Contributors to this thread:
Do you purchase dry ice pryer to getting to the trail head if your bivy hunting. Or do you take a couple hours and get after your first trip back to the trailhead with your first load? Thanks for any input.
coming from CA through phoenix to tuscon on my way to silver city nm, where would be a good place to load up on Dry Ice?
Tony
Walmart usually has dry ice. That said I don't need ice until the drive home. Get the meat out in 2 days, take it to a butcher or locker and ice it for the ride home.
Silver City wal-mart. Probably call first just to confirm.
Dry ice will only last 5 days so get ice after you get the elk out and are heading home.
I went pronghorn hunting last week. I placed two 5# packages of dry ice in the bottom of the 120 qt cooler and then put 40 lbs of cubed ice over it. The cubes froze solid and did well until the dry ice disappeared then the cubes started to melt.
This lasted from Thursday through Monday but the dry ice was gone and so was 75 % of the cubes. Had enough to keep the pronghorn meat cool until I arrived home in three hours.
next time I might try 3- 5# of dry ice and 60 # of cubes.
Good luck and hope you need it.
My best, Paul
Antelope hunting, I had a big white 120 qt igloo cooler that I then put a smaller 60 qt cooler in. The small cooler I put in 2 blocks of ice (could fit 3)and 10# of dry ice on top along with frozen elk and other food stuff. Kept opening the dry ice cooler to get food out of 2-3 times a day, covered it with my sleeping pad, wool blanket, sleeping bag every day.
Loaded the coolers Wed at noon and the blocks were 80-90% Monday at 10:30 am, as the dry ice ran out Sunday morning 5 days like Paul said.
What I will do next time is put 3-4 blocks (could fit 5 maybe) of ice in the smaller cooler with 10#'s dry ice on top. Load that into the larger cooler and not open the 60 till I get a lope or elk. There is still room in the 120 cooler with the 60 in it to add two frozen gallon jugs, 20# cubed ice and all the food I need for a week to ten days.
Block ice and dry ice in small cooler, small cooler in larger cooler with ice and frozen food, larger cooler covered with a sleeping pad, wool blanket, sleeping bag during the day. I think the blocks could last to 80-90% for 7-10 days?
Good luck!!
Dry ice will only last 5 days so get ice after you get the elk out and are heading home. I went pronghorn hunting last week. I placed two 5# packages of dry ice in the bottom of the 120 qt cooler and then put 40 lbs of cubed ice over it. The cubes froze solid and did well until the dry ice disappeared then the cubes started to melt. This lasted from Thursday through Monday but the dry ice was gone and so was 75 % of the cubes. Had enough to keep the pronghorn meat cool until I arrived home in three hours. next time I might try 3- 5# of dry ice and 60 # of cubes. Good luck and hope you need it. My best, Paul
You should always protect the meat with paper and then put the dry ice in on top, not on the bottom. Cold goes down, not up like heat!
If you want it to last longer, you just get bigger chunks of ice. Shipping with dry ice was part of my business at one time and you can pack things and keep them frozen for a month if you need to.... Wrap the ice tight and keep it in a tight container and leave closed until you reach your destination.
(For Elk)...It only takes me 1 1/2 hours to get to dry ice from where I hunt...so I just pick it up on the way home.
Best of Luck, Jeff
I always make it a point to know where to get it before I begin hunting.
There was a thread a while back that mentioned some kind of painting tool to put on the bottom to keep the meat off the bottom (and water) a bit. You can pick them up at the hardware store. Anyway remember what that tool is? Thanks
Lungbuster, I believe you are talking about a roller screen that goes in a 5 gallon bucket used for production painting.
Yes sir. Thanks! I'll pick up a few tomorrow.
Small freezer purchased off Craig's list for 49 dollars. About 150 for inverter and wiring. No worries about ice again. Put it in the back of my truck on a pronghorn hunt his year as a test run. Worked great!
Be aware that dry ice gives off carbon dioxide and can be very harmful/deadly if its used in closed quarters when you sleep/live.
The golden rule of dry ice is to always use dry ice in a well ventilated space. If too much carbon dioxide gas fills the room, you could pass out or even die. Here are some of the signs of exposure to too much carbon dioxide:
• Confusion • Dizziness • Hard time breathing • Headaches • Sweating • Upset stomach/vomiting • Eye irritation
cnelk X2!!
Had a cooler with dry ice in our van on a trip to Canada years ago. We went in to eat a quick bite, got back in the van & took off. Within a minute all of us felt very short of breath & dizzy. Rolled a window down & felt better within seconds. We moved the cooler into the trailer & had no more issues.
I have 70 qt 100 can Coleman 5 day extremes. I have all my food for the chests freezing hard at home with the temp cranked low. I pack in Monday morning. I plan to pick up the dry ice Sunday afternoon. Apparently they sell the dry ice by the pound. Any thoughts on configuration for my setup between blocked ice and dry ice?
What elevation you camping at? Temps next week call for lows in the low 50's and highs in the low 70's at 5400' elev. Cool it out good the night before and the meat should be fine if you keep it in the shade, skinned, and protected from flies until you start home.
"Confusion • Dizziness • Hard time breathing • Headaches • Sweating • Upset stomach/vomiting • Eye irritation"
Heck, at my age that happens every time I climb more than 500'/hour! :)
