Evaporation graph


Evaporation Cooling

How the ancients did it. A Zeer Pot







Middle photo should have a shade or lid or wet towel over it. This illustrates basic cooling with out fans or batteries. Sand and water is available in the backcountry. The clay pots are impractical in camp but what could we substitute for breathable clay? I do not bring bait in any more but I would like it if my salamis, cuces, cabbage and carrots to last longer.

The only thing I’ve ever heard of is a wet canvas bag set in the shade but able to have a breeze blow on it.

Interesting, who knew!

I typically set up a base camp in bonus fishing area and might stay a month. Using the Zeer Pot idea, sew an inner and outer pot out of canvas. Between the two canvas pots pour sand. Place perishables in inner canvas pot. Hang the Zeer frig and add water to the sand. Another thought with the theme of minimizing xtra gear hauling over 40 portages in and out, pack the trip using your old #2 and #3 canvas Duluth packs (probably worth a fortune if you sold them). In camp use the #2 and # 3 Duluth packs as your Zeer Frig. I live in mild climate climate, Santa Barbara, CA and also have a fishing shak in the hot weather of Baja, Mexico. I will experiment with this and let you know this winter.

Mr Master. Some family stuff has put a pause on the crawler conditioning Backcountry cooler. I have confidence in it so standby. When it is done I will send it to you. My email address is in my profile. In my 20's keeping live bait healthy all summer was such a challenge. This is fun to resurrection again. Bringing my youth back and my guiding days which was such a great period of my life. It's fun.

Zika,

Interesting post. I would like to adapt the ancient " Zeer Pot" evaporative cooling method for keeping my perishable food cold for my extended canoe trips.

Your idea of wetting sand between 2 canvas packs is the bomb. There have to be some McGyver's on this forum who can modify your idea even further.

Yes. That is what I am thinking to. The McGiiver's can expand on the idea. Another thought. My wife is a textile artist. She forms fabric into bowl shapes. There is also the process of forming felt into shapes. To explore fabrics that breathe and hold alot of water and can be shaped into Zeer frig bowls. Would be an improvement over burlap and canvas. I will call a lunch with friends at UCSB in materials engineering and talk to a felter.

Zika,

Thanks for putting such energy into this evaporative cooling method for food and bait.

My wife has her own in home embroidery business and does some custom sewing on the side. I may have to run your idea by her as she is quite creative.

Sometime over the winter months I would like her to make some cozies for my solo and group pots.

I have done some felting with wool. I'm not sure the felt fabric would be able to support the weight of the sand (depending how thick the layer of sand has to be). Perhaps an outer bag of canvas and an inner bag of wool felt would be more durable. Or perhaps stitching a grid on the wool layer would help to reinforce it and give it more strength. Just a thought.

quote zika: "Mr Master. Some family stuff has put a pause on the crawler conditioning Backcountry cooler. I have confidence in it so standby. When it is done I will send it to you. My email address is in my profile. In my 20's keeping live bait healthy all summer was such a challenge. This is fun to resurrection again. Bringing my youth back and my guiding days which was such a great period of my life. It's fun."

OK sounds good. A fishing shack in Baja Mexico? Sounds awesome! I bet you have some stories to tell fishing out of a yak for salt water fish. Whats the longest you have been pulled around ;-)

Mr Master. That would have to be an 8hr pull for 20 miles from a grouper. I was getting the better of it until these naked sailor gals cooling through evaporation stopped me for a Pacifico beer ??. This is where I got my idea for an evaporation cooler. But that's a story for canoe camp.

Just expanding some on this discussion of evaporative cooling and zeer pot fridge: Substitute sand with cooling evaporative pads used in swamp coolers like Kraft and corrugated paper at varying depths. This would be lighter if we were portaging goods we wanted to keep cool. Expose our Zeer pot frig to as much wind or air movement as possible and we're cooling. On still days we will have to take turns swinging it over our heads. Evaporation from dry warm climate cools to.

quote zika: "Mr Master. That would have to be an 8hr pull for 20 miles from a grouper. I was getting the better of it until these naked sailor gals cooling through evaporation stopped me for a Pacifico beer ??. This is where I got my idea for an evaporation cooler. But that's a story for canoe camp."

That might be the funniest thing I have heard on this site ;-)

Thanks Mr. Master for your support on my rambling. My last canoe partner told the bartender at the end of a long trip "a little bit of Zika goes along ways".

Master. Are you still interested in a peltier cooler for your bait. SorryI dropped the ball on this.

Isn’t Zika a disease spread by mosquitos?

Take an old pair of jeans and cut off a leg. Sew one end shut. This works great.

I just put cheese and other fridge stuff in there.

I dunk the bag in the lake and hang it in the shade. It works great.

We got this idea from the old guy at Jordan's outfitters.

Correct. The Zika virus was discovered in Uganda in the late 1940's. In the Uganda language Zika means overgrown swamp. Zika is also the name of of a Bohemian family that immigrated to the New Prague area of MN in the mid 1800's. They were great wing shots and fishermen. So good, other fishermen have followed us around trying to figure out what we do. We have become adept at disguising ourselves and continue to fish above average.

Mad_Angler: "Take an old pair of jeans and cut off a leg. Sew one end shut. This works great.

I just put cheese and other fridge stuff in there.
I dunk the bag in the lake and hang it in the shade. It works great.
We got this idea from the old guy at Jordan's outfitters. "

Mad_Angler: "

Mad_Angler: "Take an old pair of jeans and cut off a leg. Sew one end shut. This works great.


I just put cheese and other fridge stuff in there.
I dunk the bag in the lake and hang it in the shade. It works great.
We got this idea from the old guy at Jordan's outfitters. "

"

"
This is what we do also when bringing fresh food(we usually don't). And we got the idea from the same place. The "old guy" (Doug Jordan) is long gone having sold the business to Mark and Sonya Bland 10 years ago. It works well as long as it isn't hot and humid, and as long as there is at least a slight breeze. We have kept eggs, bacon, and lunch meat for several days without issues. If in doubt, cook it well.

Mad_Angler: "Take an old pair of jeans and cut off a leg. Sew one end shut. This works great.


I just put cheese and other fridge stuff in there.


I dunk the bag in the lake and hang it in the shade. It works great.


We got this idea from the old guy at Jordan's outfitters. "

I would much rather deal with warm food than cut off one leg, seems a little excessive to me.....

I use a large Crown bag.