Jim, I did not realize that the block ice is not kept at the same temp as a home freezer! I should add that we also use "home made" block ice -- we freeze water in partially filled 2 liter bottles. (Don't fill them all the way before freezing -- leave some room for expansion.) The bottles make it easier to pack the food -- they are not too big, and they fit sideways across the width of the cooler. Plus, we fill the bottles with high quality water from our home water purification system, rather than our lousy tap water -- so when the ice melts, we have quite a bit of good water to drink while camping.
