So I’m going up in mid May and we’re going to bring frozen meat up with us.
How long has anybody been able to keep it cool enough to be safe? Obviously we’d put it in one of those reflective cold bags but don’t want to take more then a very small amount of ice.

We go the first week of June. Our frozen meat is vacuum packed and frozen hard. It has still been frosty on Day 3. The soft side cooler is packed with other frozen items and ice. You need to minimize access to the cooler and keep it in the shade.

I a reflective bag with minimal ice, I would plan to use your meat on the 2nd day. Or 3rd would be alright.

Our men's group brings frozen meats for our meals on our July-Aug trips -- steaks, bacon, chicken breasts, sausage -- and the last of it is still cold after 48 hours. We have a dedicated cooler pack that also starts out with a few other frozen and refrigerated items -- vegetables, butter spray, egg beaters. We don't add extra ice of any kind although on family trips that replicate the men's menu, my wife insists on squeezing in a few half-gallon bottles of ice. Obviously, as the supply dwindles, the thawing and warming accelerates, but never to any danger point. That's when the extra ice comes in handy. The insulated pack is a years-old no-name cooler that has served us well. 12W x 9D x 15H, 1,620 cu in.

We've used bacon a week into a trip

AmarilloJim: "We've used bacon a week into a trip"

+1

bobbernumber3: "We go the first week of June. Our frozen meat is vacuum packed and frozen hard. It has still been frosty on Day 3. The soft side cooler is packed with other frozen items and ice. You need to minimize access to the cooler and keep it in the shade.


I a reflective bag with minimal ice, I would plan to use your meat on the 2nd day. Or 3rd would be alright."

This is exactly what I do. I will add that I use certain meats in a specific order & I take no ice. First night-steaks, second night- precooked & spiced chicken breasts, third night-Ham steak. My thoughts are first use the raw, then cooked, finally chemically enhanced. The ham steaks are defrosted but cold on the third day along with cool cheeses. After that I get into my dehydrated meals & hang a swamp cooler bag for the cheeses & etc.