When you make ice for your ice chest, what do you use Gallon milk jugs, or boxes that make flat slabs about 3" - 4" thick"  

   I want to pack my meat back home , and was wondering what would last the longest? 

I can't find a supplier for dry ice near Steamboat Springs Co.

Are you traveling by ground or air? If you are traveling by ground I would suggest several coolers. The night before leaving if you have access to a large freezer put your coolers in there open overnight. When packing out leave a three inch air space at the top of coolers and pack dirty clothes on top for greater insulation. Slabs of ice would be best but if on your route home there is a dry ice vendor repack with dry ice. With dry ice you should either put a piece of cardboard or dirty clothes between the dry ice and your meat to avoid burning any with the dry ice.

If you fly, I don't think you can use dry ice. Otherwise I would go with the slabs. Less bulky in the cooler. AS GP mentioned, if you have access to a large freezer, line the bottom of the coolers with a plastic garbage bag and fill with about 3 inches of water. Then throw them in the freezer. Just wad up the extra bag material and stuff it on top of the ice slab before you load your meat.

Correct---you cannot use dry ice if flying
If all else fails, you can pack snow around your meat

The bigger the chunk of ice the longer it will last.  Do you plan on having the meat processed or doing it yourself while in the field?  If having the meat processed and frozen and still cannot find dry ice fill the coolers as full as possible and pack your hunting clothes and sleeping bags around them. 

Three times I spent two days on the road and several more one full day, with quartered and well cooled big game.  The meat went to a local processor the following day without any spoilage.   The quarters were put in the back of my vehicle, either a Chevy Blazer or a pickup truck, on two inches of styrofoam covered with a big sheet of plastic. For the long trips I placed plastic dishpans with block ice around the meat and folded the plastic over the top.  Then all my gear was placed around and on top of the meat for insulation.  At the end of each day I would toss out what was left of the ice and replace with more ice.  Never got any blood in my vehicle or on any of my gear.

If you are heading east on the way home the Walmart in Laramie (or was it Cheyenne) had dry ice last time I checked. 

WRONG!!! Having made five trips to Alaska and brought two or three coolers full of fish each time I know you can fly with it but you must tell them at check in that your coolers contain dry ice. This way if they are transporting animals such as pets they don't go into the same compartment. The same rules apply to sending packages in the mail. Your best bet is to contact the airlines first to find out their specific rules.

I have had dry ice in coolers on flights back to Fl.as late as 2010. What I have found is traveling by Airline and finding out what is allowable on the plane at the time of boarding, in their hold ,etc. is like antler racks, they are all different. Each airline, each airport and each ground attendant have a different version of what you can and cannot take. I have found on the dry ice, is that if the cooler can "breathe" they have allowed the meat to come home. The drain hole needs to be open, easy enough to do with the Igloos models that have replaceable drain plugs.
I had one ground attendant in 2008, in Denver of all places, tell me that since my rifle scopes were part of a firearm they could not be in my carry on bag. I think he knew what I thought of his opinion by the surprise on my face so he tried to convince me he knew what he was talking about and proceeded to tell me he was a shooter and a hunter too. I asked him to get his supervisor anyway so we could discuss this with a third party. His supervisor agreed with me, almost instantly, that 3-9x40 rifle scopes are not dangerous or remotely a weapon under FAA rules and allowed me to carry them on board. Then, in my hometown airport, and I guess since I help or chief instruct the firearms classes for the TSA and other airport personnel, they pass me through the check points, often never inspecting inside my firearms cases as FAA rules require.
So, you just never know what kind of ignorance you can run into when flying and when it comes to common sense.

Since DRY ICE evaporates instead of MELTING like Plain ice, why would the drain plug be left open.

snider---Because the dry ice goes from a solid to gaseous state and the open plug will not allow a pressure buildup, especially at the altitudes a plane gets up to. Theoretically, if the pressure was allowed to build up high enough, the cooler would be just like a ticking bomb!

Dry ice is CO2 in its solid form it sublimates into a gas. When it does it expands to 400Xs its volume of the solid state.

Little trivia for ya Water ice is the only liquid substance that in its frozen or solid state that floats in water. It is the only liquid that becomes less dense(expands) when frozen.

OK thank's question answered.

I guess I stand corrected! But I was told by DELTA "NO!" on dry ice---it is explosive,,,,but as I remember, that was four weeks after 9/11

The Wal-Mart in Laramie did carry dry ice in 2008, and every other time I was out there. There is another grocery store in Laramie also that carries it but I cannot remember the name of it. Depending on when you are out there my friend packed 2 or 3 coolers with as many frozen gallon jugs of ice as they would hold, then laid his sleeping bag over them for the ride out. Once he arrived at came he put the coolers in the shade, where no sun could get to them, and they lasted several days. Some were still frozen when he got home with his elk. He also duct taped the lids shut I believe and we are going to try that again this fall.

I think airlines issue a "Blanket" yes or no on the issue to aviod the case-by-cases that they may come across on a daily basis. just an opinion. But on another note, and without getting off topic; With the CWD, even if dry ice is allowed on flights, some states won't allow the meat in at all, and others have specific rules for any meat (That is subject to CWD) coming in. That's another thing to take into consideration. I'm in Wisconsin, and I know that we have restrictions. I don't follow them too closely cause I never hunt out of state (YET!!) but I know that the DNR has limitations/restrictions for bringing stuff in.

Check with the local grocery store and Wal Mart. I have found dry ice at those in Wyoming and in Durango CO.
Also if you are flying, check with the airline. South west airlines use to allow approx. 3 to 5 lbs per cooler and yes it had to be vented, which they just used the drain hole at that time.
We also duct taped the lids shut around the seems for both security and to seal the lids.
If using regular block ice, also tape the seems shut. If driving you can also use cardboard or news paper for extra insulation inside the coolers on top, and also cover the coolers with a sleeping bag, depending how many hours you have to drive home.
We even took a small deep freezer from  Wyoming to WV. unplugged it at the motel, got some dry ice before heading  almost 30 hrs home, and never lost one piece.

Most game meat processors (at least reputable ones) in Steamboat and Craig (45 miles west of Steamboat) carry dry ice as well. If unable to find it anywhere else, check with Brothers Meat Processing in Craig.

Like using the small ice. We layer the ice and meat in the coolers. Most good coolers will keep the ice for a couple of days. Just replace the ice as needed, plus as the ice melts and you drain the ice chest it will draw out excess blood in the meat. For driving of course and never lost any meat.

DHL, u can get dry ice at the. General store in Toponas just south of Steamboat spring past yampa

I think his ice melted a long long time ago... ;-)

You mean like a year and a half ago???
Gotta drive to use dry ice.....not allowed on planes.....neither is your aeirisoll AXE deordorant or OFF bug spray....or your big tube of toofer paste ...

A funny thing happened to me and a friend on a hunt trip to the West. We had dropped our game at a meat processer and we were promised the game cuts and sausage would be ready two days later. Just before going to get the meat, we stopped for dry ice for our 4 coolers. got some and proceeded to get somethingto eat before heading to the processer. When we got back inot the SUV. we drove about 1 mile and both of us were having  a serious case of Altitude Sickness, dizzy, hard to breathe, etc. I relaized we were actually being affected by the sublimation of the Dry Ice in the SUV while we had enjoyed our lunch. I put the windows down and we began to breathe easier within a few seconds. Something to remember qwhen dealing with that stuff.

I know the little store in Toponas has dry ice.