Hi folks,

I think I'm over-thinking things. Food will be carried in a blue barrel for a 7 day trip with 6 guys. The only things that could be considered perishables are steaks for first night's dinner, cheese, eggs (or egg beaters), summer sausage and bacon (pre-cooked). From what I can tell, all of those things should do fine without a cooler.

We'll be in the water on Saturday and only the sausage and cheese will still be around after Monday morning breakfast. Pretty darn sure we're solid. What I'm looking for here is some agreement that I don't need to buy a darn cooler. Thoughts?

Thanks!

wrap anything thats going in frozen with multiple layers of newspaper, amazing insulator.

The cheese, summer sausage, and eggs will be fine even all week or two. Freeze steaks if for later than first night. I figure bacon is good for to at least second morning. I have carried a soft side cooler. Outfitter puts whole cooler in their freezer night before.

quote kanoes: "wrap anything thats going in frozen with multiple layers of newspaper, amazing insulator."

+1

Have been going for 42 years and have taken the items mentioned. Never have taken a cooler. Have gone out as long as 22 days, but of course not with fresh food for that long, probably only 6 or 8 with any fresh food.

We use the pre-cooked bacon from the store, freeze our first-night steaks, seal in ziplock bag, wrap that in brown paper, then seal again in ziplock bag. By evening it is ready to grill. Summer sausage is fine until you unwrap it, then should probably eat in a couple of days if weather isn't cool. Cheese will keep for a long time. Personally now I like the Baby Bels, they keep well and the wax covering makes great fire-starters.

We take fresh eggs, carry them in original cardboard carton, inside two brown paper grocery bags, duct-taped beneath the stern seat of canoe. Rides well there, is protected unless you drop the canoe really hard on a portage. I always had breakage with those plastic carriers, have no breakage this way.

quote kanoes: "wrap anything thats going in frozen with multiple layers of newspaper, amazing insulator."

Good fire starter too!

The soft sided cooler is an extra layer of insulation and compacts well when you are done using it.

Brought a hard cooler in last Friday. All food frozen prior to entry. Steak, cheese, deer sticks, breakfast sausage and 4 dozen eggs. Dry ice, plus ice to cover. Came out with ice still in the cooler 5 days later. Keep covered, out of the sun opening a few times a day. Had to leave steaks out to unfreeze on day 4. Ice in the cooler when I left.