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Charley
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jsamuels - what size & type barrels did you get. (I checked the US Plastics website and they have several different types.) The barrels sound like a good idea, I'm just not sure whether it would be better to use 2 smaller barrels or just a single larger one like Arkansasman suggested.
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Bannock
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I have used 5 gallon buckets with gamma seals http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=40406 You sometimes can find 6 or 7 gallon buckets that will work, too, as long as the opening is the same size as a 5 gallon. Then I find a cheap backpack to put the entire thing in. There is usually room for other stuff as well. That's usually good for a couple guys for a couple days.
For more people and/or more days, I have a vittles vault which I attched to a backpack frame with 1" nylon straps. http://www.gammaplastics.com/pages/GPplist.html I have the 50# size, but I see there is now an 80# version, too.
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Beavers
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I use a Garcia Bear barrel that you can get from Campmor.com. It is a little small for more than one person for more than a couple of days but it is very bear proof.
It sounds like you want a hardsided wannigan type pack?
Here is one idea using a Rubbermaid tub.
http://www.quietjourney.com/trip2_quetico/bear00817-.html
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Beemer01
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To BR's point -
I have the $175 BWJ pack. Since it loses shape with heavy frozen food and jugs of ice, I place the hard pack with rigid foam lining the inside. Now a single gallon jug of ice will keep food cold for nearly a week even in the very hot days we had last July.
Was the question food packs in general or cold packs specifically?
For my dry food I use a Banana Box slipped inside a Granite Gear 3.5, or more recently I use the Duluth Pack Kitchen Pack with side pockets with the same Banana box.
Ummm... we eat well when we tandem trip. On the other hand when I solo, I take in little and I eat little. All dry stuff like oatmeal, power bars and so forth.
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troutchief
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Yink: The Cabela'a Boundary Waters II Backpack is the way to go for a food bag. It's a dry bag with really well padded backpack straps. It won't be crush proof like a barrel, but you'll be able to compact it as you eat your way through your food supply.
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Mark Lawyer
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I've got the Red Rock Superpack, and we love it. 2 30 Liter barrels in one of the toughest, most comfortable Kondos packs you can imagine. It holds everything for a week long trip for 2 people, with room alongside the barrels for kitchen stuff. They have a real good seal, I don't even hang it. I don't know if Mr. Black Bear could possibly smell anything from it, but I know he won't get into it before I hear the racket and chase him off.
Joe at Red Rock (I rent the Island Cabin at Red Rock / Northwind Lodge for me and the little woman each September)told me the price was going up due to the barrels which are imported from Germany going up in price, but the Kondos pack is made right there in Ely. It's high enogh quality I know I'll have it for many years.
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yink
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woodpecker...what is that transparent container in your photo in the middle? im trying to find plastic tubs or container like that so i can rig up my own food pack. where can i find plastic rubbermaid or any plastic all purpose tub like that?
as far as carrying ice...i never thought about a gallon of ice...thats a pretty good idea, but i bet thats pretty heavy.
I do notice about the food pack that are sold in outfitters but i dont think its worth the money...thanks for all the good suggestions on rigging a home made food pack?
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HikingStick
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I know this is an old thread, but can anyone provide details on the specific plastic barrels that were purchased from US Plastics? I'm interested in any option that keeps my costs down.
I'm posting a wanted ad on Craigslist this evening regarding olive barrels, but I would like to know which barrles to order from US Plastics if I can't get the olive barrels.
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Old Scout
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Hiking Stick,
Send me an e-mail at OldScout48@aol.com.
I have a buch of Olive Barrels.
I'm located in Minneapolis, MN
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BASSMASTER
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Just got my Kondos small insulated food pack. Nice !!!!
Now I need to go back up and give it a work out.
kondosoutdoors.com
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kevheads
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I agree on the Red Rock Super Pack,I've had mine now for 4 years.Would go without it now.There is enough room on top of the barrels to put our tent and tarp with the tent poles in between the barrels.For 2 guys we can fit all the food into one barrel and the cooking stuff and anything else that cannot get wet in the other barrel.Only problem with the pack is it actually can hold to much stuff.Ours ends up weighting in around 80 lbs.
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tony
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I use two 30 liter blue barrels. One I have insulated to keep cold food in. Ice lasts about 5 days at 80 degree weather. The barrels have backpack harnesses on them so they are easy to carry. They make 60 liter barrels but I think it would be too heavy when filled so I went with the two 30 liter. The barrels are rigid so you dont have to worry about food getting squished or little animals chewing through the food pack. Using the two barrels I can pack over a weeks worth of food for a crew of four to six.
I have also used the 5 gallon bucket with gamma seals. Works real well. I some times use this method when I go solo. I then put the bucket inside my Granite Gear pack with all my other stuff. Makes the pack pretty heavy though. Using the bucket I can pack about a weeks worth of food for my self.
tony
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BR
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Beemer01,
What "hard pack with rigid form lining" are you referring to that you put into the BWJ food pack?
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knothead180
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I am thinking of getting the Red Rock Super Pack for my next trip. It's pricey, but I like the barrel idea.
http://redrockstore.com/Catalog/index.php?crn=77&rn=278&action=show_detail
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Beemer01
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Take the Quetico-Superior Hard Pack for what it is. Light, rodent proof, very tight seal and a good bungee system for keeping it tight. I bought mine from Piragis, but the BWJ and others sell it as well.
They will sell you a foam liner (which essentially is a joke) and offers little in the way of the insulation which could enable you to use this as a multi day cold pack.
What I did was take a sheet of 1/2 rigid foam sheet and cut 2 pieces for the bottom, a piece each for each side including the top. Even without the Foam Food Pack, it's a darn good cold food system. (I enhanced the setup that Stu uses at the BWJ).
Slip this rig into the food pack and it's pretty solid, and as I said earlier will keep food cold/frozen for a week even in HOT weather with a gallon jug of ice.
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popin_popper
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troutchief, yeah thats what I'm gonna get now...Im gonna browse ebay for something similar. We are planning a 10 day trip this June so Im still debating on how much food to take. Thanks
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kevheads
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Before using the barrels we would use a pack similiar to the Boundary Waters II pack and go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap plastic kitchen garbage can and cut the top lip off to the hieght we wanted then duct tape the edge where we cut it.We still use this pack for friends that go with us that don't have any packs.
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Arkansas Man
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For those of you who want a less expensive alternative that is still very handy, consider purchasing a 10 - 12 gallon barrel from US Plastics, that seals with the metal band just like the more expensive barrels. Cost is about, 33 - 37 dollars. The 10 gallon fits loosely in am army duffle bag where you can stuff other items around it, (ie towels, etc) it will have plenty of room at top for a 6 person cook kit left at the top. 10 gallon barrel holds plenty of food for 4 people for a week or longer. 12 gallon barrel fits tightly with a little the same amount of room at the top, just no room on the sides. 12 gallon holds plenty of food for 6 or more people for a week. Cost of Army duffle bag with back packing straps on it cost $15 - $29 depending on used or new. The 12 gallon barrel will hold all you want to carry! Olive Drab color is good for hiding food barrels in brush.
Bruce
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jsamuels
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Im with Arkansas Man. I bought 2 barrels from US Plastics and they work great. You cant beat the price there as well. Sometimes 1/3 of what you would pay at places like Cabelas, Gander Mountain, etc.... I put 2 of them in an old military backpack I picked up at Mills Fleet Farm for 10 bucks and it works great. The pack is heavy with 2 barrels but nice to be able to wear it on your back. I paid $80 for 2 barrels and a pack. Thats what you would pay for one barrel at Cabelas for sure! Good call Arkansas.
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Mark Lawyer
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That Red Rock SuperPack is expensive (there's no nice way to say it), but I expect to have mine until I die, so I think it's a good investment. It looks to be indestructible (and I can usually wreck just about anything). It easily holds enough for 2 people for 7 days, with ample room alongside the barrels for kitchen stuff, and it's real comfortable even on a rough, long portage.
If you're only gonna go once, don't get one. If you go every year (or even more like me) it's money well spent.
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Beemer01
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Suggestion - Plan your menu very carefully - no left overs and no extra. My most successful ten day trip had us exiting with only a pack of sundried tomatoes and some cooking oil left over. (I actually had an extra day's 'windbound' rations packed, but we were in fact wind bound for a day so these were consumed.) Beware of over packing on the food side - common and painful error.
I tend to eat better in a group than I do when I'm traveling solo. Somewhere on this board there is a chart telling you to allow about 1.5 pounds of typical dehydrated food per person per day.
As mentioned above we take in fresh food so all such calculations go out the window with us. :-)
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Mark Lawyer
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will it seal in the odors so Mr. Black Bear won't sniff it out?
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Arkansas Man
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I use a 10 gallon blue barrel with a strap on lid, placed inside a army duffle bag that has shoulder straps like a backpack... space at top too to pack cook gear or other things... very handy.
Bruce
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yink
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I need help in finding or making a food pack. I been packing foods in waterproof velcro strap bags and miniture cooler packs. I been looking forever for a food pack thats large enough to carry food for more than 1 person. I was thinking about a homemade plastic container with shoulder straps or something like that. Anybody know of any places or have any suggestions on carrying food into BWCA?
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Novice
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I'm new to this site, so hopefully this isn't a repeat of something previously posted....
If you have a deli in your area that imports olives, stop in and see if you can get a couple of olive barrels. You may have to wait a couple days until they have an empty, but they are usually happy to give them away instead of throwing them away. The barrels are slightly smaller that the Red Rock barrels, flared at the top, with a screw top lid. If you are handy sewing, you can make a simple harness to carry them, otherwise they'll fit in most packs.
I've used them my last two trips, and they worked very well. The only drawback is the flared top, which made it tough getting some items in.
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woodpecker
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DITTO TO BEEMER 01.....
I , too, bought a Quetico/Superior hard pack ( through BWJ ) inside a Kondos Outfitters Special pack. It worked great and kept our entire food supply cold for our 2005 trip of 5 days....
We had the 1/2 inch rigid foam insulation too, We pre-froze all our meat and etc. and used a frozen gallon jug of water in one corner.
After all our perishable food was gone...we mixed the then thawed but still cold water with powdered Gatorade and had a very welcome change from luke warm filtered water...
Woodpecker
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BR
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If you have $175 to spend, take a look at my next pack at this web site:
http://www.boundarywatersjournal.com/packs.htm
The food pack that is insulated is near the bottom of this web site page. You can get similar packs for perhaps less money, I really haven't researched it all that much as I will not be purchasing this till 2007. You may also be able to find outfitters selling used ones, who knows. What I currently do is put a soft sided cooler into a Duluth pack. The soft sided cooler I have has two chambers, I keep frozen in the smaller chamber and "refrig" food on the other side. With a small block of dry ice and regular ice and frozen food, I am set for a 4-5 day trip. My pack is notoriously heavy though. Good Luck and happy shopping.
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Beemer01
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It looks like it'd be a solid food pack.
Question - Am I the only one left still using a cardboard banana box liner in the pack to organize and protect the food from crushing?
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landoftheskytintedwater
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To continue the food pack thread, any thoughts on the Granite Gear Traditional Food Pack? I got my REI dividend today and am looking to spend it. This pack is on my wanted list. Any thoughts?
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BigZig
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Beemer01 I'm with you. I use two study boxes I coated with varnish. This makes them somewhat water-proof. I still use a plastic liner too. These boxes are close to the shape of long-neck beer bottle boxes and fit nicely into my Duluth Pack. I use two for organization. I did buy a Granite Gear food pack last year and want to try it. I bought it because it had the waist belt.
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L.T.sully
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I still use the venerable Duluth Pack It WILL LAST LONGER THAN ANY NYLON PACK. The up front investment pays off since it will last ages. 
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Franzenrp
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I'm a big fan of the Cooke Custom Sewing Food Packs, there insulated and tough. Carried one with over 70lbs. of food and gear heading out on ten day trip works great. Freeze a couple of water bottles; lay them on the bottom and I have had fresh food stay cold for several days. Built tough and Dan has many other great products for canoeists.
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crappace
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Medic3426 -
What pack is that?? I think I might try something like that.
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medic3426
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Another photo... 
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medic3426
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This is my home made food pack. Works great!! 
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Traveler
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Like Bannock, I use 5 gallon paint pails. I don't even have Gamma Seals although I intend to order some. You can't get any cheaper than used paint pails. They are waterproof, crush proof, and you can sit on them. I carry mine in a used army duffle bag with back pack straps. Fits perfectly and you could even fit two of them in there if you have a lot of food. I also slip my Thermarest in between the straps and the pails to give me a little cushion.
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Beemer01
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How do you seal the top?
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medic3426
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I seal the top with the Rubbermaid snap on cover. I also cut out a piece of insulation to fit on the top of the cover. The pack cover fits over everything perfectly. I put the frozen stuff (bacon, cheese, sandwich meat etc.) on the bottom, with the dried foods on top. It keeps things frozen in July for 7-8 days. (if you keep the pack out of the sun, and open the pack only when necessary.) I have $89.00 into the pack, $6.00 into the Rubbermaid box, and $14.00 into the insulation. (use the 1" hard,thick stuff) It's a great food pack for a little over a hundred bucks.
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TomT
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I like your pack Medic. I was too lazy to try something like that and just went with the BWJ insulated food pack system. I'm happy as a clam with it. It's very well made and comfortable to haul and keeps ice cold for days.
I usually swear at this pack for the first few days though... It can be a heavy SOB. :)
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vtguy
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I use a North Face waterproof duffle that has pack straps. It is not as good as a real pack to portage, but waybetter than a regular duffle. It also has the benefit of resisting rain while hung in the trees at night. Obviously it doesn't protect against crushing, but this summer I'm going to try fitting a small olive barrel into it; a small box would probably work too.
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HikingStick
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Thanks, Old Scout. We exchanged some messages, but lost track of things going into Easter weekend. I'll shoot you another line to see if we can connect on one of these weekends coming up.
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