After reading the thread on cheese in the BWCA, how do you keep things cool or cold?

Ozarker

Unless you plan to bring a cooler or something, you don't really keep things cool. The only thing that I have done to keep things cold is to freeze little sizzlers, wrap them in newspaper, keep them in the cooler until you put in, then keep them in the middle of the food pack. They are always thawed by the time I make them for breakfast the next day.

Also, I have brought cheese lots of times, just bring the block cheese, but keep in mind that once you open it you have to eat it all. I wouldn't recommend putting it in a Ziploc for later. Just buy the smaller blocks and keep them closed until you need them.

Freeze everything you can, put it in a small soft cooler, hang the food pack in the shade and hope it's not in the 90's.

We do same as bassmstr, except hard sided cooler, 6 or 12 pack size, depending on group size,with the meat items frozen to fit in the cooler. The cooler is put in the freezer, then the meat items added and pressed onto each other. They end up frozen with no air space whatsoever. Then whatever else fits until cooler is full, first nights steaks on top, unfrozen, couple newspapers on top, strap to keep cooler completely closed. Also insulate lid with great stuff foam, they are uninsulated, Drill holes, fill up. Keeps stuff frozen until day 5 easy. Hard side will maintain temp much better than soft sided, but not as fun to pack IMO.

in the summer to keep our water bottles cool we used to take a long rope, put good sized rock and your water bottle in old fish netting, tie the net shut with the rope, sink it to the bottom. At the other end of the rope, tie to a empty 20oz plastic bottle so it floats. Let it sit for a hour or two and go pull up the rope! Its way better than warm water everyday and is pretty easy and simple rig to bring along. You have to make sure its pretty deep though.

multiple layers of newspapers ARE an amazing insulator! in may, 3 days in...ive had to remove and thaw steaks before grilling. Jan

Personally, I don't bother keeping things cold. 2 exceptions...frozen steaks for the first night, and frozen pints of 1/2 & 1/2 for the first couple days coffee. I just bag 'em well and tuck them in the middle of the food barrel. Cheese, eggs, etc don't actually need refrigeration to be safe.

a brick of cheese is as good on day one...as it is on day 7, a little oilier tho. (safe to eat) Jan

I would like to know how you guys keep things frozen on the trip from your house to getting on the water. Our drive is 13 hours and we usually spend the night in Ely the night before we enter. Can you buy frozen meat at the grocery store in Ely?

Yeah I have kept a brick of cheese for the duration of a canoe trip. Keep it out of the sun, and it'll be fine.

Eagleson, I'm about the same distance from the BWCA as you. Takes me between 13-14 hours away. I pack already frozen meat in a good cooler with a couple of good chunks of dry ice. It stays pretty frozen for the trip up. As soon as I get to my outfitter just outside of Ely, they let me put all the meat into their freezer for over night. The last thing I put together on entry morning is the food pack. Take the frozen meat out of their freezer and into the pack.

Ozarker

eagle, I live in Cleveland, 1000 miles to BWCA. Basically same as Ozarker, but with out dry ice. I take frozen cooler described earlier, out and put in bigger cooler. Fill with regular ice, drive to Ely. Get out, put smaller cooler in outfitters' freezer, put full size sheet of paper on top of equipment pack that says COOLER, so I won't forget it in the morning!!!!! Add steaks bought in Ely on top of cooler, ziplocked, pack in sleeping bag/thermarest pack. We have frozen stuff on day 5.

Eagle, not sure about frozen meat. We buy our 1st night steaks at Zups in Ely and repackage, but don't freeze, just put on cooler as described. If you are staying at any outfitter, even hotel, I bet they would let you use freezer if you want. I have never had a problem with this. You just have to remember your food in the morning, or else someone gets nice steak dinner, not you!

I got two words for this blog...

DRY ICE

It keeps things rock hard for three days. And because it's not water everything in the cooler stays dry as it melts and evaporates. Line the inside of the cooler with 1/4 to 1/2 inch styro foam and you may get upto 4 days.

When you get to camp park it under the overhang of a spruce (while your in camp or awake). You may even find the ground frozen under the cooler.

I don't bring a cooler.

I freeze steak at home and use the outfitters freezer if I stay in a bunkhouse the night before. Use it on night one or two.

A good block of cheddar will keep a week easy without refrigeration, just repack it in a ziplock after each use. The logs of summer sausage are good for days as well.

Fresh Eggs packed in cardboard and wrapped in paper and inside of a plastic bag will be good for days. I've had them day 5 in summer without problem.

I bring mainly food that requires no refrigeration except for the steak the first night. Microwave pre-cooked bacon is a great new addition, although a good slab of bacon will keep for days just like eggs.

Lots of foil pack meats (chicken, tuna etc) that are good without refrigeration. I bring dehydrated burger that is fine for a long time withut refrigeration.

Keep your food pack out of sun in camp and you will be fine.

eggs don't need to be refridgerated. The United States is one of the few countries in the world to store them cold. They will certainly last a week.

We have a cheese and summer sausage sandwich every day and they both last the whole week without refrigerating em. I think its fine unless its really hot out like mid 80s and keep it in the shade or in the pack.

I use a 12 pack size soft sided Igloo cooler. Freeze all meats and the freeze two 1 Liter Lexan bottles rock solid. The 12 pack Igloo soft side has a zipper pouch in the lid that fits the two 1-Liter Lexan bottles perfectly. If it's not in the 90's with the frozen meat and bottles you'll get at least 3-days out of it. Then as the bottles thaw enjoy the ice-cold water! Plus it helps keep the ice longer if you drink the water out of it as it thaws..

Yes, Zups has frozen meat. Also I would bet my bottom dollar that wherever you spend that first night in Ely, the folks would be more than happy to help you out and put your stuff in their freezer until the next morning. Just ask, they'll say yes.

If you want to go lite and take no ice you can do what me and Fishinfey do. Things like cheeze, butter, jelly, and salami can be put in tupperware then in a mesh bag with rocks.

Attatch a rope and throw in 15 feet of water overnight. It's just like your fridge at home. :)

I like the above post: freeze everything that will, and plan menu with "the thaw" in mind. Keep in center of food pack . Bacon,cheese,any fresh meat all make great "ice blocks"