USVI-On-Line

Thanks Barb Y- I just bought my new Polar Bear cooler and saved a bunch! Now to get everyone's meat "orders".....

Thanks to everyone on the forum we had a successful checked cooler from Sam's with Techni ice from E bay for usage last month.

We still bought plenty of groceries and ate out every other night. We even spent a night in Chicago before our flight and everything was still frozen solid. I wish I had brought more cheese along.I found we used alot more of that on vacation than I had planned.I had vacuum packed some sauces and marinates and that worked great.

We never wanted to leave the beach for lunch and found it handy to pack a light lunch. Leftover chicken became chicken salad sandwich for the beach.

We was there for 17 days and enjoyed the combination of cooking in and eating out.

thanks for the coupon!!!! it also works if you just order one, you get it half price.

What size Polar Bear cooler do most of you use?

I have a 48 pack it is great it has back pack straps to use on hikes to honeymoon

that's the size I just bought- looked like a perfect size for a day at the beach! 19 days and counting.....

can you carry-on that 48 pack size? dimensions total 47", isn't carry on limit 45"? or don't they really care about it?

We have A 12 that we took to STJ and 24 that we've used around town. The 12 has been carried on and checked. For us it's the perfect size for the beach. We got ours on 2 for 1 deals.

JIM

Another option is California Innovations brand soft-sided cooler. We've used this twice, with fine results.

Easy to fold it up it and put it in your suitcase for the return trip.

Good advice earlier about watching your airline's bag weight limit. Do a test weigh-in before leaving home.

Just got word from Polar Bear that they are out of the 24 pk again, which is the second time in the past couple of months that they are out of stock. I think this website alone has been responsible for their increased sales. I've probably bought over 10 of them in the past few years - they've become our go to gift now.

According to the website, the 24 pk is on backorder til 5/1.

We took 22 lbs of boneless prime rib when we went to St John in November (we had a large group). My husband packed the two pieces of meat in large ziplock freezer bags first (no leaks) and then froze it. Then the night before we left he wrapped them in several layers of newspaper and then several layers of the flat styrofoam packing wrap. That went into the large duffle bag with all of our snorkle gear. We bought restaurant grade meat at home for $4.99/lb and the same cut (not as nice) was $14.99/lb at Starfish!

I also packed an inexpensive soft sided cooler with other food items - breakfast sausage, bacon, large baggie full of homemade meatballs, cheeses, etc. All of the meat items were frozen then wrapped in newspaper and styrofoam. The cheese was just wrapped in newspaper. The luggage handlers ripped the handles on the cooler but everything inside was intact and still cold/frozen when we got there. The cooler wasn't expensive so we tossed it when we weren't able to salvage it for beach use. It was great having a variety of cheeses for beach lunches and snacking. The gourmet market across from Starfish has nice items but we probably paid half of what they charged for the same thing. With a group of 11 we saved SO much money by bring alot from home. We still stimulated the local economy plenty with other items that we purchased there.

ULine sells great insulated boxes in different sizes. Just layer your food with techni ice, tape them up and you are all set (as long as you are checking). Also, be sure to write "no dry ice" on the boxes and most of the time TSA will not open them. our food stayed frozen this way for over 30 hours!

I bought a 12 pack - im hoping its big enough, as far as meats go, can anyone suggest how much this hold (steaks, hot dogs, burgers, etc.)?

Just received the 48 pack that I ordered. It is BIG- but we're going with 7 people and as stated the 24 packs are backordered, so I went with this one. But it is so light and looks great and I know we'll be able to take all we need without filling it up too much. Plan to check it. Thanks to everyone for the packing ideas- going to take all the advice.

laura - its just my wife and my daughter, u think the 12 pack is too small? Im wondering if i should wait and get a 24 pk?