deep freezer while boondocking?

The J 1001 looks kinda like what you need maybe?

http://propaneappliancestore.com/Propane_Freezers.htm

For one person with a 50 gal fresh water tank you should be able to boondock for 2+ weeks. Of course, you need to monitor the black and gray tanks, too.

Our refrigerator freezer held 3 weeks' worth of frozen meats. Why do you need another freezer? We bought quantity packages and re-packaged them in a meal portion. Re-packaging takes up less space in a freezer. We never bought frozen dinners or large boxes of stuff.

Getting water, dumping and grocery shopping every 2 weeks shouldn't be a big deal.

If you are concerned about a freezer failure in your RV or home freezer just freeze a small bowl or jar of water. Put a dime on top of it. If the dime stays on top of the ice you are ok, if it is in the bottom you have had a freezer failure and should probably throw out contents of the freezer.

calewjohnson wrote:
Try dry ice or blocked ice. We swing by Safeway on the way out and grab 5lbs to throw in our small fridge to keep it cold while traveling. We keep our drinks and lunch in it while traveling for quick access. Once we are at our destination, we leave it out to evaporate...of course, keep away from the kids...


I think you will find a chest freezer will stay at/near temperature for about 12 hours if full....

Cale

Depending on how long the stay. I think the dry ice idea is better also. We used it back in our tent days and it worked good.

Try dry ice or blocked ice. We swing by Safeway on the way out and grab 5lbs to throw in our small fridge to keep it cold while traveling. We keep our drinks and lunch in it while traveling for quick access. Once we are at our destination, we leave it out to evaporate...of course, keep away from the kids...


I think you will find a chest freezer will stay at/near temperature for about 12 hours if full....

Cale

You could always get a portable 12v/24v/110v fridge freezer chest.

I have both an Engel 45 and an Edgestar 86 quart. One uses about 38 watts and the bigger uses 80 watts.

I can run them off a solar panel and battery, run them straight from 110v, plug into 12v cig lighter, etc.

That may work for you and you can set it at a constant -5 to 40 or anywhere in between.

garyhaupt wrote:
You really don't want to be eating any meat that has in any way thawed then re-frozen...then sorta thawed a bit, .....

I'd stay away form a freezer. People walked and wagon-ed all over..nary a freezer was seen.Gary Haupt

X2

I don't even trust my freezer in my MH on electric in a CG!

I keep ice cubes in a zip lock bag in my freezer all the time as a safety warning device.

If the cubes are melted and then frozen in the bag you KNOW if there was a power failure or problem with your fridge.

This shows you that the food you had in there also thawed and re-froze.....and should be thrown out.

So do you have a gas refrigerator too?

You can rotate your frozen meats in and out of the freezer, and keep what is in the freezer cold that way. You probably would want a really tiny freezer, say 4-6 cubic feet. Look for one with the best 'energy Star' rating, so it will use the very least amount of energy. I hear that Samsung has some models that can run on modified sine wave power, so it could run happy on a inverter. Most require pure sine wave inverters, and many will consume lots of power while on inverter power. A built in ice maker is about the most energy in-efficient way to make ice possible, as it involves a 300 watt heater inside the freezer compartment. . .


If you find a refrigerator that consumes less than about 150 watts, and find a suitable 300 watt inverter, you could install 300 - 500 watts of solar panels, and not need to worry about running the generator. When the freezer is 1/2 full, stuff the rest into the gas powered refrigerator, and then you can shut off the electric one.

Frozen stuff will stay 'somewhat frozen' for a few days in the refrigerator, but will be thawing out slowly. If you must keep it frozen, then the top freezer will do that!

I can make 100 gallons last me 2 weeks camping by myself. I do not conserve much water while camping, and take daily showers. The pump is only rated for about 2 GPM, so even taking a 5 minute shower at a reduced rate will use less than 8 gallons.

IF I plan on staying put for more than 2 weeks, I can bring back water when I go out sightseeing! I also like to run my dishwasher once every week or so. Fisher Paykell, it uses minimal water.

Also make sure that any freezer or refrigerator that you buy does not have the condenser tubing mounted to the steel exterior of the box. Many are designed this way today, with the exterior metal acting as the heat transfer metal, so covering that with anything will increase the amp draw on the compressor. The 'old fashion' refrigerator or freezer with a coil on the back or below will work almost as well, and that type can be insulated with additional foam to retain the cool inside a few hours longer. Yet the old style will not have several square feet of heat exchanger, and that coil on the back or bottom is easier to damage while moving the refrigerator around.

Good luck!

Fred.

Just me against the wild. The fridge I have is a freezer/fridge in the 07 keystone hobbi whatever the fridge unit is. I was thinking a deep freezer so I could get everything down way way below freezig to make sure it stays cold. A deep freezer perhaps wrapped in 2" styrofoam coule hold cold longer. We once had a 35 gallon rubbermaid tote box lined with styrofoam, it had ice in it after 4 days of cruising

You really don't want to be eating any meat that has in any way thawed then re-frozen...then sorta thawed a bit, then frozen. You said you don't have a fridge yet? So...what's the plan?

The water part...if you are going to carry 50 gallons of water, you have to account for all your uses, not just bathing. Use a cup to measure out your water. Wet down, use a rag to wash yourself. Some paper towel for the special places. Be sure you are standing in a plastic basin...you can use that water for washing hands as needed and as a final, dishes. Yeah..figure a week for 50 gallons. And if that is the case, then every week you can get fresh vittles.

Don't be getting any of the dehydrated survival stuff. You need water for that. Learn to make bread..bannock. It's a fry pan bread and easy enough to learn and do. Make some everyday, for all your meals. You can buy all kinds of canned meats. They won't go bad. Some canned milk and thin it out with just a bit of your water. Bags of dried fruits. Raisins and apricots. Bags of nuts. High in protein.

I'd stay away form a freezer. People walked and wagon-ed all over..nary a freezer was seen.


Gary Haupt