warmer
Well-known member
Anyone ever pack frozen food in dry ice to take hunting? How long does it last?
Dry Ice
- Thread starter warmer
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2rocky
Well-known member
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- Jul 23, 2010
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Depends on how well insulated your cooler is. We had Ice still on day 5 of a Nevada bowhunt with it covered in the shade. 2- Roughly 70 Qt cooler Didn't open the day 4-7 cooler until day 4. 10# dry iceper cooler.
Hey Warmer,
Dry ice can freeze all the food in your ice chest until it is almost gone depending on how much dry ice you start with. Dry ice evaporates directly from the solid to gas (carbon dioxide) so to keep it longest if you keep the ice chest closed as much as possible and seal it up. I like to tape the ice chest closed and the fuller the dry ice chest is the longer the dry ice will last. Once the gas has pressurized the ice chest it will slow down the evaporation.
Don't sleep in an enclosed area where you keep the dry ice ice chest, the gas (carbon dioxide) can kill you if the concentration is high enough.
My suggestion is to put anything you want to keep frozen or don't mind freezing in a smaller ice chest (like a 32/48 quart size)and only open it to take something out to defrost it. In the smaller ice chest 10lbs (about the size of a red brick paver) would last about 4 or 5 days. .
Put the rest of the stuff you want to stay cold in another ice chest and use milk jug or 2 ltr soda bottle ice blocks to keep it cold. When the ice melts you can use the water for drinking. If you don't constantly open it 2-3 jugs or 6-7 soda bottles will keep a good quality (five day) 100 quart ice chest cool for a week.
If you don't have enough frozen stuff for the dry ice chest you could also use it to store more ice bottles or to re-freeze some that have thawed out.
That's my take on it.
Dry ice can freeze all the food in your ice chest until it is almost gone depending on how much dry ice you start with. Dry ice evaporates directly from the solid to gas (carbon dioxide) so to keep it longest if you keep the ice chest closed as much as possible and seal it up. I like to tape the ice chest closed and the fuller the dry ice chest is the longer the dry ice will last. Once the gas has pressurized the ice chest it will slow down the evaporation.
Don't sleep in an enclosed area where you keep the dry ice ice chest, the gas (carbon dioxide) can kill you if the concentration is high enough.
My suggestion is to put anything you want to keep frozen or don't mind freezing in a smaller ice chest (like a 32/48 quart size)and only open it to take something out to defrost it. In the smaller ice chest 10lbs (about the size of a red brick paver) would last about 4 or 5 days. .
Put the rest of the stuff you want to stay cold in another ice chest and use milk jug or 2 ltr soda bottle ice blocks to keep it cold. When the ice melts you can use the water for drinking. If you don't constantly open it 2-3 jugs or 6-7 soda bottles will keep a good quality (five day) 100 quart ice chest cool for a week.
If you don't have enough frozen stuff for the dry ice chest you could also use it to store more ice bottles or to re-freeze some that have thawed out.
That's my take on it.
warmer
Well-known member
Thanks guys.
wgiles
Member
Regardless of whether you use dry ice or water ice, use the most insulated cooler that you can and don't open it very often. I've had food stay nice and cold in a five or six day cooler with water ice. I've had Omaha Steaks sent to me in styrofoam coolers and I save the coolers. They are well made and seal tightly. I use luggage straps to hold them together. I don't know if I can easily find dry ice around here anymore.
wgiles-
Don't know if you have a Meijer close by, but the one near my house (just west of Indianapolis) carries it, FWIW...
I've made it for a week long hunt with just jugs of ice. Or if I buy it, I buy block ice which lasts alot longer than cubed.
Don't know if you have a Meijer close by, but the one near my house (just west of Indianapolis) carries it, FWIW...
I've made it for a week long hunt with just jugs of ice. Or if I buy it, I buy block ice which lasts alot longer than cubed.
