by nevadatear » Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:47 pm
Our friends just returned from a 14 day raft trip (independent) down the Colorado/Grand Canyon-- trip of a life time. He shared with me what they did for ice as they had to carry all their food for 14 days.
He started with a very large Yeti cooler (yeah, top end, most of us can't afford but they are SERIOUS rafters), then put 6 inches of water in the bottom and had a friend who is a milk delivery guy (yeah they still exist in small towns) put it in his big walk in freezer. He started with an inch or so of water and added water to it after each layer was rock hard, so as not to get the "frozen over lake" effect. He had already computed how much ice he could put in the bottom and fill completely with food and remainder of ice, which gave him the six inches. He then added a very thin layer of the insulation, the white packing type stuff, then put in all the pre frozen, food, topped with another layer of insulation, then dry ice, which completely filled the cooler.
The chest was covered with a quilt at all times, and hosed down whenever possible. Melted ice/water stayed in the cooler, did not drain off. Food remained frozen or very cold for the entire trip, and at the end of 13 days, when their food they needed was gone, there was still 3 inches of ice in the bottom which their fellow rafters gladly chopped up to keep their beer cold for the final celebration.
Most folks don't have access to type of walk in freezer necessary for this technique, but if you do... something to consider.
I have been very happy this summer using my combo of bubble foil insulation added to the inside of my cooler, block ice frozen in milk jugs and "cooler cozy" we are going 3 days without any ice added when other in are group are going on daily ice runs. But we know the milk man too...so...