traveling with dry ice?

[mouseketeer_mom]

So we will be the traveling MD to the Fort. DH and I will be pulling our TT with our three kids. My brother, his wife and their two kids are flying down and renting a camper from campatthefort. DH and I will be taking their "big stuff" with us (ie kids bikes, coolers etc) I will precook many of our meals and so will DS-in-law. How do I get all that frozen food down there? Dry ice? Anyone had experience with this before? Do I just thow it in a cooler and go, just like regular ice?

How long will it last? Do I need to package my frozen stuff a certain way?

If anyone has done this before and can offer advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

[retired and happy]

Put it in the bottom of the cooler with a layer of thick paper below and above it. Put the food on top of that. Will it be in the car with you? Dry ice is carbon dioxide, which will turn to a gas as it "melts" This carbon dioxide has to go somewhere. Above all, do not touch the dry ice with exposed skin.

The place you buy the stuff should be able tyo let you know how long a certain size block will last.

Wait! if you have a TT, why not just put the food in the fridge freezer, unless there is too much. And I don't know where you are or how long you need to keep stuff frozen.

[mouseketeer_mom]

Originally Posted by retired and happy

Put it in the bottom of the cooler with a layer of thick paper below and above it. Put the food on top of that. Will it be in the car with you? Dry ice is carbon dioxide, which will turn to a gas as it "melts" This carbon dioxide has to go somewhere. Above all, do not touch the dry ice with exposed skin.

The place you buy the stuff should be able tyo let you know how long a certain size block will last.

Wait! if you have a TT, why not just put the food in the fridge freezer, unless there is too much. And I don't know where you are or how long you need to keep stuff frozen.

Thank you! Unfortunately, the camper freezer won't hold all the frozen stuff we will have for 9 people for 8 days. The cooler will ride in the back of the truck. It will be at the end of November so hopefully it will be relatively cool and the dry ice will last.

Thanks for the info!

[Tented1]

Google it! I also looked into using DI from what I recall u also have to leave the plug open on the ice chest for the RE previously posted: it is a gas. I know there are some good articles on using dry ice. You may also want to look into rock salt. HAPPY CAMPING : )

[AuntBJ]

Just an idea for you if you tow with a truck. Do you happen to have a small chest freezer? I have seen lots of people put the small freezer on the back of the truck, cover it with some sort of insulation (like a hot water heater blanket or duct work insulation). There are several ways to keep it frozen. A friend would leave with the freezer packed and travel 1200 miles and it would stay frozen. He had a heavy duty cig. lighter converter and would run it for an hour or so at a time and then when he stopped for the night, he would plug it in. You see this a lot at Hunting Island state park in South Carolina where people are shrimping while camping. We did it 1 time while camping at Huntington Beach state park. If you don't have it completely full, finish off with bags of ice. A full freezer will stay frozen longer than a partial fill.

[luckycharm19335]

I would be careful with dry ice.
I do admit that I don't know much about it.
I have however, received many food items from QVC that were packed in it.
The items have always arrived at my home frozen solid.
Do your research.

[EpcotQueen]

I used dry ice to keep food stuff frozen for a long drive from PA to Nantucket. As someone else said, put dry ice on bottom, cover with paper and then place frozen food on top. If I remember correctly the dry ice lasted longer than the food did. We ate it all! It was a 2 day drive and a ferry ride to Nantucket.

[Tented1]

Here's one good site:

http://www.dryiceinfo.com/camping.htm