Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2023 10:10:02 -0400
Reply-To: Gabriel Hourtouat <ghourtouat@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Gabriel Hourtouat <ghourtouat@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Funny travel experience
In-Reply-To: <0D08D724-8807-43DB-964E-6F8E8F20CB03@comcast.net>
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"Then to my surprise, I got a standing ovation."
--doing things manually is like wizardry nowadays.
"Isn't there an app to light the fridge? And anyways, what does it mean to
light the fridge? Why are you lighting a flame when you are trying to keep
things cold???"
I make block ice with empty feta cheese tubs because they stack nicely and
the square footprint makes good use of the available space in the cooler.
I drape a fleece blanket over the cooler, overhanging the edges, and then
lower items down onto the blanket and then fold the blanket over top of the
items. Load the frozen stuff into the blanket first. If going out for a
week or more in hot weather with no access to ice, pre-pack the
longest-range items (meat for the second week, frozen milk) in a soft
cooler and/or cardboard box in the freezer and load that whole thing into
the blanket first with a piece of foam under the blanket. Then
strategically use the blanket and load other other items into the cooler
working outwards from your longest range items. Veggies and other frequent
use items stay on top of the blanket for a soft ride and to keep them from
freezing. The blanket makes an effective barrier to air exchange each time
you open the cooler, helping to keep out the heat and humidity. The
blanket can also be pre-chilled in the freezer at home.
Note: each time an item gets chilled more than it needs to be chilled in
your cooler -- that represents failure. Because it means that the heat
from that item (ketchup, veggie, peanut butter) went into the frozen stuff
in your cooler.
cover your cooler with a windshield sunshade and generally keep it out of
the sun. Make a custom-made cooler cover out of a broken sunshade (or
duct-wrap from HomeDepot. (
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/reflectix-bubble-pack-2-x10-/1000407996?rrec=true)
I am still not sure if the best cover is two sides and the top or four
sides and the top.
Theory: the best cover would be anodized aluminum. Painted aluminum would
be worthless as it gets just as hot as steel and other items in the sun.
But I have noticed that anodized aluminum (such as climbing gear) stays
cool to the touch even in blazing sunshine. Needs more research.
Comments?
am i neurotic?
i can also clean up a whole one-person meal with a hot, freshly used teabag.
>
