(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best camping coolers

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>6. Assuming we stay in cabins in two separate locations in Yellowstone, which areas make the most sense? From the reading I've done so far, I'm leaning toward Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Canyon Lodge cabins, as they seem far enough apart to give a meaningful change of scenery but also well-located to major attractions, but as with the lodging in Jackson already mentioned, I am very much open to suggestions.

I HIGHLY recommend Canyon. It is centrally located within the park, is at a higher elevation (so you can avoid the heat that you left behind in Tennessee - I'm from Texas and we go to the mountains each summer for the same reason), and we found it relatively uncrowded, especially compared to the Old Faithful area. It is situated in a lodgepole pine forest, so even in the heat of the day, there's shade to get under. We stayed there before and would do so again. Its central location is really important - no part of the park is a real haul from Canyon.

If you were to follow my recommendation and fly into Jackson, after spending some time in GTNP, you could stay at Canyon for 6 nights and stay at Old Faithful on your last night in Wyoming. I would recommend splurging on your last night and getting a geyserside room (called "premium west-wing hotel rooms") in the Old Faithful Inn (not Lodge, not Snow Lodge). If you can't afford that freight, you might split the cost with your in-laws and get a room with 2 queen beds - it's only for one night! It's really pretty cool to sit on your bed at 10:00 or 11:00 PM and watch Old Faithful go off before you climb in the sack before heading home.

>7. How about food? I'm only really concerned about this for the Yellowstone leg. Are the cafeterias and restaurants decent? Are there reasonable options for us to go the "stick it in a cooler" route?

The cafeterias are quite decent. We ate in the Canyon cafeteria most mornings for breakfast, ate a picnic lunch, and usually ate in one of the nicer restaurants for dinner. They might be a little on the pricey side, but the food is pretty good. The only complaint that I heard was that it tended toward the bland side, but we're from East Texas (almost in Louisiana), so we routinely eat Tex-Mex and Cajun food. Midwesterners will have no problems with the cafeterias/restaurants.

You'll want to eat at least once in the Old Faithful Inn dining room. If walls could talk, oh, the stories they would tell. And everyone in my party agreed that was one of the best meals that we've ever had (but your mileage may vary).

Insider tip: Yellowstone is trying to eliminate the lake trout. It is a non-native invasive species that eats the smaller and endangered Yellowstone cutthroat trout. The NPS employs a commercial fisherman to troll Yellowstone Lake and catch as many lake trout as he can. So if you catch a lake trout, park regulations prohibit you from catching and releasing. Instead, take the fish to any restaurant in the park. They will clean it and cook it for you for free - you only pay for your side dishes and drinks. Just something to know if you're at all interested in fishing. (Verify that this is still correct when you get there.)

There are also "grab & go" lines in the cafeterias and in the general stores. The general stores have picnic supplies, but you will pay a premium vs. a supermarket in Jackson or Bozeman. You'll need to give some thought to how you'll get a cooler there, though. We bought a cold bag (available in every frozen food aisle in America) in Jackson and weren't terribly impressed with how it held up. Next time, I'll take a collapsible cooler that I can stick in my luggage, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Company-Large-Collapsible-Cooler/dp/B00I5K55CU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463497314&sr=8-3&keywords=coleman+collapsible+cooler Be sure to picnic while you're there: Yellowstone has some of the most beautiful picnic areas that this country has to offer. We picnicked one evening alongside the Yellowstone River, upstream from the falls. As we ate, we got to watch a beaver swimming around, doing beaver things. (If your daughter is into wildlife, she will be in ecstasy for pretty much the whole trip.)

>8. Laundry. We're talking ten days on the road with a kindergartner. We're going to need to wash something sooner or later. Where?

If you're at Canyon, there is a laundromat at the adjacent RV/tent campground. I assume that similar facilities are available at the other main camping/lodging areas.

>9. What are the "can't miss" things for first-timers to see? How about best activities for kids? Less well-known areas that are still relatively easy to access?

This sounds sarcastic, but it really isn't meant to be: if it's marked on the visitor map that everyone gets when you drive into the park (https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/maps.htm), it should be on your list of things to see. There really are too many things to see to list here.

If you really want to be a tourist or if your daughter loves horses, consider the chuckwagon cookout: http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/things-to-do/summer-things-to-do/wild-west-adventures/old-west-dinner-cookout/

For kids, I highly recommend the Junior Ranger program (which, by the way, is available at just about every NPS-administered site). You buy ($3) an age-appropriate booklet from the ranger at any visitor center, your child completes the requirements with your help, and, when she does, a ranger swears her in as an official junior NPS ranger and gives her a badge, patch, and certificate. You'll see kids (usually 8-10 years old) walking around the park in vests with DOZENS of those badges pinned to the vest from parks all over the nation. We made sure to visit 2 NPS sites last summer while on vacation in Colorado, and those little plastic badges are some of my son's most prized possessions. If your daughter likes it, your location in Nashville puts you close to quite a few Civil War parks and relatively close to Great Smoky Mountains NP - you may find your new weekend hobby! https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/kidsyouth/beajuniorranger.htm

Also for kids of all ages, there are programs at the visitor centers, ranger-guided hikes, campfire programs, etc. The breadth of programming offered is staggering. To get a feel for it, I recommend downloading each park's seasonal newspaper, which has all of the schedules for the programming.

Yellowstone: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/YT16_Summer_FINAL.pdf
Grand Teton: https://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/news/upload/summer_guide_15.pdf (this is last summer's paper because Grand Teton does not yet have this summer's paper posted to the internet)

You're picking a great time to look into the National Parks. Interest is picking up because 2016 is the NPS's centennial. I am seeing parks rolling out new, cleaner, more user-friendly websites to accommodate that interest. The NPS does a good job of dumping just about everything you would ever want to know on their website (or linking to the concessionaires' websites who run the general stores, lodging, etc.).

I hope that this helps. I love getting people in our parks. Feel free to message me directly.

REI has a very good camping checklist. Of course it's a US site and REI sells high quality stuff that is usually out of the price range of most beginners, so use it as a general guide on what you need, not necessarily the exact items you want to buy. Last time I was down under I was a shocked at the markup on imported US brands, so make do with what you can get down there.

I'm assuming you're going car camping; driving up to a campsite and unloading the gear. And I'm going to assume family of five means three kids say 8-14 or so. With older teens or more adults you'll need to pack more food and might need a bigger cooler, need a bigger tent or different sleeping arrangements.

Here are some recommendations for the basics. I'm linking to Amazon so you can see the products, and hopefully find something similar locally.

Tent - Coleman Montana 8. It's a well regarded tent for the price. Big enough for a family, can fit a couple of queen size air mattresses in there (kids can share a full size mattress or bring smaller inflatables). Whatever tent you get, make sure you take it out of the bag and try setting it up a few times. When setting up the tent, make sure you take out the poles and stakes and set them in a specific location, so they don't get lost and they don't get stepped on (and broken). If anything is confusing, get it sorted out before you go!

Sleeping bags - depends on where you are going and when. You can buy Coleman synthetic bags pretty cheap at most outdoor stores. Synthetic bags are generally heavy and bulky, but will get the job done. The rating on the bag is generally the extreme rating... as in you probably won't die at that temp but it might be a cold miserable night. Mummy bags save some weight and some bulk and are warmer, but some don't like the constrictive nature of the bags. Bring pillows from home to make things more comfortable (but note that you may have to wash them when you get home). Throw pillows will work, probably better than "backpacking" pillows. Or you can bring pillow cases and stuff them with spare clothes and jackets... I generally use throw pillows car camping.

Mattress pad - if you're car camping, don't bother with backpacking pads. Bring full size Coleman air mattresses, or even a queen. Remember you'll need some way to inflate the pad; a battery operated pump will work but is slow. You can get a pump that plugs in, but you 1. need an inverter in the car, 2. need an extension from the car into the tent since the inflated mattress probably won't fit through the door of the tent. Make sure you get the dimensions of all the air mattresses and the dimensions of the tent and make sure everything fits with some room to spare. Remember that you also need room for gear; of course the car is right there and you can always leave gear in the car, but on a chilly morning it's nicer to just open your bag and get a hat rather than run out to the car.

Stove - Camp Chef Everest dual burner propane stove. The Coleman dual burner stove is a classic and works well.

Cookset - I use full size pots and pans for car camping. You can just bring what you have at home (not too big, the stove won't fit big pots and pans), or maybe find cheaper stuff in the clearance section of some stores (if the stuff at home is too nice to bring camping). Along with the pots and pans, bring your usual utensils. You can bring paper plates, plastic cups and forks/knives, or buy "camping" stuff. Don't forget the spices and condiments, trivets for hot plates, coffee, tea, bottle/wine opener...

Water - Is there potable water at the campsite? Are you bringing your water or do you need to filter? I generally bring a couple of Coleman 5 gallon water jug. They collapse until I need them... but you really can't fill them all the way up since they're really difficult to carry. Or you might be able to buy water at the grocery store and just bring what you need - 1 gallon per day per person should be fine, more if it's hot and you're being very active.

Washing - if there's no washing facilities, you want to bring a wash basin to clean up the dishes and utensils. Don't forget the dish soap and sponge for cleaning pots and pans.

Cooler - Coleman Xtreme 70quart. Or the Igloo Max. I prefer something smaller since I've got a smaller sedan and will run into town more frequently. If you're only going overnight, you may only need a small cooler, but if your kids drink lots of milk or only cool juice, you may want to invest in a good size, well rated cooler.

Headlamps - it's good for everyone to have their own headlamps. The Black Diamond Spot is a good headlamp from a great company. You can a cheap Energizer Headlamp for under $15 for young kids, they're not great but work well enough.

Camp lantern - Coleman propane lanterns are the ol' standard, work great and cast great light. Uses the same 1lb propane tanks as the stove. But many are going with LED lanterns... these Cheap camp lanterns on Amazon seem like a pretty good deal, I've got some like them and they work fine. Very bright and very white, but cheap and effective.

Packing/hauling - Rubbermaid tote. These tubs make a great way to haul and store gear. I also store food in my tubs; make sure you can secure them so critters can't get in.

Tarp - bring a couple. It's good to have one tarp to hang over the cooking / eating area. You'll need some rope or cord to tie these up.

Folding chairs and tables - bring 'em if you've got 'em. It's much easier to cook standing up at a table.

Firewood - call ahead or check online, some campsites have firewood restrictions; some places you can't forage for wood and you need to buy it locally.

Garbage bags - bring a couple of big ones, a bunch of smaller bags if you need to pack up smelly stuff.

Well, I hope that enough for a start. Good luck!

Trip Report Maui

For anyone interested in the free downloadable PDF version of Maui Revealed, after extensively searching online I found this! It truly came in handy.


Since it is not as easy to vacation during the week for us, it is when we have long weekends that we like to take advantage. After visiting Kauai for memorial day weekend in September of 2017 TR Here we loved it so much that we planned to visit all the islands, something that is not as hard to do when living in LA.

Booking our flights about 2 weeks in advance we had a tough time finding availability through KE for their cheap 45k first class flights. When they also didn’t have availability for Y we looked through all our other options before we used MR. Since I have a ton of those and still have 50% back till end of March it made it an easy decision. I booked our way there LAX-OGG on AA for 11,750 each (after the 50% back) and then a hidden city flight, OGG-LAX-SAN, with UA for 9,310 (after the 50% back). So total for the flights were 21,060 a person.

While booking flights there seemed to be no availability for any of the hotels recommended throughout several forums and threads, and it seemed that our only option at the time was the Ritz Carlton. Although, it wouldn’t have been the worst option considering I have several free nights there it seemed that people advised to stay away from that part of the island. Therefore, I set up alerts on hotelroomalerts.com for the Andazz, Marriot, Hilton, Hyatt regency, as well as others. A couple days later I happened to wake up in the middle of the night and for some reason thought it was a good idea to check the Hyatt app for availability. I saw that single days were available for most of our stay at the Hyatt Regency and I booked it! For the days that were missing I adjusted my hotel room alert and a couple days later the rest opened up. The Andaz only had one night available and although I wanted to stay there it wouldn’t have been worth the hassle to have to pack up all the stuff and stay there for such a short time. The Hyatt Regency was 20k UR a night for 4 nights. Totaling to 80k for the hotel stay.

Now that flights and hotels were booked we looked into renting a car. Having Presidents Circle has been great in terms of upgrades and by sheer luck on our Kauai trip a SS Camaro happened to pull in when we were set to pick up our “corolla”. We didn’t want to take the chance this time so I booked with my friends Hertz Platinum status he earned through the black card and some CVV codes we got a great deal at $22.50 a day for a Corolla. Since we were traveling with my brother in law, Sister, and their newborn baby we decided we would chose the Wrangler over the Camaro for our upgrade. Without using Plat status the Wrangler would have been $1,100 for those 4 days while the Camaro was going for $315.

Timing worked perfectly for this flight as a Grubhub promotion came out a week before our flight which allowed one to get $20 off $20. Although I had seen it when every blogger posted about it, I was so busy that I just set it aside for later and almost forgot about it when a friend messaged me asking me about my experience with the promotion. Within 10 or so minutes, I had me, my wife, and my brother in law, get approximately 250 codes to use over the next two weeks before they expire. So for the days leading up to the flight I was ordering SO MUCH food for me, my family, friends (even though I had sent this deal out to them, with a dumbed down explanation explaining how to get unlimited codes, they only get like max 5-10 ::) ), and randoms in need. This deal was truly amazing because I was ably to try all these foods from restaurants around Los Angeles that I typically hesitated to try and would have never actually paid for. While still being able to enjoy massive meals every day, as well as stocking up our house in Snapple’s, we ordered take out food from restaurants all around LA to freeze the food and pack it in the polar bear cooler to reheat in Maui.

Of course, something dramatic just HAD to happen. The night before the flight, we packed all our food and, thankfully, it was stored with my brother-in-law. Our bags and everything we needed was also packed and our alarm was set for 5AM, so I can do some work before our 8 AM flight, as well as every 10-20 minutes after that till 6:20, just incase. Apparently, I had put my phone into the wrong charger, which happened to not be plugged in, something that has never happened to me before, and my phone died in the middle of the night. Therefore, rendering my alarms useless and leaving me dead asleep till 6:58 when my wife woke me up shocked at the time. I typically wake up before my alarm but I guess we went to sleep late that night and were exhausted. My sister and brother in law, parents, and in laws all tried calling but my wife’s phone was on vibrate and I guess it was not enough to wake us up. Neither was the constant banging and knock on doors from my sister who came to try to wake us up. I guess, the way our home is positioned, the bedroom is all the way in the back and when our door is closed you would not be able to hear someone knocking. After giving up and thinking maybe we had already gone to the airport they left, luckily they had the food bag and were able to check it in. Within minutes of our 7AM wake up we were dressed and almost out the door when we noticed a knock on our door. My Mother in Law was asked to check on us and although we ordered an Uber we cancelled it and had her rush drive us to the airport. We, somehow, made it with 10-15 minutes to spare and boarded the plane!

I attempted to take advantage of the several hundred dollars I got from the Groundlink promo but seems as though I could not get through the last part of the booking stage even though my account was active and credits were in the account. When calling in they were not even able to pull up my account… Then, after spending 15 minutes trying to get an Uber from the airport to the hotel, wanting to use some of the thousands of dollars I racked up from the VLO’s, no one accepted our drive request. So, we negotiated with a taxi driver to take us for the hour or so drive to the Hyatt Regency Maui for $80 with a CC. Traffic was pretty bad but we made it.

We decided to reserve the car at the Hertz location at the Regency because it was substantially cheaper, but they did have much less options to choose from. ( I would highly advise one to look into if they will offer complimentary pickup from the airport. We did not know to ask for such a service but I vaguely remember hearing that they do this) We got to the hotel at around 1:30 and the room was not available until 4:00. They took down my number and texted me when it was available and gave me 4 complimentary drink coupons for the inconvenience. They were at 98.2% occupancy, so they couldn’t give me a suite, but they upgraded us to the highest floor with ocean and mountain balcony views.

While waiting we picked up our car a couple hours early. They automatically upgraded our corolla to a Chrysler 300 but we asked for a Jeep and they gave it to us. They only had a two door jeep available and it did not seem to be a newer version of the car. Overall, it was just not the most ideal car for 4 people and a baby so as we were driving towards Costco to restock on some stuff. Since we were nearby we went to the airport Hertz and said the car was having problems and we didn’t feel comfortable driving it, they took the car not asking us to pay for any gas, and although they did not have much available to give (since it was a busy weekend) they traded the Jeep for the Infiniti Q70. This car was much more comfortable, roomy, and was just overall great! With a new car, a new tank of gas, and everyone not feeling cramped, we drove back to the hotel to settle in.

The hotel itself was really nice. Here are some day drone pics and here are some sunset shots of the hotel and areas surrounding it! And here are the, not so well taken, room pics.It seemed like a condensed and not as nice version of the GH Kaui but I thought the pools and beaches were better. There were talking birds, Penguins, Swans, Flamingos, and some other stunning animals and garden areas. The hotel was nice enough to give us a crib, microwave, and an extra fridge for no charge. We went to sleep relatively early after touring the hotel at night. They had a laundry room, macy’s, and other shops.

Character Limit!

Congrats on the boat and soon to be spouse! It's always a little tough to answer this question since we don't know what he already has for the boat. Here is my short list of things that come to mind that are always appreciated.

Quality dock lines that match the color of the boat and are long enough 1/2" by 20 ft. like these should do the trick for the Capri.

A good soft cooler than you easily lug on and off the boat. I've gone through many coolers over the years. This one is by far my favorite.

Polarized sunglasses. Pick whatever style you both like, but make sure they are polarized. Polarized sunglasses cut glare and allow you to see into the water better. They make it easier to spot shallow areas while cruising which can actually save you from some expensive repairs.

A nice quality water resistant duffel bag or backpack, you can even find places that will put your boat name on them if you have picked a name.

A good water proof flashlight. This little guy plus a set of energizer lithium batteries have been great for me. I know the lithium batteries are pricey, but they won't leak when left neglected on the boat like alkalines will, and they have a lot more juice and longer shelf life which really counts when it comes to boat equipment.

Last thing that came to mind, a multi tool with a good knife blade. I've used my Skeletool more times than I can count on the boat.

I hope you have a blast on the new boat! Post lots of pictures and tell us your stories. And if you have questions, this sub is very supportive and helpful.

Alright...
Ol' Florida boy here, so I'm aware of the pain.

First, you need a good offset umbrella. Get the offset, so that the pole isn't in the middle of everything. Deck chairs are up to you. Everyone has their own comfort level for chairs.

I recommend a big ass fan that you can put far away, and that can move air across your whole area. If you're so inclined, a fan mist kit can help a lot too. This may or may not be convenient (or necessary) for you, depending on your setup.

I'm an outdoorsy kinda guy, and I'd rather hang out outside all day than sit inside. As such, I recommend Adidas Climacool Shirts. They make other styles than the golf/polo shirt type, but the fabric is amazing in the heat.

Keeping with the staying outdoors all day theme, I always recommend a good hat to keep you cool. Hats are, of course, a personal preference, but anything with a nice wide brim, and plenty of ventilation is great.

Now, a cooler isn't necessarily required, however, if you're the cooler type, then you can't go wrong with a stainless steel patio cooler. If that's a little outside your budget, maybe go for a plastic one. Those Marine Ultra ones can hold ice for days without a problem.

If you've got the cooler, but you're more of a mini keg kinda guy, you could get a jockey box kit to slap up in a cooler. If you had a decent sized cooler, then you could still keep some sodas or water in there.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm chillaxin' out by the bbq, I like to get down with some tunes. You can get some outdoor radio setups for pretty cheap. We always managed to hide speakers under the roof overhang, and this seems geared towards it right out of the box.

Now, I'm not much of a TV guy, but if you're hanging out with the friends and family, especially in the autumn, someone's gonna demand to watch the football game. I have a crappy little 32" TV that I like to pull out and connect to the stereo, so we can put the game(s) on. Get one you like. That was just the first one I found for under $200. The one I've got is an older model from Sharp, and has a matte finish on the screen, so the viewing angle is very wide, and it's pretty easy to see, so long as there's a little shade over it. Also, $200 isn't a critical loss of cash if it gets rained on. Though in the 5 or so years I've been pulling the TV, it has never gotten wet enough to be a problem. (It rains nearly every afternoon during the summer where I'm from in FL).

Those are just some ideas, and not a comprehensive list. I didn't mention anything about mosquito control, as I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to Texas as "swampy".

I traveled the country for 4 months this summer and have a few things that I found really useful that I'll be taking on my next trip.

A few things I took with me that helped:

• Hammock There were a few times where I couldn't find a good/cheap/free place to camp so I threw up the hammock wherever I could find some trees. It was awesome for the south because it was crazy hot and let the breeze in.
  
  
• 2 Rubbermaid bins one for clothes, one for cookware/books/miscellaneous items
  
  
• Plug-in cooler Saves on ice and keeps things like eggs and cheese perfectly cold. (Mine ended up breaking and not cooling after 2 months, but I bought it from Costco and returned it for a full refund.
  
  
• Storage Bin This might have been the best decision I made when it came to gear. I have a 2004 Honda Civic, and as you can imagine it doesn't have much room. This was perfect because I could fit all my dry food in the bigger bins and things like batteries, a first aid kit, mini flashlights, etc. in the top bin.
  
  
• National Parks Pass I went to as many national parks as I could and this saved me tons of money on entrance fees and got me free camping at Teddy Roosevelt National Park.
  
  I don't know what kind of gear you were thinking, if you were thinking more camping gear or what, but these are things that I would totally travel with again. You're gonna have the best time, safe travels!

I have one from Trader Joe's from a few years back that I quite like. It doesn't appear to be made anymore and there's no manufacturer label. Not my photos

What I like about this one:

• Vertical carry
  
• Affordable (I think I paid $6 at TJs)
  
• A long-enough strap to go around me (a big dude) when I have my backpack, jacket, and other gear for my commute.
  
• It has enough insulation to be useful, but not enough to cut down on most of the interior volume
  
• The zippered pocket in the lid is good for sauce packets, shorter utensils, drink mixes.
  
• The mesh water bottle pocket on the side is large enough for most travel mugs
  
• ID window on the back means you can put a business card or whatnot inside
  
• The connector between the bag and the strap is large enough to clip a small carabiner so I can attach my water bottle to the bag.
  
  What I'd change if I could:
  
  
• The shoulder strap is a bit thin (1") and you can't remove it. I'd change it to a 1.5" strap that clips onto D-rings so you can change out the strap, add a pad, etc.
  
• Add a removable insulated section that you can take it out and wash when your restaurant take-out container leaks in transit
  
• make the mesh pocket a bit deeper so that I wouldn't worry about my 20oz Zojirushi tumbling out (hasn't happened yet!) and why not add another one to the other side of the bag.
  
• Ideally I could ditch the black and go with earth tones. The Coleman cooler is much better in this regard.
  
  I also have this Coleman soft cooler that I bought as an upgrade but ended up not using it because the strap isn't long enough to carry comfortably slung across my body while wearing a backpack and the mesh pockets on the side aren't big enough for my travel mug.

I've been using this for the last year:
link

I work doubles about 4-5 days a week and I could stuff all my meals for the day into it. It was tight but it worked.

Just this week I got a new one because the one above started to come apart... which I understand because I lug it around everywhere with me. here is the new one I got:
link

It's nice, but a little too small. I have to really cram everything in this one to fit it all. I pretty highly recommend the first one and a large ice pack.

I fit ~200 oz of milk and 5 lbs of dry ice in this cooler that’s advertised as holding 30 cans. Granted, it’s not the type of cooler you’d probably ship, but should give you an idea of how much milk fits in a cooler. My milk was frozen flat in lansinoh bags, and the cooler held 4 gallon-sized ziplock bags full of lansinoh bags plus a few more milk bags, packed with the dry ice in the middle and top.

Alternatively, there may be more local options. If you haven’t already, you can check out your local Human Milk 4 Human Babies Facebook page or a milk bank. Milkbank.org is is great if you’re in TX, but there are lots of other banks. Milk banks will provide you with storage bottles, and the HM4HB ladies will often replace the bags for you.

Dry ice in a typical igloo cooler with already frozen food — half a week.

Best cooler? The free 48 qt Gatorade Igloo ice chest you get by spending $100 on Gatorade products at your local grocery store

Second best cooler... $20 Igloo Island Breeze 48 Quart Cooler- Majestic Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A1BVQYW/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_RbYmDbA831RC8

Without dry ice.... freeze milk jugs of water and add bubble wrap covers inside the chest to keep the cold in. Drink the water after it’s melted.

It's easy!

• Get one of these Coleman six-pack coolers
  
• Get one or two of these Tovolo ice cube trays
  
• Set your freezer so it gets nice and cold. -18C/0F should do it.
  
• Cut some holes in the bottom of the ice cube trays. This is easier said than done since those things are really flexible ...I used a box cutter and cut square holes.
  
• Remove the lid of the Coleman cooler (it's detachable)
  
• Fill the Coleman cooler about, oh, 2/3rds to 3/4ths the way up. Just use regular cold tap water.
  
• You don't want your cube tray sitting on the bottom of the cooler. Figure out a way to keep it off the bottom. I like to use a (cleaned, duh) cottage cheese plastic container that's about 1.5 inches tall and about 3 inches across. Anything, though, to keep your cube tray well off the bottom of the cooler.
  
• Ok, float (well, sink) your ice cube tray until it's very lightly sitting on top of the spacer you used
  
• Pop the cooler into the freezer. It'll take about 1.5 days to get frozen solid
  
• After about 1.5 days take the cooler out of the freezer and pop the block of ice out
  
• Use a bread knife to slice and dice. You'll find that you can't cut the ice very deep but if you score it and then tap the blade with a hammer or something nice and heavy then the ice will tend to split as you've scored it.
  
• Once you've extracted your ice cube tray, pop those clear cubes out. You're a [adjective the cool kids use to describe cool people] now.
  
• Hey, don't throw out all the ice that was around your cube tray! All that slag can be used for shaking or for your own drinks when you don't want to use the "good" ice.
  
  That's it. I've made hundreds of ice cubes this way and it's quite reliable.

lol @ the Yeti suggestions. Those fuckers weigh so much. No one wants to carry in 40lbs of beer and cooler.

I have this: https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000025131-24-Hour-30-Can-Cooler/dp/B01C3VBD04/ref=pd_sim_468_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZHN686DGNDK5QGF8CGB0

It'll hold a 24 of PBR without opening the box, perfectly. And the little hand flap thing on the top is primo for getting beers out without actually opening the whole thing.

Works great, and you can buy a dozen of them for the cost of the expensive softside coolers.

I have one of these. It's pretty high quality and still cheap compared to renting from a company. The only complication is that you need two cars to coordinate rides. My friend also has one of these which lets us bring along a boatload of drinks and snacks.

If you stick with that brand, they have a great locking system to attach everyone together.

My beach game is so strong. For a super fat white guy, I have surprisingly little shame for my body type. I'm the first person to take of my shirt and look like a white oily whale on the beach, slathered in spf120.

I have a wagon I take with me too. It has a small cooler full of icy drinks, a decent sized mosquito canopy, two beach umbrellas, a king sized denim bed sheet, four 18" spikes and a large mallet. I'm going to bring a garden shovel with me next time too.

Wanna know the secret to perfect cold drinks at the beach? Use a small, waterproof cooler. Then do half water, half ice. Let your drinks float around in there and they will be near frozen by the time you drink them. VERY refreshing.

Use one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-5-Gallon-Recessed-Resistant-RBH1685ORG/dp/B00002ND6V

Pour brine in, let cool, put some ice in for good measure, throw the turkey in and set outside. When its done just drain it using the spigot. Easy. :)

I've been thinking about off-grid refrigeration for some time.

This does not answer your question, but...

One interesting find was that a few years ago, Coleman had a stirling cooler was expensive for the size, but very power efficient.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A1FCIE

I'm surprised that they pulled it off the market. Looking around, I think this was the OEM:

http://www.globalcooling.nl/products/portables/

Anyway, I think these coolers might be some of the most efficient coolers on the planet, and you could probably drive them quite easily with a small solar setup. Too bad they haven't reached mainstream. They have one moving part, and I believe it might even be frictionless.

theres this stirling frigde that i want so bad http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Stirling-Cooler-Adaptor-Included/dp/B000A1FCIE you can plug this in your car and it draws super low energy and can even run when the car is off for days without depleting the battery. all while producing up to freezing temperatures. i wish omre things like this existed

Are you allowed to keep a small cooler of water at the shelter, like this? If so, secure some healthy perishables (fresh fruits, veggies, small bottle of lactose-free milk), double-bag them in Ziploc bags, put them inside, then fill the balance with ice. That'll keep everything nicely cold and you'll have a good supply of cold water as the ice melts, too.

With your medical conditions, shelf-stable healthy foods are going to be a bit difficult to come by. Peanut butter is a good mainstay but with your diabetes you'll need to stay with the all-natural (no sugar added) stuff. Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit mixes (trail mix) are a good shelf-stable option. "Trail bars" can also work but be aware that many of them have added sugars and honey to maintain the bar shape which may not work so well with your diabetes.

Proteins are tough but not impossible. Most packaged meat products are heavy in salts so check the nutritional information before buying. Jerky may also be a good but be aware of salt and sugar additions; molasses is a common ingredient in jerky.

Also consider MREs. They are readily available on ebay and many online stores and package a lot of calories in a shelf-stable package. Many of them also include chemical heaters for preparation, and dietary options (e.g., low sodium) are available too. They can be a bit costly; figure around $7-$10 per meal.

I thought about it, however, I would need this, seriously.

I decided to go a different route, and I was going to keep it on the DL, however, people should know I am doing my best to handle their sticks properly. My basement is a steady 65°F, so I am not concerned with temperature. Sticks are stored in A LOT of double zip gallon bags each with its own 72%RH Boveda.

I have also pulled the hygrometers from my wineador and placed them in three of the bags, changing bags every day to make sure RH doesn't get too low.

When I do finally post pictures, you all will understand why I am trying to get everyone who said they would purchase to actually purchase, I need my basement back.

I need a lunch kit! Since starting my job I have become less active and put on some weight due to poor eating habits because of scheduling. I am attempting to cook more and take food to work to get back in a routine and drop the weight and start working out again. Since I don't have a lunch kit, often I am in a hurry in the mornings and don't have time to grab everything and put in my work bag. This would make it easy to prepack and have ready to just grab in the mornings. Making me healthier :)

1. Wine glass - Fred & Friends Polluted Glass (Made of glass. Can drink wine out of it. Will be "polluted" if I drink that much wine.)
   
2. Broom - Blonde With a Wand: A Babes On Brooms Novel (a broom is a hard thing to find :/)
   
3. Hat - Winter Black Oversized Cable Knit Baggy Beanie Slouch Hat Unisex Fashion (It's a hat. Damn, I am so not creative.)
   
4. Book - The Catcher in the Rye (because it's a book. Super boring)
   
5. Trunk - Igloo Polar Cooler (shaped like a trunk. Could hide a body in it.)
   
   Bonus. Cape - Superman Soars Blue Pint Glass (Superman is wearing a cape)
   
   Mischief Managed

I’ve used a Coleman Xtreme cooler for the past 3 years at firefly. It cost me around $50, I normally only have to refill ice once(maybe twice if it’s really hot out) throughout the festival. I’ve also used dry ice in the cooler and that works well too!

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Xtreme-Portable-Cooler-Quart/dp/B00AU6GB2K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527647488&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=coleman+cooler&psc=1

I bought a $20 Igloo cooler from Dick’s sports but they are also available on Amazon for $30:

IGLOO Island Breeze 48 Quart Cooler- Majestic Blue
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A1BVQYW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pqi3Db32QDF9V

I have the basic Anova $100 unit.

I had a 2.5” hole saw already, so I made a hole through the top left side and the Anova drops in there perfectly. No need to use the holder either.

It held the heat no problem.

The only you have to do is put something heavy on top of whatever meat you are cooking to keep it from floating all over the place. (I use a brick)

For $20 it was worth trying. And it worked so good now 2 of my neighbors now have the same setup as me.

Get a small insulated lunchbox like this, take the lid off, fill it with water, and leave it in the freezer for 24-36 hours. You'll have a big block of almost perfectly clear ice (and some water).

Get an ice pick, and break it into beautiful clear craggy ice cubes. Rinse them under the tap to shine them.

If that's too much work, get some silicone trays. They aren't truly BIFL, but they last quite a while.

I bought this one last year and it worked great!


https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Xtreme-Portable-Cooler-Quart/dp/B00AU6GB2K/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1520623697&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=coleman+xtreme+cooler&psc=1

I have one of these things.

Works pretty well.

Ha! Try something like this.

Tubes are pretty damned stretchy, and they'll form around the cooler nice and snug. If it's an especially large cooler, you may need an extra set of hands to stretch it around, or a larger tube, but once inflated, it won't go anywhere. It helps to use a tube that's been inflated and stretched a bit first, a brand new tube will be tougher to stretch out manually.

EDIT: These things exist, too. You could cut the floor out potentially. Or this thing might work if you want to leave your cooler at home.

Coleman Soft Cooler Bag | Keeps Ice Up to 24 Hours | 16-Can Insulated Lunch Cooler with Adjustable Shoulder Straps & Removable Liner | Great for Picnics, BBQs, Camping, Tailgating & Outdoor Activities https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006HFBQ0K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YfklDbFR1K24X

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PCI9M8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is the one I have, although I'm sure there are many like it. Very thick sides. I have it clipped to the back of my center console behind/between the two front seats so I can reach back anytime and grab a bottle

this a thousand times, that. This brand of coolers are indestructable, and keep things very cold/hot. The smallest they have fills a 6 pack, it might be too large for what your thinking but I endorse these 1000%. I have the 24can cooler and I've used it for 5 years now, it looks brand new. I've had ice cubes last over 48 hours in the cooler.

I would buy 2 of these. Have one ready to serve, and the other one as a reserve. When the first is empty, start brewing right away. (add water, tea bags) and let it soak. If you are worried about people going through 5 gallons faster than you can keep up, add another cooler, or use a 5 gallon CLEAN (brand new) bucket.
http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Insulated-Beverage-Container-5-Gallon/dp/B00002ND6V/ref=sr_1_24?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1411419637&sr=1-24&keywords=5+gallon+water+dispenser

Ya don't. Not really. But you bring tons of cold water with you and just keep hydrated. Get yourself 2 or 3 of these and every night fill them 2/3 and put them in the fridge, and top them off with ice in the morning. Maybe even 1/2 and half. That'll get you cold water all day.

In addition to copyright law increasing drug prices, you also need to discuss the role of the FDA in increasing drug costs and medical device costs. For example, a five gallon water cooler on Amazon costs $28. Cut that cooler size by 90% and attach it to the knee as an FDA-approved ice pack, and it becomes a medical device that costs $120 (soon to be $132 because of the medical device tax).

Additionally, the government-granted monopoly to the American Medical Association greatly limits the number of people who can become doctors. Med School is $50k per year because there are so few spots, so many applicants, and pay after gradation makes up for it.

Healthcare is expensive because of government, not in spite of it.

Might sound good in theory to your friend but after 10 minutes of dragging that thing around the sidewalks with a shit load of people it'll become a huge annoyance. Tell him to buy something like this http://www.amazon.com/OAGear-COOLER-SPORTS-PACK-GRAY/dp/B003I7CLB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409276214&sr=8-1&keywords=cooler+backpack it holds 20 cans

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-16-Can-Cooler-Green/dp/B006HFBV2I/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_yo_pop_d_pd_t2

I've been using this one for a year now and it's still going strong. No rips, tears, or undone seams. Has a removable plastic insert that can be cleaned or kept out all together.
Holds everything I carry and keeps my water cold.

If you have a tiny cooler you can make it yourself. Like this Fill it with water and toss it in the freezer for about 24 hours.

Clear ice.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HFBQ0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd get over your resistance to carrying things, and get one of these (they also come in NFL, MLB team themes). https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-16-Can-Cooler-Blue/dp/B006HFBQ0K

Coleman 70 Quart Xtreme Cooler

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00AU6G81Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=thebigaawes06-20&linkId=4e031e1aeecacd437627d2ec5c7f3051

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41pBjtWkboL.jpg

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HFBHB8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's tons of them, varying from $15 up into the hundreds.

Amazon has some in stock. Not sure if it's a decent price though.