Trying to keep meat frozen for an extended length of time.
John M
[Edited on 1-11-2021 by John M]motoged - 1-11-2021 at 10:07 AM
Don't know about dry ice, but it is also seemingly impossible to find block ice.
The super dooper coolers work well, but are very expensive.
Good luck with keeping your stuff cool.Bob and Susan - 1-11-2021 at 10:08 AM
i havent seen anywhere that sells dry ice
you should go to the ice house and have them shave the ice on top of your cooler
as it melts it becomes a block that covers the meat
works greatpacificobob - 1-11-2021 at 10:10 AM
i know a Canadian lodge owner who winters here who puts a small freezer buried deep in the truck bed full of salmon and halibut. he plugs it in at
night at a motel, and any other time when AC current is available. it works for him....and those he give fish to. đDavid K - 1-11-2021 at 11:15 AM
Anywhere there are ice cream vendors out of trucks without onboard freezers or even more so, bicycle driven carts, would need dry ice. If you see one,
ask!BajaMama - 1-11-2021 at 12:34 PM
Don't know if this is something ur interested in: we have a fridge/freezer that runs 12V or 110. While driving the car battery runs the freezer, when
we park, plug it in. Sometimes if a long drive I set it to 14 F, so if unplugged overnight frozen stuff still frozen. We recently bought a battery
pack that charges either way, too. We tested it over the summer and it keeps the fridge cold for days, was great for camping, no slushy ice chest
required.bajarich - 1-11-2021 at 03:44 PM
I use an ARB 50 qt fridge that I keep set on 0 degrees F. It is plugged into 12V in my little offroad trailer where I have two 12V batteries and a
couple of 100 watt solar panels to keep them charged. I have spent months camped on the beach and had fozen food. I also have a Honda 2200 generator
for backup power and the trailer is charged from my truck while on the road.
It has worked far better than the years I spent looking for ice every two weeks. An added plus is the space in the cooler is full of food, not ice. John Harper - 1-11-2021 at 05:01 PM
Anywhere there are ice cream vendors out of trucks without onboard freezers or even more so, bicycle driven carts, would need dry ice. If you see one,
ask!
That's a great idea! Good thinking, DK! Zuode Hao! (Good job, in Chinese)
An added plus is the space in the cooler is full of food, not ice.
Definitely a huge bonus. I may look into one of those for car camping, but I need one that's bear resistant.
Johnadvrider - 1-11-2021 at 05:18 PM
Not any help but I agree on the ARB cooler, been running one for ten plus years myself. pacificobob - 1-11-2021 at 06:04 PM
arb freezer? north of $1000 for a tiny freezer? because it operates on 12v?
wouldn't a small regular freezer. [3.5 cubic feet, $220] and an inverter [$20] be about 1/4 the price.?
[Edited on 1-12-2021 by pacificobob]mtgoat666 - 1-11-2021 at 06:22 PM
Seems like a lot of bother to try to take frozen food on car-camping trips, expensive 12v refers, etc. Lots of great food can be cooked just relying
on a cooler for refrigeration...
And after the ice is gone, many âperishablesâ keep for quite a wile w/o refrigeration (hard cheeses, eggs, vegetables, fruits, butter, etc.).
Get away from beer, when ice is gone, lots of liquor and wine choices are better at room temp...elgatoloco - 1-11-2021 at 10:06 PM
Back in the day we would pack up a 128 quart igloo with frozen protein and top it with dry ice and cover that with towels to eliminate as much air
space as possible seal the lid with duct tape stuff it into the bed of the truck and wait until the end of week one to crack the seal. By then the
chicken was just starting to defrost a bit so that was thrown on the grill first and got you a couple of meals. Then a few more days the duck breasts
were thawed and then some steaks were thawed and a few more days after that the ribs were ready to grill then the rack of lamb, then the prime rib and
then it was the start of week three and we would paddle the kayaks out to the shrimp boat and trade some sockets sets and old playboy mags for some
seafood and then........... bajarich - 1-11-2021 at 11:06 PM
arb freezer? north of $1000 for a tiny freezer? because it operates on 12v?
wouldn't a small regular freezer. [3.5 cubic feet, $220] and an inverter [$20] be about 1/4 the price.?
[Edited on 1-12-2021 by pacificobob]
It depends on the draw of the freezer. The ARB is only 2.5 amps. The small regular freezer you describe is probably a lot more, plus the inverter
takes power too. You have to figure how much battery and solar panels you need. A small freezer and a Honda generator might be a better idea. Run
it a few hours a day and keep it out of the sun.
Thanks for suggesting options
John M - 1-12-2021 at 06:03 AM
I probably ought to have explained why I was asking and specifically about G.N. & Santa Rosalia.
Leaving So. Cal. it will take us 5 or 6 days to get to Santa Rosalia the way we travel & camp. On this sort of a trip we'll have a second cooler
with ribs, chicken, beef, ice cream etc. and it's packed in dry ice just as elgatoloco suggested - and we've found it also good to keep stuff frozen
solid for at least the 5 to 6 days. So, we'd be in Santa Rosalia about when the dry ice is gone. Then we wanted to add dry ice, keeping the original
stash of food frozen another length of time for the next week or so we'll be at Agua Verde, south of Loreto. We'd just rather bring the stuff from
home and have the choices.
15 years ago a 12v cooler would have been a good choice. We've seen too many sunrises to be investing $600 to $1,000 in a cooler now.
It depends on the draw of the freezer. The ARB is only 2.5 amps
Is that 2.5A at 12V? That's incredible.
Unfortunately, with an open bed, having to leave a $1000 cooler in the back would be risky if I had to park at a trailhead for a few days.
JohnMother of Dragons - 1-12-2021 at 08:02 AM
BOLA has block ice at the first tienda as you drive into âtownâ.
Yeti coolers work really well..Iâve kept stuff frozen for well over a week. Prime it with ice for a couple days before.
Very expensive but they work.
Mr. Bills - 1-12-2021 at 10:01 AM
I used to be one of those "You don't need no stinkin' 12v fridge" guys.
Now I own three.
My first was an Engel MT45 (same as ARB MT45) that I won in a raffle 17 years ago that is mounted in my offroad trailer and is still going strong. It
will operate as a fridge or a freezer but not both at the same time. It is currently being used as my "garage freezer" for frozen items that won't
fit inside the house fridge.
The second is a Dometic CFX95DZW, two compartment fridge and freezer that came with a Class B motorhome. This is a very large unit that can be set
up as 100% freezer, 100% fridge or mixed two fridge and freezer.
My most recent is a Dometic CF18 that I scored in an open box sale on Amazon. This will operate as a fridge or freezer but isn't a dual zone. It
is the perfect size for behind the seats of my jeep and the same physical dimensions as the 26 qt. rotomolded cooler it replaced but holds more food
because there is no need for ice.
This You Tube video review of various 12v fridge options is actually quite helpful. The Iceco brand gets several positive comments.
Specs for every frig/freezer I have examined say 7 amps at 12v DC max draw. Of course the load is intermittent as the compressor cycles to meet the
cooling load. Many of us use an aux battery to prevent discharge of the start battery. For just a single night on a moderate temp day the start batt
will be adequate. All the units I investigated have a voltage cutoff to prevent significant battery discharge. If one moves each day then the battery
will be recharged during the drive.Bajazly - 1-12-2021 at 10:18 AM
... If one moves each day then the battery will be recharged during the drive.
If in camp not moving for a few days, a 100 W solar panel keeps the battery in prime condition. I have an older 45? qt ARB and I've sat for 4 days
without turning on the engine once.David K - 1-12-2021 at 11:53 AM
My first experience with an electric camping fridge box was in the early 1980s with a Koolatron.
Was supposed to have 'satellite cooling technology', and use very little power...
Well, one day of the fridge running, on Shell Island, drained my battery. Lesson learned. You must drive every day for this thing to work!
A voltmeter and an auto cut off, before the battery is below the crank over point, is critical.
I went back to ice, problem solved!JZ - 1-12-2021 at 12:00 PM
My first experience with an electric camping fridge box was in the early 1980s with a Koolatron.
Was supposed to have 'satellite cooling technology', and use very little power...
Well, one day of the fridge running, on Shell Island, drained my battery. Lesson learned. You must drive every day for this thing to work!
A voltmeter and an auto cut off, before the battery is below the crank over point, is critical.
I went back to ice, problem solved!
All the new off road campers come with a Dometic fridge. They have at least 2 house batteries and solar panels to charge them.
David K - 1-12-2021 at 04:00 PM
Very sweet... maybe in my next lifetime? I guess they cost about as much as my old Tacoma?
Thanks JZ for sharing.motoged - 1-13-2021 at 11:14 AM
For us neanderthals that still rely on ice: I have used a large Yeti type cooler to store block ice (pre-frozen blocks made at home in dimensions
that fill Yeti with little remaining dead air space)......and a secondary cooler that gets ice from the Yeti mother-cooler as needed....
I have been able to buy fresh meats and other items in Baja that need cooling.DouglasP - 1-13-2021 at 12:14 PM
Here is a wonderful little fridge with a pretty good price. 12 volt/110 volt.
Will freeze down to -7*.
We've been beating around Baja with it in the Blue Goat (Toyota tundra) and it has been flawless so far. Best edition to the camp set up by far.
