db,
Thanks for all the practical advice.  I'm not big on cheesecake, but if a Dairy Queen peanut butter cup Blizzard would survive a week, I'd pack a few of those.

Thanks for the advice on 50 degree soda.  That's what my brother ended up with last time.  Maybe I'll just stick to the Powerade.

And the wet towel is probably the best advice - thanks.

We're going to pack in hot dogs and brats for the first supper, and frozen steaks for the second or third night.  Add to that 6 or so 20 ounce bottles of Powerade frozen solid, maybe some cheese, jelly, and other smaller things, and I think my 5 gallon bucket if full.    It just seems to make more sense to pack all the cold stuff together, rather than in 4 or 5 separate packs.  The advantage of a 5 gallon bucket is it seals tight and rodents and coons shouldn't get in.  Hopefully it's bear proof too.  And, once it's empty, the 5 gallon bucket makes a nice camp stool.  And yes, all the empty plastic containers will then be packed out - I'm as opposed to littering especially in the BWCA as much as the most die-hard of all of you out there.

Thanks again for the great advice.  And if you happen to be going in or coming out on June 18, and see a 40 year old guy carrying a 5 gallon bucket, stop by and ask me for a cold one (Powerade).

I've heard that cheese doesn't freeze well and that the sealed in was chunks of cheese survive best, especially gouda.

I tried packing real ice cream once. It quickly turned into a very thick shake that hit the spot at the time but it's not real high on my list of successes. As I recall we had it on the second or third day of a July trip. It was cold alright, just not as expected.

A well soaked/placed towel ads a lot of time to any type of cooler. Even a white t-shirt helps. Most buckets I've seen are white anyway but...
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I wasn't big on cheesecake either, until I tried a nobake one trip. Been taking them ever since. On group trips, the veterans argue over who's plate gets used 'cause they know who gets the crumbs.

Gimme a bag of cheesecake and some good ol' perked decaf to sip while digesting a walleye and reclining in my thermarest chair, admiring the view... It just doesn't get any better. The first drink with ice (or whatever) after a trip runs a very distant second. As much as I love beer and Coke, on a trip, they are not cold enough for my taste unless it's freezing out and on those days I'd rather have something HOT.

A 5 gallon bucket won't be bear proof but it will make a welcome seat no matter what's in it.

Just a thought on producing ice.  For all you former jocks out there, remember what the coach did when you got hurt.  He had these neat packs that froze when you needed an ice pack.  I don't know the cost of these things or if they would be practical, but it is a thought.

Also for what it is worth.  It seems like way too much work just to have something cold.

Just got back from our week in the Boundary Waters and thought I'd share how my cooler experience turned out.

I packed in an insulated 5 gallon bucket filled with 7 frozen solid bottles of Pawerade, a chunk of sealed cheddar cheese, 12 Hershey bars, and some flatbread.

I covered the bucket with a wet (thin) beach towel to get the evaporative cooling effect and it worked great.  Once at camp, I kept the bucket in the shade with a wet towel over it and 5 days into the trip the Hershey bars and cheddar cheese were still nice and cool.  Maybe hauling in all the weight of the bucket and frozen Powerades is a high price to pay to have some cool cheese and chocolate, but they were bioth nice treats.  I shared most of the Hershety bars with our group of 8 at the end of our longest portage (into Insula) and they were very well received.  We had chili on day 5, and shredded cheddar cheese on it was another good treat.

For the journey back, I threw 5 Powerades into my brother's mesh bag with a few rocks and sent them to the bottom of the lake for the night, so my son and I had cool drinks for the paddle back.

This 5 gallon bucket cooler may seem like dead weight to the die hards out there, but when you spend a week in the boundary waters with 4 adults and 4 kids, in my opinion, it was worth the effort.

Thanks all for your advice.