Has anyone used the poly food box? Does it really work like they say it does?

Jonwood

I haven't tried one yet, but it's the final thing on my gear list...yet to purchase...
BWJ gives them great reveiws. I think I'll try one with the foam liner and the large food pack....and want to try the frozen milk jugs w/ice...oh yeah, and the fresh steaks, etc...

Woodpecker

It looks good, but it sure is expensive. Does anyone know where someone could pick one up for a little friendlier price?

Bought mine several years ago. I use it as a cold pack, but DO NOT BUY THE FOAM LINER THEY SELL YOU. Absolutely an insult, it's about $.15 worth of flimsy foam, with almost no insulating value.

Go to your local lumberyard and get a sheet of 1/2 inch rigid foam. Use a razor and cut pieces to fit all 6 sides with an interference fit. I use two pieces on the bottom, providing a full inch of insulation. Now since the poly box has a tightly fitting cover you are good to go for 5 days or so with cold and frozen foods even in August.

Note, use a plastic bag inside the poly box to contain any moisture and so forth. I use a 1 gallon jug of ice for cooling, obviously all the steaks and so forth are frozen as well adding to the thermal mass.

I bought and use their slick harness to carry. Protects everything well.

As a dry box the primary value is rodent resistence. For a dry box I generally prefer the traditional banana box.

thanks for the info...i have since recieved my box and the liner and have made a trial run here at home...seems to work just as claimed

I have received my box and liner also and have put it in a Kondos Deluxe pack....I think there is enough room left between the poly box and the pack where I will wrap the poly box in another "wall" of 1/2" foam and insulate it even a little more... We'll practice some before the trip and let you know.

Woodpecker

How much does the Poly Food Box weigh? I think its kind of crazy that you have to carry two gallons of ice to keep the box cool. And thats only 5 days at 70 degrees where nights must be in the 40s or 50s?

I did find one cooler the Igloo Maxcold 32 which has a much smaller capacity but I think you could stack 2 in a pack. Even better if you didn't have to open the second one at all till day 3 or 4.

http://www.igloocoolers.com/products/Personal%20Size/MaxCold/2787

The lid isn't insulated but that doesn't matter much because I would place an insulated sheet on top of the contents of the cooler. This is very important because warm air in the cooler really melts the ice. Leveling the contents and dropping the foam plate a notch every time something is removed would go a long way towards helping the contents last. I also wonder if the cooler were efficient enough if extra ice would be necessary when all the food is frozen first.

Poly Food Box capacity = 61 quarts, probably 55 with insulation.
Igloo Maxcold 32 capacity = 24 quarts.

Packed with two one-gallon jugs of ice, the BWJ Food Box holds one gallon of milk, plus lunch & dinner meats, cheese and produce for 4 people for 6 days

I will probably have a couple meals of dehydrated for backup. This system works well if you like fresh eats and should weigh in loaded, at about fifty lbs.
I know a loaded food pack from the outfitter...weighs at least that and probably more.
I'll have to report back on the outcome and let all know if it is as good as BWJ people attest.
What do you use to keep the Igloo coolers cold and how much room will you have left for food ?
Woodpecker

woodpecker,

how did your poly food pack work? im on the line on weather or not to buy one. thanks travis

I use one, not two gallon jugs for cooling. Thus set up with the aforementioned rigid foam and generally frozen contents, you're good for 5-6 days, though by the end you have cold, not frozen steaks.

I use mine exclusively as a cold pack - much prefer a banana box for dry food.

just one gallon jug,with every thing else frozen at the start of your trip. very cool.(no pun intendid) what is a bannana box? i use some square locking tupperware containers for my dry food. in the past i have used two round drinking coolers filled with our frozen food then toped off with ice. it works ok, but i would really like the box. it think stuff would fit better in it. thanks, travis

A banana box... is a banana box.

Go to the produce section of your grocery and ask the produce guys for a box used to ship bananas. We like them for dry food - on a long ten+ day trip, after the cold box is exhausted, we transfer the dry food from the banana box to the (former) cold box, and shread and burn the banana box... thus eliminating one pack for the rest of the trip.