Thanks for all the info.

Last time we went, we went in the middle of July and the mesh bag thrown into the lake worked OK.

We're going in with a group of 8 people and several of us were thinking about bringing in one or two cold things, so that's why i started thinking about the 5 gallon bucket.  The Powerades would be frozen solid (in plastic bottles) at the start of the trip.  

Fruit cocktail (in the small plastic containers for kids' lunches) were a nice treat, and to me at least, sound a whole lot better than "apple leather" - sorry.

Once the plastic bottles are emptied of the Powerade, I'll use them to Tang and powdered gatorade throughout the week.

I understand the advice to carry a full bucket around for a week, but in reality, the question is: Is it worth carrying around for the day trip in.  Once we're at camp, it won't be moving, and will be getting lighter everyday.

Maybe the mesh bag is the best answer, especially since we'll be there a month earlier than last time.

Thanks again for all the input.