Solar or generator? Ten day vacation.

[Viva]

Originally Posted by daveb

I'm sure it all depends on where and how you camp.

Isn't that the truth! These days we have so many options for how to set up a rig (which is sweet), that there is no real "best," but merely best for one's typical use, or best because that's the way you like to do things, etc.

Which is why I like that the OP stated his use case for this specific trip (vs. asking what is "best"). It made it easy to lay out some options within the framework of his trip/rig.

daveb: I always enjoy your posts - great blend of electrical/technical and "actually getting out there" trip reports -- both of which I look forward to reading

[daveb]

Originally Posted by Viva

Cooler:
For myself, for a 10-day trip (that isn't going to be repeated every month), I'd buy a good cooler. In fact I did buy a 6-day Ultimate Extreme cooler this summer and I am VERY impressed with the amount of time it keeps ice. Six actual days and that's not at 40º ambient, either. So much so that I re-considered my plan to install solar/12-volt refrigerator. But that's for a rig I'm using constantly. For a relatively infrequent 10-day trip I would almost certainly choose the cooler. Simple, cheap, nothing to break, nothing to maintain before and after trips (well, wipe it out and prop open the lid). No "system creep." No theft potential to speak of. You can leave home with huge, home-made ice blocks, and then only buy ice once while out. And enjoy the silence

I guess you can tell what I would choose

Viva

Originally Posted by Viva

These days we have so many options for how to set up a rig (which is sweet), that there is no real "best," but merely best for one's typical use, or best because that's the way you like to do things, etc.

Which is why I like that the OP stated his use case for this specific trip (vs. asking what is "best"). It made it easy to lay out some options within the framework of his trip/rig.

Well put Viva. I also have a couple of nice coolers and although having a fridge is a great option, I pack 2 Yeti's, one with ice+dry ice and the other larger model that holds some ice and food/drink. The dry ice will keep the standard ice frozen solid for a week (or longer) that can be used as backup ice for the other cooler if you're boon docking for extended times. Another nice feature of the Yeti's are most can be locked and are bear proof rated. I'm sure there are others out there that do as well and cost less. I got a good deal on my larger Yeti. You just need to make sure the cooler is rated for dry ice if you plan to use it that way. I even took a small container of ice cream on a summer trip. Once the backup ice and dry ice is gone, the small cooler becomes storage. And I agree, I don't know how many times I've got by with using an ice chest before I had my SMB and those were standard Coleman ice chests using block ice... heck that was the only way we camped back in the 60's.