How do you keep your perishables cold?

I am like bigbear, stowing perishables low in my hatches, directly against the hull, where the cool sea water keeps things fresh while paddling. Then, seems like we eat these things up pretty fast so they are consumed before we need to worry about them perishing. Course, we take durable stuff like spuds, carrots, cabbage, oranges, apples, and the odd piece of frozen meat, which will be OK for a couple days. All those except the meat will last up to 14 to 15 days, cooler waters.
 
I have great success on trips of 8 to 10 days, where I have taken frozen, vacuum packed corned beef, wrapped in newspaper and kept in a cooler. It is sealed in a brine and no air can contaminate it in this short term. I have used this on several occasions and it was a welcome relief on day 8 or 9. It is almost more difficult to keep the raw cabbage fresh to go with the CB. I do not use instant potatoes!
Another non- perishable but fresh meat item is vacuum packed smoked salmon, in its juice. This crumbles up nicely to make any pasta dish very popular and it will keep as well as canned salmon, but more flavour.

Frozen juice boxes can work as ice packs in small coolers. Keep your cooler in the shade of a tree and cover it tightly with a reflective blanket.
 
Besides the already mentioned use of the ocean as a fridge or carrying perishables near the keel, I use my home freezer a day before I leave. Generally I fill a 1.5 litre camelback bladder about 3/4 full and lay it out flat in the freezer. Next to it I place a plastic bottle full ( leave expansion room) of water and screw its lid on. The 1/2 liter milk containers are perfect. Just before you take the park brake off, load these now frozen items into a collapsible cooler bag on top of your MOST perishables. As they thaw, you get a refreshing ice drink and your cream, frozen bacon, etc. will last a few days even when it is sunny and warm.
 
Look up Zeer Pots! If you have room to take ceramic pots with you and if it is hot enough, you can create a perfect refridgerator without ice! It is much better than a bulky, heavy cooler any day. If it is cold out, you don't even need a cooler... just store your perishables outside in an animal proof container.

Otherwise I would never pack meat or milk. Not when I can just bring a fishing rod, crab traps, find oysters ect. You don't need a cooler, because you shouldn't have leftovers, in a perfect world we shouldn't be killing anymore than we can eat anyway. But a Zeer Pot is something every survivalist and adventurer should know about :D
 
mac47 said:
I have great success on trips of 8 to 10 days, where I have taken frozen, vacuum packed corned beef, wrapped in newspaper and kept in a cooler. It is sealed in a brine and no air can contaminate it in this short term. I have used this on several occasions and it was a welcome relief on day 8 or 9. It is almost more difficult to keep the raw cabbage fresh to go with the CB. I do not use instant potatoes!
Another non- perishable but fresh meat item is vacuum packed smoked salmon, in its juice. This crumbles up nicely to make any pasta dish very popular and it will keep as well as canned salmon, but more flavour.

Frozen juice boxes can work as ice packs in small coolers. Keep your cooler in the shade of a tree and cover it tightly with a reflective blanket.
Click to expand...

Oh I really like that salmon idea, yum!
 
It's also worth taking a nice big cotton towel that you can soak in seawater to drape over food - as the water evaporates slowly it cools actively the air below which sinks over the food. The old school canvas water containers that you hung from your car mirror operate on the same principle.
 
I am also a believer in the power of evaporation. At the cabin I use in Barkley Sound we keep food in a plastic cooler on the deck. Through trial and error I now use a wet towel over the cooler and occasionally during the day pour a cup of water to keep it damp. Even on hot summer days, I have cream for my coffee for up to 5 days.
 
I take small UHT milk containers and UHT creamers for coffee. Cream Cheese will last quite a while along with eggs. Soft sided cooler bags will keep frozen stuff solid for nearly two days.
 
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