Has anyone ever thought of using dry ice? Just wondering if anyone knows how long it lasts, where to store it, etc.....

We used dry ice in July in a poly food box. It kept everything very cold for 5 days.

Dry ice will keep things frozen solid - not always what you want.

When I use real food, I'll start off with everything but the eggs frozen, and use a gallon plastic jug filled with water and frozen... all of this placed in the BWJ hardpack lined with rigid foam and this placed inside one of the softsided foam food packs.

With this rig we eat fresh food - every day for up to six days even in the heat of July. Food gradually thaws, but stays cold which is what you want anyhow. Heavy in the beginning but carries easily and is comfortable.

No one complains at dinner time!

Picture shows this pack, four piece fishing rod strapped across the top... rides upright in the canoe the only pack we place this way.

I used dry ice the last time I was out. It does tend to freeze things solid. We had to change the menu because the steak was frozen solid. I liked the length of time it kept the food frozen and cold. I use a 24 can sized softsided cooler that fits into the Frost River Camp Kitchen pack. It has a flap to reach in and grab the top things. Next time I would just pull the steak out sooner or plan on something else first day and then go to steak day 2 or 3.
The dry ice was especially good at keeping things frozen from my house in Des Moines to Ely overnight and then out noon the next day about 24 hours. It really extended the cooler life of the food. Next time I would use the dry ice from home then switch to and ice jug when I depart.
Anyone else have similar experience with dry ice?
What do you do to keep frozen food frozen from home or is there somewhere to keep frozen foods in Ely. I never did ask the outfitter but maybe next time.

Another strategy that I tried recently, is bring all the frozen food solidly frozen and packed in ice in a real good cooler (I have a large white 54 quart; white works best). Then, up in Ely I got dry ice (at a bait shop on Sheridan). I packed the frozen food in a small, insulated bag with the dry ice, and we had frozen food for 2 days, and cold for 2 more. Anything you can insulate it with helps, too. Bread makes a good choice. If you pack it with the food and dry ice it will even start to freeze.

Dry ice is great for keeping things cold for a long time. As you can see from this dry ice web site, it can keep food cold for quite some time. Depending on the size of your cooler, about 5 lbs of dry ice can last up to 24 hours. If you have a really good cooler, it can last much longer. Hope this helps.

This has been a very helpful thread, thank you.

Said it before, I'll say it again. Two coolers is the key. Split your trip in half. Pack up your "second half cooler" with frozen food, dry ice, make sure it's packed full, insulate the heck out of it, then tape it shut and keep it that way! Never open it until you are ready. This makes a tremendous difference. And at portage time, far better to tote two smaller coolers than one huge one.

We used dry ice on our last trip. I found out a couple of tricks over the last couple of trips (mostly from outfitters).

1. wrap everything individually with a piece of newspaper and use masking tap to seal and label. also gives you good fire starter for each meal.

2. the dry ice itself is a single block (about ten pounds last time) wrapped in a paper grocery sack. this is placed in the middle of all food. the last couple of days food is at the bottom of the cooler with dry ice on top and the first couple is on top of dry ice. No need for digging. Days are properly layered.

3. pull out dinner item at lunch time, especially the first couple of days. I can take a couple of hours to thaw after being next to dry ice.

4. I used a hard sided cooler (about a 24 can size or so) fits perfectly in my granite gear superior one pack. here is the best trick - I use a 1 inch thick piece of foam insulation cut to fit the inside of the cooler. I pack everything inside and place it on top and then the lid. as the trip progresses and less items are in the cooler the foam lid gets pushed down atop the rest of the food. Air is the enemy of dry ice. so the less air it gets the slower it evaporates (or whatever it does).

5. Found that solid pieces of meat or food work better than diced or chunked. ground beef and diced chicken thaw fairly quick. but two steaks that are 1 1/2 thick and solid work as themselves a piece of ice.

We had fresh/frozen food for 6 days both breakfast and dinner.

I am a Chef so I can't pass on fresh meat. It's worth it weight.