njsconst Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 (edited) I am sick of spending heaps of $$$$$ on bags and bags of ice when I go away fishing for extended trips. Several times a year I go on extended fishing trips sometimes to remote locations where ice sometimes isn't easy to buy, or you pay a premium for it. It is a headache trying to keep your bait in good condition when relying on ice in an esky for days at a time. I have been considering an Engel 12V fridge but they are very pricey. So I had an thought ... yes dangerous I know. But what about Dry Ice. I have never used it and have had no knowledge about it. Has anyone used it in an esky for recreational purposes??? I have a good quality esky... how long does it last for??? Where do you get it from and how much is it???? Any feed back would be appreciated. Nathan Edited August 2, 2007 by njsconst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtosea Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Most places that sell gas like BOC Gases sell it, but its expensive stuff. For around 4 days, you need six blocks or similar and thats about $100. Just ring around, my sister wanted to take it camping but decided not too as the price was expensive, there are some top eskies you can buy that will hold ice for days, the styrophone ones are the best eskies by far. I have had ice in there for 3 days. Buy blocks rather than bags. Im sure others will help out more. Kamil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james1990 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 When i find empty bottles around the house i fill em with water and use them as bricks, normally need atleast 4-5, 2 liter bottles to keep the temp down. cheers james Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsconst Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 (edited) Kamil, Thanks mate.... $100 for four days worth!! Thats alot of normal ice! Decision made, dry ice is NOT an option. I'll keep saving for my engel fridge. I'll have to be nice to the James, I've tried the frozen bottles aswell. Its OK for a day fishing, but on extended trips after the first day it just doesn't chill the esky adequately. I'm off to the boat show on Monday so I'll be keeping my eye open for a special on 12v fridges. Thanks Guys. Edited August 2, 2007 by njsconst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmoshe Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 (edited) Kamil, Thanks mate.... $100 for four days worth!! Thats alot of normal ice! Decision made, dry ice is NOT an option. I'll keep saving for my engel fridge. I'll have to be nice to the James, I've tried the frozen bottles aswell. Its OK for a day fishing, but on extended trips after the first day it just doesn't chill the esky adequately. I'm off to the boat show on Monday so I'll be keeping my eye open for a special on 12v fridges. Thanks Guys. There's one product out there which is re-usable dry ice called Techni-Ice made in Victoria. No idea how good or bad it is but by reading their website it looks as good as regular dry ice. Not all that costly either. Or. Give Pete or Charlie at Go-Fish a call as I'm sure they have some 12v fridges there as well. (think fr discount) They may even stock Techni-Ice. Cheers and good luck on keeping things chilly. Pete. Edited August 2, 2007 by MallacootaPete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hi Nathan When I was travelling north last year, I found that some folk were actually using their Engel as a freezer only (for meat & frozen bottles or wine bladders full of water), so, when frozen, the iceblocks were put in their large plastic/polystyrene chiller boxes for bait and/or maintain cooler temps for other food in the other chiller. It is essential to have it brought fully to freezing before you leave home & then use your power/solar panels to maintain the low temp whilst camping. Looked after, you will get 20-30 years out of an Engel or equivalent fridge. Most folk swear by them! Cheerio Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsconst Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 Roberta, I agree, after doing my research and speaking to people who own Engel products, they are by far the best on the market. Although they are pricey, they are probably worth it. Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbielites Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hi nathan, As previously said BOC will do it, I have never had to by it but I use it a fair bit at work, I was chatting with a guy that works for me a couple of days ago about the price of it and he said around $40kg. here is some info on Dry ice taken from http://www.dryiceinfo.com Dry Ice is frozen carbon dioxide, a normal part of our earth's atmosphere. It is the gas that we exhale during breathing and the gas that plants use in photosynthesis. It is also the same gas commonly added to water to make soda water. Dry Ice is particularly useful for freezing, and keeping things frozen because of its very cold temperature: -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Dry Ice is widely used because it is simple to freeze and easy to handle using insulated gloves. Dry Ice changes directly from a solid to a gas -sublimation- in normal atmospheric conditions without going through a wet liquid stage. Therefore it gets the name "dry ice." As a general rule, Dry Ice will sublimate at a rate of five to ten pounds every 24 hours in a typical ice chest. This sublimation continues from the time of purchase, therefore, pick up Dry Ice as close to the time needed as possible. Bring an ice chest or some other insulated container to hold the Dry Ice and slow the sublimation rate. Dry Ice sublimates faster than regular ice melts but will extend the life of regular ice. It is best not to store Dry Ice in your freezer because your freezer's thermostat will shut off the freezer due to the extreme cold of the Dry Ice! Of course if the freezer is broken, Dry Ice will save all your frozen goods. Commercial shippers of perishables often use dry ice even for non frozen goods. Dry ice gives more than twice the cooling energy per pound of weight and three times the cooling energy per volume than regular water ice (H2O). It is often mixed with regular ice to save shipping weight and extend the cooling energy of water ice. Sometimes dry ice is made on the spot from liquid CO2. The resulting dry ice snow is packed in the top of a shipping container offering extended cooling without electrical refrigeration equipment and connections. Cheers. Robbie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flightmanager Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 We used to do a fair bit of camping in a pretty remote area , and what we found worked for us was 5 litre ice cream containers filled with water and frozen. Put these into the esky , and break it up a bit with a hammer , so that you have large chunks of ice. Now here is the important bit , throw in a handful of coarse salt ( see your local butcher ) . This will lower the temp by about 2-3 degrees Celsius . This method would keep food extremely cold for up to 3 days. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsconst Posted August 3, 2007 Author Share Posted August 3, 2007 Thanks guys, your replies were very informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooked Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Chech out the techni ice you can get it from the hardware store. I used it earlier this year on an interstate trip, the airlines let you use it but not normal ice. It was still frozen solid with 3 days in the esky with fresh fish. I'd go the techni ice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buster and co Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Hi Nathan, I use dry ice a bit for my work and get it from Fiegerts ice works in Hornsby. They have it in a pelletised form but can also compress it into a block if that suits you better. ( The guy who sells ice creams from a boat on the Hawkesbury gets his pressed like this, so presumably it lasts better) It's not too expensive- $5.50 per kg. As far as keeping it goes, insulation is the main thing. The temperature of it is down around -70c so it will quite happily "melt" in a freezer. I use bubble wrap to keep it as insulated as possible. The other thing to watch out for is not to keep it in an airtight container. If you would like a demonstration of what can happen if you do, type "dry ice bomb" into the Youtube search bar. Cheers, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangles Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 The other thing to watch out for is not to keep it in an airtight container. If you would like a demonstration of what can happen if you do, type "dry ice bomb" into the Youtube search bar. Cheers, Rick Ahh the bathurst memories a few cartons of bourbon dry ice and dislocated fingers and the grid girls . All in the name of a good weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisy Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Ahh the bathurst memories a few cartons of bourbon dry ice and dislocated fingers and the grid girls . All in the name of a good weekend ahhh nathan keep savin my son has the big engil fridge for campin and he cant live without it best bucks he has ever spent.. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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