View Full Version : Will my idea work?
chefjason
08-25-2009, 09:47
I was thinking, mistake number 1, about how to cool down beverages while in the woods. I like tea. I am southern born and raised, so if Igo longer than two days without sweet tea I start having withdrawls and DT's! Sweet tea is best when iced, but there is no ice on the trail. I know how to make the tea on the trail, and taking a few packs of sugar takes care of the "sweet" part. But warm sweet tea just don't sound yummy. So, what do you folks think of me using an instant cold pack to cool the tea? ya think it'll work? Any one tried it before? I am not talking about taking 20 of themwith me, just one per night. Cool tea with dinner, that's all.
it's best just to camp if you can by a flowing stream, and let nature take care of it
Rocket Jones
08-25-2009, 09:50
How about making a light canvas cover for the container, like an old canteen cover. Soak the cover and let evaporative cooling do the job.
chefjason
08-25-2009, 09:53
it's best just to camp if you can by a flowing stream, and let nature take care of it
That was plan #1, but nice cool streams are not always available. But I do agree that nature is the best way.
How about making a light canvas cover for the container, like an old canteen cover. Soak the cover and let evaporative cooling do the job.
Explain more please. I am not familiar with evaporative cooling, but it sounds, well, cool!
Yes cold tea is important but I wouldn't want to carry the extra weight. Perhaps a better alternative would be to drop your beverage container into a cold stream near your camp/shelter and let it cool down naturally while you set-up?
Lone Wolf
08-25-2009, 09:58
you're just gonna have to suck it up and wait til town
I know the idea sounds insane, but did you think of instant? :rolleyes:
You actually are familiar with it, it's called sweat. The reason sweating cools you off is that it absorbs heat/energy from your body in order to make the transition from a fluid to a vapor. The same idea applies to soaking your warm beverage. I can't, however, tell you how cool this can make your beverage, temperature-wise.
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:05
Yes cold tea is important but I wouldn't want to carry the extra weight. Perhaps a better alternative would be to drop your beverage container into a cold stream near your camp/shelter and let it cool down naturally while you set-up?
That was mentioned already and as I stated then, there is not always a cool stream near by. I would of course rather let God cool it for me and not have to ack the extra 14oz, but.....
you're just gonna have to suck it up and wait til town
NO! Cool/cold tea is a staple that I refuse to go without. Unless my wife tells me otherwise..:mad:
Lone Wolf
08-25-2009, 10:07
NO! Cool/cold tea is a staple that I refuse to go without. Unless my wife tells me otherwise..:mad:
best not go hikin' then. you can't always get what you want
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:09
I know the idea sounds insane, but did you think of instant? :rolleyes:
You must be a Yankee transplant! Instant tea? Next you are gonna tell me try the instant fried chicken with instant mashed potatoes and and instant gravy. NEVER! NEVER I TELL YOU!!
You must be a Yankee transplant! Instant tea? Next you are gonna tell me try the instant fried chicken with instant mashed potatoes and and instant gravy. NEVER! NEVER I TELL YOU!!
Um, no. Noth Carolina born and bred. If you want tea, be prepared to suck it up, carry the weight of cold packs, let the streams do the cooling for you or try an evaporative cooling method. If you don't want to do any of those things, drink water like everyone else.
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:12
best not go hikin' then. you can't always get what you want
was a joke lw. I've been hiking a lot, actually and I have never gotten to drink my tea with my dinner. So I thought I would give this a go. Plus, it could never hurt to have an instant cold pack handy in case there is a twisted ankle or such. Right?
It is like this:
I love lattes. I cannot live without one. Yet I do when I backpack - because I cannot make a trail worthy one without either carrying a ton of junk and or doing too much work out there :D
So I grab one as I head into the mountain passes and on my way out I know where nearly every latte hut is on the main roads heading down. I know I can get one usually within 30 minutes to an hour of leaving the trailhead (thankfully there is a lot of coffee addicts out here......)
So you either have to figure out a way to do it or just do without. You thought about leaving tea in a cooler in your car? Or carrying brewed tea with you, mostly frozen, so it melts as you hike?
We have the luxury out here of always near freezing stream water :D
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:13
Um, no. Noth Carolina born and bred. If you want tea, be prepared to suck it up, carry the weight of cold packs, let the streams do the cooling for you or try an evaporative cooling method. If you don't want to do any of those things, drink water like everyone else.
Wow, got testy didn't ya?
Wow, got testy didn't ya?Not being testy, just giving my opinion.
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:18
It is like this:
I love lattes. I cannot live without one. Yet I do when I backpack - because I cannot make a trail worthy one without either carrying a ton of junk and or doing too much work out there :D
So I grab one as I head into the mountain passes and on my way out I know where nearly every latte hut is on the main roads heading down. I know I can get one usually within 30 minutes to an hour of leaving the trailhead (thankfully there is a lot of coffee addicts out here......)
So you either have to figure out a way to do it or just do without. You thought about leaving tea in a cooler in your car? Or carrying brewed tea with you, mostly frozen, so it melts as you hike?
We have the luxury out here of always near freezing stream water :D
I did concider brewing before and freezing, but I figure that would be more weight. I am only talking about taking 3-5 individual tea bags (less than 1oz total), 9 pcs of sugar ( aprox 2oz total) and three instant cold packs (6 oz per or 18oz total). So it is not all that much weight. Just wondering if anyone thought it would work or had done it them selves. Turns out, I just stepped on a few hard core no extra's in the woods kinda guys toes. Sorry. Thanks for the input.
They were just showing a little Yankee pragmatism.:sun
Homer&Marje
08-25-2009, 10:22
If your going to pack in the weight of ice packs I'd bring a six pack of beer with it and forget about the tea.
Use the river or go without. Hike in the winter time. Problem solved
Lone Wolf
08-25-2009, 10:23
was a joke lw.
then this thread should be in the humor forum. thinkin' you're gonna have iced tea on the trail is pretty funny. maybe at a road crossing some "trail magician" will provide it for you. lord knows every road crossing for the first 200 miles or so is manned by packsniffin' do-gooders :)
Lone Wolf
08-25-2009, 10:24
If your going to pack in the weight of ice packs I'd bring a six pack of beer with it and forget about the tea.
Use the river or go without. Hike in the winter time. Problem solved
yeah really. iced tea ain't all that
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:25
If your going to pack in the weight of ice packs I'd bring a six pack of beer with it and forget about the tea.
Use the river or go without. Hike in the winter time. Problem solved
Tea is my version of beer. i don't drink. And what happened to HYOH? Damnit! I want cold tea and am going to bring the cold packs, even though they are so crazy heavy and imprctical. I will let you know jsut how satisfying and refreshing my cold tea was.:)
I did concider brewing before and freezing, but I figure that would be more weight. I am only talking about taking 3-5 individual tea bags (less than 1oz total), 9 pcs of sugar ( aprox 2oz total) and three instant cold packs (6 oz per or 18oz total).........If you do this, then you have to wait for the tea to brew, then get it to cool down, not only to the point that it's cool enough so it won't burn you, but where you have actual cold sweet tea. IMO, you'll be wasting a lot of time like this. It'll probably be overnight for your tea to be cold enough to drink. Sarbar's idea of brewing at home, freezing and taking with you is a pretty good one. If you brew a liter of tea, place it in the freezer overnight before you go, it'll probably be cold for quite come time. Its weight won't be noticeably different from that of a liter of water, which you'll probably have with you anyway.
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:26
yeah really. iced tea ain't all that
beer is nasty, especially when warm. but hey, to each his/her own.
Homer&Marje
08-25-2009, 10:27
Tea is my version of beer. i don't drink. And what happened to HYOH? Damnit! I want cold tea and am going to bring the cold packs, even though they are so crazy heavy and imprctical. I will let you know jsut how satisfying and refreshing my cold tea was.:)
Not drinking is your first mistake. And HYOH has been formally replaced with a new theory which is described as HMHDI. Hike My Hike Damn It. There is a great thread with lots of useful information. Just search for HMHDI and you will finally be able to sit back with a warm glass of Jim Beam scented with DEET and enjoy your hike.
You'll thank me:D
Slo-go'en
08-25-2009, 10:28
How about making a light canvas cover for the container, like an old canteen cover. Soak the cover and let evaporative cooling do the job.
In the summer, I'll often wrap my water bottle with my shamie camp towel soaked in water. It definately helps in keeping the water in the bottle much cooler than it otherwise would be. How well this works depends a lot on how fast the water evaperates. On a breezy, low humidity day, it can cool off very nicely, but not so much on a still, humid and hot day.
If you make hot tea in the morning, cool it down in the stream or spring, then use the wet towel around the bottle to keep it cool for later on the trail.
Farr Away
08-25-2009, 10:30
I did concider brewing before and freezing, but I figure that would be more weight. I am only talking about taking 3-5 individual tea bags (less than 1oz total), 9 pcs of sugar ( aprox 2oz total) and three instant cold packs (6 oz per or 18oz total). So it is not all that much weight. Just wondering if anyone thought it would work or had done it them selves. Turns out, I just stepped on a few hard core no extra's in the woods kinda guys toes. Sorry. Thanks for the input.
Maybe try a combination of things. Freeze a bottle of tea for your first night out, then use evaporative cooling for the next two. (Wrap a wet autodry towel around your bottle and hopefully set it somewhere the breeze can get to it.)
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:33
Not drinking is your first mistake. And HYOH has been formally replaced with a new theory which is described as HMHDI. Hike My Hike Damn It. There is a great thread with lots of useful information. Just search for HMHDI and you will finally be able to sit back with a warm glass of Jim Beam scented with DEET and enjoy your hike.
You'll thank me:D
While hiking a pre-determined pace and carrying the approved pack/bag/weapon/boots and stove. You are right. This hiking **** is starting be easier than I thought it was going to be!
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:34
In the summer, I'll often wrap my water bottle with my shamie camp towel soaked in water. It definately helps in keeping the water in the bottle much cooler than it otherwise would be. How well this works depends a lot on how fast the water evaperates. On a breezy, low humidity day, it can cool off very nicely, but not so much on a still, humid and hot day.
If you make hot tea in the morning, cool it down in the stream or spring, then use the wet towel around the bottle to keep it cool for later on the trail.
Best advise yet. Thanks!
Come hike up here in January. Your tea will be just the way you like it.
Instant cool packs never work out like you're hoping.
Tuckahoe
08-25-2009, 10:39
HA HA! I have been thinking the same thing... How to have sweet tea on the trail.
As already stated, the best way would be cool running water. Other than that, I cant think of anyway of cooling it quickly. What I have thought of however, is that I could make the tea in the mornings and the evenings, allowing it to cool through the night or day before use. Would only have to dedicate a bottle to the tea.
Another technique is to boil only enough water to steep the tea and add the sugar, and let that cool some before adding to bottle with cold/cooler water -- like I would at home.
And the thought of instant tea?:eek:
chefjason
08-25-2009, 10:43
HA HA! I have been thinking the same thing... How to have sweet tea on the trail.
As already stated, the best way would be cool running water. Other than that, I cant think of anyway of cooling it quickly. What I have thought of however, is that I could make the tea in the mornings and the evenings, allowing it to cool through the night or day before use. Would only have to dedicate a bottle to the tea.
Another technique is to boil only enough water to steep the tea and add the sugar, and let that cool some before adding to bottle with cold/cooler water -- like I would at home.
Lipton makes a cold brew tea that does not need boiling water. Just put the tea bag in the 1 liter bottle an hour or so before you want to drink it.
And the thought of instant tea?:eek:
I know! Who are these people?:-?
Where's Jester and his refrigerator pack when you need him?
I've made iced tea a few times. Make it at night, let it chill overnight. In AM, pack it well insulated. Wrap it in a fleece or roll it in your sleeping pad, then stuff the ends with fleece hat or wool socks. Place this in the center of your pack, and dig out nicely chilled tea for lunch. Works well if the evenings are cool and the days warm.
I don't think the ice-pack idea will work, they get warm awful quick. But hey, give it a try at home, see if you can do it. Maybe in addition to the evaporative cooling already discussed.
Instant cool packs never work out like you're hoping.
Exactly.
And why pack those when you could pack bags of frozen water instead? And then drink said frozen water AFTER it melts?
Or, just freeze the tea! Seriously!
dzierzak
08-25-2009, 12:05
Unless the OP was talking about "first aid" cool packs - break the internal container and mush around - instant cool.
.....so if Igo longer than two days without sweet tea I start having withdrawls and DT's!....
Sounds like you may want to ween yourself off this drug!
garlic08
08-25-2009, 13:28
Natural evaporative cooling probably won't work very well on the AT most of the time--it's too humid. You need rapid evaporation to get significant cooling, and you need dry air to get rapid evaporation.
You can still see work crews in the desert using these: http://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_azwm66photo_bag.htm They work on the evaporative cooling idea by allowing some of the water to leak out and soak the canvas. Obviously you wouldn't want to use these for sweet tea--ick. The bees would love you.
I would urge you not to use disposable instant cold packs except in an emergency. They work on a chemical reaction (ammonium nitrate fertilizer), and that chemical has to go somewhere after you've consumed the product. I can also imagine a slight risk of leakage into your drink or other food. I wouldn't carry them.
The Weasel
08-25-2009, 14:16
(1) Bury your water container in damp/wet dirt about 18 inches in the ground for 3-4 hours.
(2) Make a simple swamp cooler.
TW
Tea is my version of beer. i don't drink. And what happened to HYOH? Damnit! I want cold tea and am going to bring the cold packs, even though they are so crazy heavy and imprctical. I will let you know jsut how satisfying and refreshing my cold tea was.:)
Then why and the heck did you ask the question if you were not ready for all the + or - responces?:-?
chefjason
08-26-2009, 08:58
Exactly.
And why pack those when you could pack bags of frozen water instead? And then drink said frozen water AFTER it melts?
Or, just freeze the tea! Seriously!
The tea would not still be frozen three days later. That's why!
.....so if Igo longer than two days without sweet tea I start having withdrawls and DT's!....
Sounds like you may want to ween yourself off this drug!
Was a joke. I jsut like my tea with my dinner. Just dinner. Will be drinking water like every other hiker for the rest of the day. But I would like a little tea with my dinner.
Natural evaporative cooling probably won't work very well on the AT most of the time--it's too humid. You need rapid evaporation to get significant cooling, and you need dry air to get rapid evaporation.
You can still see work crews in the desert using these: http://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_azwm66photo_bag.htm They work on the evaporative cooling idea by allowing some of the water to leak out and soak the canvas. Obviously you wouldn't want to use these for sweet tea--ick. The bees would love you.
I would urge you not to use disposable instant cold packs except in an emergency. They work on a chemical reaction (ammonium nitrate fertilizer), and that chemical has to go somewhere after you've consumed the product. I can also imagine a slight risk of leakage into your drink or other food. I wouldn't carry them.
Good point. Had not thought of that at all! I am a LNT kinda guy and would hate to think that a leaking cold pack that I took for a creature comfort could have ill effects on the trail. Thanks for that eye opener.
Then why and the heck did you ask the question if you were not ready for all the + or - responces?:-?
Go back and read my question! Did I ask people to tell me what I should or should not do or take?! HELL NO!! I asked if folks thought this would work! PERIOD! So I have every right to get pissed when people start attacking me for something I want to do when I did not ask their opinion on that. Cool with you? Good.
Midway Sam
08-26-2009, 09:02
The tea would not still be frozen three days later. That's why!
I'd love to know how you get a liquid to stay frozen for 3 days in you backpack. I'm not joking... if you could pass this info on it would be greatly appreciated.
I hike a lot in the winter and have no problem keeping drinks cold
chefjason
08-26-2009, 09:10
I'd love to know how you get a liquid to stay frozen for 3 days in you backpack. I'm not joking... if you could pass this info on it would be greatly appreciated.
That was MY point. In Georgia in early Sept, you are not going to be able to keep something frozen unless you pack it in dry ice.
I hike a lot in the winter and have no problem keeping drinks cold
Well, I have no problem keeping my food hot in the summer in GA, so HA! :)
Midway Sam
08-26-2009, 09:11
That was MY point. In Georgia in early Sept, you are not going to be able to keep something frozen unless you pack it in dry ice.
Been cooking with shrooms there chef?
chefjason
08-26-2009, 09:16
Been cooking with shrooms there chef?
I do love the fungi! My fav is oyster mushrooms. Yummy. Sauteed in butter, whole butter, REAL butter with garlic and shallots. Then mixed with a well prepared basmati rice...WOW.
Blue Jay
08-26-2009, 09:23
then this thread should be in the humor forum. thinkin' you're gonna have iced tea on the trail is pretty funny. maybe at a road crossing some "trail magician" will provide it for you. lord knows every road crossing for the first 200 miles or so is manned by packsniffin' do-gooders :)
Hey, I resemble that remark, there are pack sniffin dogooders the entire way.
I know of one who lives in down town Damascus.
I'm sending this whole thread to STARBUCKS.
They've been down in revenue this year and even closing stores. I see an opportunity for expansion into a new market.;)
Lone Wolf
08-26-2009, 09:25
Hey, I resemble that remark, there are pack sniffin dogooders the entire way.
I know of one who lives in down town Damascus.
can't be me. i actually hike and don't do nice things for hikers
Jim Adams
08-26-2009, 09:45
chefjason,
The cold packs will not work. They will warm up faster than the drink will cool then you will have two warm containers to deal with and one of them need disposing.
I have a cold martini at the end of the day everyday on my Canadian canoe trips and can keep ice cubes for 9 days.
You too can have cold sweet tea with just a little extra weight but probably less weight than the cold packs would have been.
Go to Wal-mart, K-Mart or any fishing store and get a styrofoam bait box for worms. You are looking for a box that will hold 5-10 ice cubes. Then look for a soft cooler that is just slightly bigger than the worm box.
Just before you leave home for your hike put 10 ice cubes into a ziploc and then into the worm box. Put the worm box into the soft cooler and then place the soft cooler into the middle of your pack and pack your clothing around it as further insulation. Go hike.
I would brew your tea every morning and let it cool all day OUTSIDE of the pack. When you get to camp, sit the brewed tea in cool water to let it cool as much as possibble before supper. When you are ready to eat pull out the cooler and remove 2 ice cubes, put them in your cup or glass and immediately close up the cooler and bury it back into the middle of your pack to keep it insulated. Add your tea to the glass and enjoy your iced tea. This system works great as long as you only open the ice container once per day and in the evening coolness.(try to do this without removing the cooler from your pack) If your cooler is large enough to carry 10 cubes then you can use 2 each night and have cold tea for 5 days in between towns then just re-stock your ice before leaving town. If your cooler is only large enough for 5 cubes then just use 1 / day. It also helps if you carry a small neoprene coozy for your glass or cup and the cubes will not be melted by body heat from your hand. The added weight is neglegable compared to the benefits. The hard part will be finding a worm box and soft cooler small enough but they are out there.
I put 2 cubes into my shaker and the entire group has cold martinis as soon as we get into camp on the river.
geek
Homer&Marje
08-26-2009, 09:51
I only do nice things for mooching southbounders who can't pay their own way:D
chefjason
08-26-2009, 09:51
chefjason,
The cold packs will not work. They will warm up faster than the drink will cool then you will have two warm containers to deal with and one of them need disposing.
I have a cold martini at the end of the day everyday on my Canadian canoe trips and can keep ice cubes for 9 days.
You too can have cold sweet tea with just a little extra weight but probably less weight than the cold packs would have been.
Go to Wal-mart, K-Mart or any fishing store and get a styrofoam bait box for worms. You are looking for a box that will hold 5-10 ice cubes. Then look for a soft cooler that is just slightly bigger than the worm box.
Just before you leave home for your hike put 10 ice cubes into a ziploc and then into the worm box. Put the worm box into the soft cooler and then place the soft cooler into the middle of your pack and pack your clothing around it as further insulation. Go hike.
I would brew your tea every morning and let it cool all day OUTSIDE of the pack. When you get to camp, sit the brewed tea in cool water to let it cool as much as possibble before supper. When you are ready to eat pull out the cooler and remove 2 ice cubes, put them in your cup or glass and immediately close up the cooler and bury it back into the middle of your pack to keep it insulated. Add your tea to the glass and enjoy your iced tea. This system works great as long as you only open the ice container once per day and in the evening coolness.(try to do this without removing the cooler from your pack) If your cooler is large enough to carry 10 cubes then you can use 2 each night and have cold tea for 5 days in between towns then just re-stock your ice before leaving town. If your cooler is only large enough for 5 cubes then just use 1 / day. It also helps if you carry a small neoprene coozy for your glass or cup and the cubes will not be melted by body heat from your hand. The added weight is neglegable compared to the benefits. The hard part will be finding a worm box and soft cooler small enough but they are out there.
I put 2 cubes into my shaker and the entire group has cold martinis as soon as we get into camp on the river.
geek
Sweet! (did you get it?) I will give that a go. Fortunatly we have one of the best outdoor stores known to man very close by...Bass Pro Shop! i will try to find it there.
you know, somehow I knew you were from GA too. great state ain't it. ;)
I use instant tea or I just drink hot tea. during winter it is actually kind of nice to have hot tea with dinner. I also drink lots of water....
But yes anyway, back to the tea. try some of the instant teas out there. some are pretty dang good actually... Besides It ain't like it'd be the first time a southern boy had to do with instant instead of real. I've eaten enough MRE's at work to know that sometimes there is no choice....
Snowleopard
09-26-2009, 09:18
There is a very funny book about a guy who hitchhiked around Ireland with a refrigerator, so it's possible -- http://www.amazon.com/Round-Ireland-Fridge-Tony-Hawks/dp/0312274920. You would need to carry a generator also or use a propane powered fridge.
I know the idea sounds insane, but did you think of instant? :rolleyes: This idea is beneath comment. Tenzing and Hillary carried real tea on the first ascent of Everest! Surely we can do no less on the AT.
I am only talking about taking 3-5 individual tea bags...
Chefjason, how sad -- tea bags :eek: Try Indian teas from http://uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp 2.5 grams of loose tea makes 1 cup (6 oz) of tea.
You might try making a more concentrated hot tea and adding cold water after it is brewed. First pour boiling water into whatever you're using for a tea pot to heat the pot. Empty the pot. Add 5 grams (abot 2 teaspoons) of tea. Add about 4 oz of boiling water. Brew for the length of time Upton Tea recommends. Pour the tea. Let it cool. When you're ready to drink it add 8 oz of cold water and sugar.
For the first day, you could bring a canteen of frozen tea wrapped in some clothes.
Feral Bill
09-26-2009, 13:48
If you decide to use the evaporation method, or cold packs, your tea will need to be in a metal container for effective heat transfer. Try it at home, it might work.
Or, you could try cold brew tea, and it would at least not start out hot.
I was thinking, mistake number 1, about how to cool down beverages while in the woods. I like tea. I am southern born and raised, so if Igo longer than two days without sweet tea I start having withdrawls and DT's! Sweet tea is best when iced, but there is no ice on the trail. I know how to make the tea on the trail, and taking a few packs of sugar takes care of the "sweet" part. But warm sweet tea just don't sound yummy. So, what do you folks think of me using an instant cold pack to cool the tea? ya think it'll work? Any one tried it before? I am not talking about taking 20 of themwith me, just one per night. Cool tea with dinner, that's all.
In the length of time it took to post and read and reply to all these post, you could have run the experiment at home and decided for yourself if it would work.
shelterbuilder
09-26-2009, 21:07
...In Georgia in early Sept, you are not going to be able to keep something frozen unless you pack it in dry ice....
As outlandish as it sounds, this flippant answer - coupled with Jim Adams' use of a small styrofoam cooler - may well be THE answer that you're looking for!
The chemical packs have the 3 problems that have already been noted: leakage, disposal, and not enough power to do the job. Evaporative cooling, as noted, doesn't work as well under humid conditions as it does in dry desert areas.
Dry ice, on the other hand, doesn't leak any liquid, sublimates directly into a gas which will "dispose" itself into the air, and, at "many degrees below 0*F", would have enough power to super-cool your ice cubes for many days! The primary drawback would be the danger of "dry ice burns" if you touched it with a bare hand, but this is easily remedied with gloves (keep 'em dry!).
Okay, all you "science-types" - did I miss any problems with this system?
Bulldawg
09-26-2009, 21:13
Look, I make sweet tea most every night on the trail. I use one of those coffe maker things you can pick up from REI for around $7. I brew it REALLY strong in a mug. Then mix that strong, sweet brew with cool water from the closest water source. Not alway ice cold like at home. But it is cool enough to enjoy and help me sleep. I too am addicted to sweet tea. If ya don't believe me, ask my wife!!
Feral Bill
09-26-2009, 21:13
Sounds worth trying, for sure. No science flaws I can see. Might be heavy is all.
Look, I make sweet tea most every night on the trail. I use one of those coffe maker things you can pick up from REI for around $7. I brew it REALLY strong in a mug. Then mix that strong, sweet brew with cool water from the closest water source. Not alway ice cold like at home. But it is cool enough to enjoy and help me sleep. I too am addicted to sweet tea. If ya don't believe me, ask my wife!!Sweet tea and "mountain water"? :banana
Bulldawg
09-26-2009, 22:06
Sweet tea and "mountain water"? :banana
Um, yeah, what he said!
MikenSalem
09-26-2009, 22:22
A great way to cool off drinks in the wild is to wrap the beverage in a performance tee shirt wet it down and then place it in a pair of pantyhose and swing it round and round over your head while shouting as loud as possible I can fly, I can fly!!:banana After a few minutes your drink will cool down about 2 deg and your core body temp will go up about 50 :mad:and the drink will seem like it's plenty cold enough.:D
You never know you may have an epiphany while swinging those hose and come up with the next great outdoor product. :p
budforester
09-26-2009, 22:44
Here's a gimmick- approach that you do- it- yourselfers might ponder. How about you get one of those bike- tire inflators that operate from a CO2 cartridge. Find a length of valvestem- sized aluminum tubing and bend it into a cooling coil. Coil should immerse into your tea with inlet and exhaust above the liquid level. Clamp on the inflator and trigger a cold blast of CO2 through the tubing... more environmentally friendly than Freon and less complex than NH3 systems.
Here's a gimmick- approach that you do- it- yourselfers might ponder. How about you get one of those bike- tire inflators that operate from a CO2 cartridge. Find a length of valvestem- sized aluminum tubing and bend it into a cooling coil. Coil should immerse into your tea with inlet and exhaust above the liquid level. Clamp on the inflator and trigger a cold blast of CO2 through the tubing... more environmentally friendly than Freon and less complex than NH3 systems.
ya just made a big ol' carbon footprint! Cool the drink in a stream.
saimyoji
09-27-2009, 20:05
Look, I make sweet tea most every night on the trail. I use one of those coffe maker things you can pick up from REI for around $7. I brew it REALLY strong in a mug. Then mix that strong, sweet brew with cool water from the closest water source. Not alway ice cold like at home. But it is cool enough to enjoy and help me sleep. I too am addicted to sweet tea. If ya don't believe me, ask my wife!!
how can you sleep with all that sugar runnin' through you?
beakerman
09-27-2009, 22:41
ya just made a big ol' carbon footprint! Cool the drink in a stream.
as if taking a relatively inefficient backpacking stove out into the woods and cooking your dinner is less "footprinty" than a quick CO2 blast...
Compared to cooking on your standard gas stove almost any of your backpacking stoves are horribly fuel inefficient which means just be going into the woods and cooking you are making a bigger CO2 footprint than you would by staying at home and cooking the same meal:rolleyes:
Bulldawg
09-27-2009, 23:06
how can you sleep with all that sugar runnin' through you?
Good breeding!!
MikenSalem
09-27-2009, 23:40
Here's a gimmick- approach that you do- it- yourselfers might ponder. How about you get one of those bike- tire inflators that operate from a CO2 cartridge. Find a length of valvestem- sized aluminum tubing and bend it into a cooling coil. Coil should immerse into your tea with inlet and exhaust above the liquid level. Clamp on the inflator and trigger a cold blast of CO2 through the tubing... more environmentally friendly than Freon and less complex than NH3 systems.
When the gas from your stove leaves the canister it gets the entire canister cold. If you were to add a small line that could be used to cool a beverage while you cooked it might happen. I think direct contact through submersion of the coil would be best. Weight is always the problem but a aluminum capillary tube might do the trick and simmer some water too.
beakerman
09-28-2009, 14:14
When the gas from your stove leaves the canister it gets the entire canister cold. If you were to add a small line that could be used to cool a beverage while you cooked it might happen. I think direct contact through submersion of the coil would be best. Weight is always the problem but a aluminum capillary tube might do the trick and simmer some water too.
Onlyif he is using a compressed gas canister llike a butane or propane as fuel. If he uses a liquid fuel like white gas or alky he's out of luck.
That is a very good idea though. A capillary would not be the best option though. In refeigerations units you generate the "cold" by letting the gas expand so a large diameter tube for he gas to expand into would be the better thing. A nice thin walled aluminium tube coiled to fit inside your mug and let the fun begin.
I think I'm going to try this with some parts I have around the house. I'll let you all know how it works out.
There are some great ideas here, but one that none thought off. You can just use the grains of ammonium nitrate in the pack and ditch the water. Since thats 75% of the weight of that cold pack, it would be much lighter. And forgive me if im wrong or if you dissaprove, but its just fertilizer from what I understand. Toss it on the ground when done. The worst that will happen is the grass will grow a little better in that spot. I was about to suggest the stove cylinder myself as well, that way you can cool the tea as you cook your meal water. I do this all the time with my camelback. I fill it with just about two cups of water then sit the cylinder on top of it, put rocks around it to bunch it up against the sides of the cylinder, then wrap my drinking hose around it. By the time im done cooking the water is deffinitely cool enough for iced tea. I live in alabama and like my iced tea too. Or tang. I have a thing for tang.
if you try the ice packs that you break and then they turn cold you from a first aid kit then you "might" get some colder h2o iffin you find a way too wrap it up but I don't think any much colder then the cold mt h2o you get for free when hiking. Also try mixing some aky to the gel after its done cooling to see if you can make some gelled sterno. try all this at home before you start your trip.
Trailweaver
09-30-2009, 01:02
I cool a lot of things in the cold creeks, and somehow I pretty much manage to camp close to one when I really need it. I take an instant drink flavoring to mix with water for something sweet to drink with dinner, and cool it in the creek. I also take cheese and frequently take butter (liquid), and sometimes cool them overnight (or several hours) in the creek.
bronconite
11-16-2009, 15:35
I found a product while following a link in another thread and it reminded me of this thread. I think this is a very real possibility. The technology is used to keep insulin cool without a refrigerator. Click on the products link at the top, there's some interesting stuff.
http://www.coolerconcept.com/pages/drinkcoolers.htm
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 17:29
You must be a Yankee transplant! Instant tea? Next you are gonna tell me try the instant fried chicken with instant mashed potatoes and and instant gravy. NEVER! NEVER I TELL YOU!!
This might sound insane too, but how bout just soaking tea bags in your water bottle without heating the water? It takes longer, but works quite as well. As soon as you get in to camp, or even better, about half an hour before, just slip a tea bag or two into your water bottle and it'll be ready by dinner. Maybe put the sugar in early too- and shake it when the tea bags are done steeping, because it'll take longer to dissolve.
PS- I didn't read the whole threa, so I don't know if anyone mentioned this.
bronconite
11-16-2009, 20:34
This might sound insane too, but how bout just soaking tea bags in your water bottle without heating the water? It takes longer, but works quite as well. As soon as you get in to camp, or even better, about half an hour before, just slip a tea bag or two into your water bottle and it'll be ready by dinner. Maybe put the sugar in early too- and shake it when the tea bags are done steeping, because it'll take longer to dissolve.
PS- I didn't read the whole threa, so I don't know if anyone mentioned this.
That's not insane at all. I haven't done it in a while, but I used to make sun tea all the time. I use a 1 gallon glass jar that had the big whole dill pickles in it originally. Just put your tea bags in it in unheated water and sit it the sun for a few hours. I don't think the sun had much to do with it except heating the water a bit. There's no reason it shouldn't work in a widemouth nalgene.
Wise Old Owl
11-16-2009, 20:58
It is like this:
I love lattes. I cannot live without one. Yet I do when I backpack - because I cannot make a trail worthy one without either carrying a ton of junk and or doing too much work out there :D
So I grab one as I head into the mountain passes and on my way out I know where nearly every latte hut is on the main roads heading down. I know I can get one usually within 30 minutes to an hour of leaving the trailhead (thankfully there is a lot of coffee addicts out here......)
So you either have to figure out a way to do it or just do without. You thought about leaving tea in a cooler in your car? Or carrying brewed tea with you, mostly frozen, so it melts as you hike?
We have the luxury out here of always near freezing stream water :D
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0261665_sc7?$sku$ for in between trailtown cravings.....
Iced tea? Maybe not, but how about this:
Make "Sun Tea" in a water bladder draped over your pack.
Find a Boy Scout old-style metal canteen in canvas.
Transfer the "Sun Tea" into the scout's style canteen.
When you see a stream, dunk it in the stream.
As you continue hiking on the trail, the wet canvas will have "evaporative cooling".
The tea in the canteen should be cooler than if you did nothing.
I like to boil an extra qt. of water in the evening put it in a nalgene with the bags close it up an put in my sleeping bag till bed time then set it outside over night and then enjoy the cool tea in the morning. Is it cold? Just depends on the overnight temp but its at least cool. The evaporative method is best during the day or put in a stream or spring on your mid-day break, other thatn that wait till town or a gas station.
How about getting a straw.
That way you could drink the tea from the bottom of your glass. Since heat rises in the northern hemisphere, it should be cooler down there.
Hikes with a stick
11-17-2009, 08:38
Here's another idea... You can get one of the insulated vacuum canisters that people normally use for coffee, and freeze your tea ahead of time and store it in the canister. Also get one of the plastic molds designed to make longer cyndrical ice cubes that will fit into the narrow neck mouth of a water bottle.
Freeze your tea into these long ice cubes that will fit in the vacuum canister, and fill in the gaps with chilled tea. If you ration the tea, you should have cold tea for a few days on the trail. Just keep the canister well insulated in your pack.
I'm not sure how the sugar in the tea would affect the freezing process. It probably would alter the freezing point a little, not sure which way. Once the tea freezes, it may force the sugar out of suspension.