Dry Ice?
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Darrell
24-Aug-18
My hunt is going to be broken up this year as I will hunt for 2.5 days and then I have to go in to Abq to catch a flight for 4 days and then come back for 6 more. My daughter and son-in-law are going to camp sit for me while I'm gone and my plan is to have a dedicated cooler for my second week food. Everything in it will be frozen solid. I am planning on picking up dry ice for the top of the cooler and once the dry ice goes in, it won't be opened until I get back. I figure if everything is hard frozen through my trip from KS to NM that most of it will still be icy when I get back on day 7 and good for the next 6 days. Any thoughts on how much dry ice I should get?
From: White Falcon
24-Aug-18
A couple of lbs will do if you don't open cooler. Go around the cooler seam with duct tape also. The stuff ain't cheep!
From: gobbler
24-Aug-18
Bringing back from AZ to WV I packed my elk meat and cape in 2-150 qt coolers. It was frozen hard. I put 15 lb dry ice in each one and duct taped the seam and never opened it. It was in back of truck with camper shell and it was 80+ degrees all 3 days. When I got back to WV, dry ice was all gone and 1 steak was partially frozen and everything else still frozen hard . Depending on temperature, I would probably get at least 10 lb and probably 15 if it’s hotter than average.
From: Quinn @work
24-Aug-18
Depends on what cooler you have. Have kept ice in the Cabelas Polarcap for 10 days when only opening it a couple times. We use it to keep ice to use for our daily use coolers.
From: nvgoat
24-Aug-18
Cover that cooler (actually I cover all my coolers) with an old sleeping bag. You will be amazed at the difference it makes for ice retention.
From: Franklin
24-Aug-18
Agree with Quinn....it all depends on the quality of cooler...anything else is irrelevant and impossible to give advice.
From: Darrell
24-Aug-18
My cooler is great. Its an old 50qt one but it keeps ice almost as well as my buddy's high dollar Yeti. (Yes, I give him lots of grief about that fact) Local grocery sells dry ice for $1 a pound so its not too bad. It isn't like I'm trying to freeze anything, just wondering how long it will last in a cooler full of already frozen stuff.
From: GLP
24-Aug-18
May also want to set on a piece of styrofoam. I would also wrap it in a sleeping bag. Good luck on your hunt! Greg
From: Darrell
24-Aug-18
Thanks for the link. It is helpful. I sort of knew what I was doing with dry ice but the article clarifies it. I'm guessing three pounds will be more than enough to keep things frozen long enough that I won't risk giving myself a stomach ache.
From: WV Mountaineer
24-Aug-18
Listen to Gobbler. I've done the same and it was frozen as hard as a rock when I got home to WV. I guess you could wrap it in sleeping bags and set it on stuff but, you only have one truck. for a week long or longer camp, you don't have the room to pack all that crap.
From: Topgun 30-06
24-Aug-18
There is no way he needs 15# of dry ice in one cooler. 3 or 4 pounds will be plenty if everything is frozen already , the cooler is taped shut and kept in the shade at all times with blankets or a sleeping bag over it, as was already mentioned.
From: Mule Power
24-Aug-18
White Falcon and nvgoat are giving you great advice for sure!
Duct tape all the way around the seam and insulate the outside of the cooler. That will triple the life of your dry ice.
From: Empty Freezer
24-Aug-18
I just went to utah, 8 hr drive, i wished i had read this post first. Question, if you dont want the meat forzen, just cold enough to get home to cut up, would you just insulate the meat from the dry ice or does everything in the cooler freeze no matter what?
From: Empty Freezer
24-Aug-18
Got it, Thanks
From: Baron
02-Jan-19
Baron's Link
This site will help you to find out the more information
From: Scrappy
02-Jan-19
I learned from a small business in Kansas that sells dri ice. Make sure you do not leave any dead space in your cooler. Crumbled up newspaper stuffed in between things in the cooler, the other is to use a towel to put on top of everything to take up all the space left between the dri ice and the lid.
From: Mule Power
02-Jan-19
15 lbs. Duct tape the lid seam. If you really want to seal the deal wrap it in a blanket or cheap sleeping bag then tarp it and duct tape around that.
From: Scar Finga
02-Jan-19
Great Advise Above!
From: t-roy
02-Jan-19
If you’re buying it for $1.00/lb, why not just buy 10 lbs of it and not worry about having enough? Why sweat an extra $5–$10?
From: Baron
29-Jan-19
Baron's Link
You can also read on driftsun cooler reviews on this matter.
From: Darrell
30-Jan-19
Funny this thread popped back up as my trip was back in September. Anyway, my camping style is that that I precook my meals and freeze them in easy to reheat portions so freezing and keeping them for two weeks is more about keeping things simple once at camp than about cost. Yes, I could have bought more groceries for the second week when traveling back but that would have put me back at came even later and then required more cooking. My system worked well. The dry ice kept everything in my 2nd week cooler frozen until I got back to camp. I think I ended up buying about 5 pounds and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Hopefully I will repeat it minus the trip in the middle of the hunt this September.
From: Bill Obeid
30-Jan-19
Yeah.... if you just want to keep stuff frozen for as long as possible... dry ice and a good cooler is a good solution.
From: Baron
21-May-19
Its a really difficult to store ice in these days.
From: Marki
18-Jun-19
Marki's Link
Dry ice is plain better than dry ice and physical ice. Just don't allow it to come in direct contact with your items and skin. For more insight to how much dry ice you need check this review I stumbled upon.
From: Thumper
22-Jun-19
To extend the time ice lasts in my igloo cooler I keep it inside a couple of cardboard shipping boxes.
