Bringing food for a Week

[Gerry]

We bought one of those 5 day
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wife is on her last night of work and I told her to get some sleep this morning as the afternoon we will be going shopping for a new cooler and a few needed food items so we can on the road at a reasonable hour tomorrow.
Being an early riser, as I am, it is hard just waiting for her to wake up when I am all packed and ready to go.
When the wife said OK to a new cooler she mentioned something about the type of cooler that plugs into your car cigi lighter?
Is this something that I should consider?
We also use old plastic milk and water jugs as frozen ice blocks and even on day trips alwayse have a frozen bottle or 2 to drink during the day as they melt.
As stated in my first entry, the days of eating 5 days of meals, out of a small container, while out hikeing the Appalachian Trail, are behind me and I want real meat and potatos and greens for supper
Gerry the Canoebuilder
OH Ya..................Danny What are you babbling bout??????? Go to yur room now!

[Sharon Herman]

just in case you need to know what can be really interesting. just do a google for half safe
. Its a totally unbelievabls thing. Its bad enough to pay what we do for fuel, but what about a hurricane? lovely honeymoon. and if you read the book, you'll find a valve job in the middle of the Atlantic too. So just pick up a deli chicken and have fun, lol

.

HuH?????

[barring]

Lot's of good ideas here, thanks. We're never near shore power, so anything needing refrigeration has to be used up in a day or so.

I have one to add - boxed milk, needs no refrigeration til opened, comes in lunchbox size cartons, we get it at King Soopers. Ultrapasteurized? or maybe irradiated? Anyway, it's nice to have real milk, whether in the tea or for the granddaughter to drink.

[Connie M.]

Just did a google search on Tastee/Tasty Bites - and they ship to Alaska! (Grocery selection is really boring here on the Kenai Peninsula) Hmm, my daughter and I are going Outside (lower 48) next month to visit family. Maybe I can find some down there and fill up my suitcase!

Actually, Spam tastes pretty good when cooked in an "egg"...

[james kent]

If you're using portable coolers. Don't BUY ice. Fill several cardboard type milk cartons or 2 litre plastic pop bottles with water and put in freezer for a couple of days. Remember to leave an inch or so of space at the top for expansion. Pre-cool you"re coolers and the ice will last longer and when melted you still have HOME water you can trust.
Jim

[Jack Walter]

Jack,

I'm intrigued...I looked up these Engel/ARB's and they look really great! How are you thinking of installing it in your Boler? It seems to sit with a lift up lid like a traditional cooler. Can it sit on it's side like a refer? Tell me more!!!

Sharon

I was thinking that if I can't get my three-way Dometic very thoroughly cleaned and working properly I might try to fit one of the Engels in. I'd have to mount it on a slide out tray and enlarge the opening in the cabinet because they have to be oriented with the opening up. Engel makes a very secure mounting plate that these clip in to when they are being carried in the back of a truck. I was thinking of a plywood platform mounted on some heavy duty roller bearing drawer slides where the cooler would slide out of the existing cabinet far enough to open the lid. I'd mount it lengthwise in the cabinet. It would probably extend just about to the far edge of the cabinet door to the left of the existing fridge.

I need to do some measuring but I'm pretty sure one of the Engel 45's would easily fit. You can carry enough food for two people for a week in one of those. I'd rather buy one of these that I could also carry with me in the truck when I'm just going for a weekend with a tent too.

[Julia O.]

I have one to add - boxed milk, needs no refrigeration til opened, comes in lunchbox size cartons, we get it at King Soopers. Ultrapasteurized? or maybe irradiated? Anyway, it's nice to have real milk, whether in the tea or for the granddaughter to drink.

Aseptic packaging works by creating an sealed, no-oxygen environment so that bacteria can't grow -- most producers ultrapasteurize. I haven't heard of any company irradiating aseptic milk, but anything's possible, unfortunately. Parmalat is the first company to retail boxed milk in the US, and it's at many grocery stores. Around Boston, there's an organic option by a company called Horizon. I don't remember the specs on the milk, but it tastes good and comes in convenient 8 oz. sizes. The packaging material is not very green -- hard to separate the cardboard from the foil liner, apparently, but that's my only gripe with the stuff. It beats the heck out of powdered or canned milk!

[Chester Taje]

I've used Box Milk for years.Its the best of all alternatives that i know of.Used 2 boxes this week end.

[Donna D.]

We spoke at length about boxed milk in this topic...both the pros and cons:
whole milk you do not have to keep cold

[Gerry]

Thanks to all who gave thier cold but great advice.
Just want to say we had a great shady campsite and the 2 plastic gal. jugs had ice in them right uo until the last day and as was said the water in the jugs were cold enough to keep things cold.
Alas we always bring alot of food home and this trip the fishing was great so instead of home brought food we ate fresh rainbow trout for 3 meals and even took 5 fish back home.
We did get a new cooler and by trying to open it only in the mornings and night and keeping it in the shade all day did the trick .
Thanks again
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Lainey]

I have two other tips that I didn't see mentioned.

I also freeze the large (1 litre size) tetra pak juice boxes. They stay frozen a long time and make great ice blocks, then when you're ready, ice cold juice.

On very hot trips I wrap the exterior of my cooler with one of those soft, flexible windshield heat reflectors, helps to keep the sun off the cooler too, especially if we're day tripping and taking the cooler in the tug with us.

Gerry, your rainbow trout sound yummy! Glad you had a great trip and some luck fishing