and Lock containers? I have used them for several years, they don't take water in when closed.

[James.]

Re: best camp cooler

OK........lemme see if I can muddle this around in my head.........you've an open container (block ice) surrounded by various food stuff and it's exposed to both water and air within it's encapsulating environment, the cooler. Sooooooo doesn't it melt faster in your scenario than if you removed at least one of the melting factors (AKA water and air)? I'm using as a given that both air and water are the same temperature within the cooler most of the time (yeah yeah sure there could be fluctuations due to opening the cooler but let's pretend we're in a lab and both are constant).

Or are you consistently and constantly draining off all the water to exclude the water in order to maintain a science experiment ideal environment?


As for the food safety question....what kind of containers are you using cuz goodness knows I need some of them!?! All my containers have an osmosis type moment and take in water readily except the vacuum sealed ones.I can get around this by a variety of means but doesn't change that it would be so much easier with your impermeable containers. Hope they are reasonable in price.

ETA: the entire about.com article Ms. Helmestine wrote is useful too .

I will periodically drain the water from my ice chest while camping. Helps keep the ice from melting and water from getting into the food containers.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: best camp cooler

OK........lemme see if I can muddle this around in my head.........you've an open container (block ice) surrounded by various food stuff and it's exposed to both water and air within it's encapsulating environment, the cooler. Sooooooo doesn't it melt faster in your scenario than if you removed at least one of the melting factors (AKA water and air)? I'm using as a given that both air and water are the same temperature within the cooler most of the time (yeah yeah sure there could be fluctuations due to opening the cooler but let's pretend we're in a lab and both are constant).

Or are you consistently and constantly draining off all the water to exclude the water in order to maintain a science experiment ideal environment?


As for the food safety question....what kind of containers are you using cuz goodness knows I need some of them!?! All my containers have an osmosis type moment and take in water readily except the vacuum sealed ones.I can get around this by a variety of means but doesn't change that it would be so much easier with your impermeable containers. Hope they are reasonable in price.

ETA: the entire about.com article Ms. Helmestine wrote is useful too .

Oh I totally agree about water draining and as well keeping air pockets to a bare minimum which is why I search out similar shaped food containers and ice block containers. Just perplexed about why anyone would prefer open to the air ice blocks over closed ones. Seems counterproductive and ignoring the reality that some water does accumulate at the bottom no matter how much draining ya do. Unless you obsess about it I guess/have a smaller cooler/never move it.....dare I say it? Ignore other aspects of science:bigboulay:

[James.]

Re: best camp cooler

Oh I totally agree about water draining and as well keeping air pockets to a bare minimum which is why I search out similar shaped food containers and ice block containers. Just perplexed about why anyone would prefer open to the air ice blocks over closed ones. Seems counterproductive and ignoring the reality that some water does accumulate at the bottom no matter how much draining ya do. Unless you obsess about it I guess/have a smaller cooler/never move it.....dare I say it? Ignore other aspects of science:bigboulay:

Oh, I don't let the ice rest on the bottom of the cooler so it doesn't sit in its own melted water.....this might be splitting hairs. When you are getting down to the end of it who knows just how much extra time you are buying yourself but on a long I feel like every bit helps.

If packing the cooler so the ice stays off the bottom and draining the water from the cooler keeps the ice for an extra day on a long trip then in theory it is one more day I can spend camping. Right? And I don't call it obsessing, I call it...um, well maybe obsessing is the right word. I definitely put more thought into it than is probably healthy. :na:

[NYCgrrl]

Re: best camp cooler

I despise wasting food. It's one of the worst causes of the Deadly Sins to my way of thinking.
Obsess away. We'll get the uber solution yet:cool:.

[kcscout]

Re: best camp cooler

Typically they say don't pour out the water because the water should typically be much colder than the surrounding air which is warmer and melting the ice in the first place.. yes it is very true that you should pre-cool a cooler before hand, but I rarely ever do that and most people don't have time... instead if I am going to cook up some chicken (as an example) I take frozen chicken and may use that for a meal a day or two into camping and it is effectively free ice for the cooler. I also like to get a gallon milk jug, clean it out, then fill with water and freeze. When it melts you have water to drink. I have seen some of the frozen containers at the stores that you can re-use / refreeze and one of the styles is more of a flat / gel like blanket so to speak so that would be an awesome way to put an additional insulation layer above all of your stuff. I currently have 2 coolers. A cheapo soft sided one that is used for driving down the road with kids and keeping things cold for a day long trip and can fill up repeatedly in a motel, and an Igloo way way too big of a cooler but works great at keeping things cold for several days and if I ever run into an issue with power or freezer at home I can get most of my food into it or for parties with beer and pop it works great too Its a 110 quart cooler though. If I was smart I would have gotten 2 54 quart coleman coolers or something equivalent... I got the bigger one because it had wheels and some trips I go on there is a long ways to hike in with the cooler and it seemed like an easy way to carry all of the ice, food, etc. without breaking my back. Speaking of the yeti coolers I agree way over priced, but I sometimes get bass pro gift cards, etc. and I have been stock piling them to hopefully use on a Yeti 45 quart cooler. It seems like the perfect middle ground and I want to see if it can live up to its hype or not.

Here is another one to consider... Styrofoam. They are dirt cheap and they have great insulation value for the price.. only problem I ever have is I have a tendency to destroy them... step on them back into them but they are cheap and efficient.