Guppie1
Unregistered
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We're heading down to the BVI in 4 weeks  and were planning on bringing down a cooler with some food we won't be able to get there. This year we were thinking of brining some frozen steaks with us, but was curious if people had done this before? I'm assuming customs won't hassle us over this, but wanted to check other's experiences? Also was curious it people had any tricks to shipping them? Dry Ice? Thanks!
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Orange_Burst
Traveler
Joined: 02/28/01
Posts: 2880
Loc: Toledo, OH, USA
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No problem bringing in food, you might have to pay a small duty (usually not more than $10).
We take a full size cooler that has the thick lid, states ice last 5 days, not sure how true that is. Anyway, we freeze all of our meat on cookie sheets so it stays flat therefore stacking nicely in the cooler. The day before our flight we pack it all in the cooler and put dry ice on it. The next morning we throw out any dry ice that has not evaporated. Check the cooler as a piece of luggage, in 10 years they have not lost one yet....knock on wood. Many times we have stayed in a hotel/villa for 3 days before we got onto the boat, yet everything is still frozen solid. We put everything in the boat freezer and use the cooler to keep beer cold, makes the ice go a lot further. If we don't give the cooler to one of our friends in the islands, the charter company will buy it, usually will give you $40 for it.
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Colleen
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RoyU
Unregistered
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Many will say that you don't need to bring it since everything is available there. Nevertheless it's your choice.
What we used on the recommendation of others: TECHNI-ICE http://www.techniice.net/ It's much better (and lighter) than traditional cold packs. Obviously pre-freeze your meats. Wrap frozen foods in newspaper to insulate. We used a soft sided cooler and the stuff stayed frozen at least 24 hours.
Dry Ice is not recommended - airlines usually prohibit it.
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stoneyusaf
Traveler
Joined: 10/28/12
Posts: 327
Loc: San Antonio
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Check with the airlines...I don't believe they allow dry ice in coolers to be checked.
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Orange_Burst
Traveler
Joined: 02/28/01
Posts: 2880
Loc: Toledo, OH, USA
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We put dry ice in the cooler to get everything VERY cold, we make sure to get rid of any dry ice prior to getting to the airport. Airlines will let you take a small amount of dry ice, but it's not worth all the paperwork you would have to fill out.
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Colleen
Edited by Orange_Burst (01/14/13 10:42 AM)
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firstcharter
Traveler
Joined: 04/20/08
Posts: 14
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American Airlines allows dry ice with your carry ones, below is from American Airlines website:
Example,
Dry ice for packing perishable items
Allowed For Travel?
A maximum of 5.5 lbs/2.5 kgs may be transported
Notes
5.5 lbs/2.5 kgs or less for packing perishables may be carried on board in a hard plastic or heavy gauge Styrofoam container, provided the package is vented. Ticket or gate agent must be advised.
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Carol_Hill
Administrator
Joined: 08/01/00
Posts: 47752
Loc: Central Florida!
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You might want to check out this thread, among others, as this is a very common question.
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stoneyusaf
Traveler
Joined: 10/28/12
Posts: 327
Loc: San Antonio
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Thanks firstcharter.....good information...I caught a lot of fish in Key West a few years back and tried to transport them back to San Antonio. Ironically, I was flying AA and was told I couldn't check it....apparently, because it was too much and it was being checked as luggage. I love your idea Colleen of te way you use the dry ice!
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Unregistered
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I am a cooler person and I contribute a boat load to the local economy also Techniice is great and I've used generic freezer sheets as well. We use a large Polar Bear soft sided cooler. We check it in on the way down and carry on coming home. After we unload the still frozen meat 12 hours later the cooler is used for drinks. Declare the contents on the C&I forms and you may or may not be charged @$10. BEERMAN 
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hsd6969
Traveler
Joined: 12/26/12
Posts: 8
Loc: south carolina
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We read on line that because of mad cow, bringing a cooler with meat was now a problem.Special license needed??
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BEERMAN
Traveler
Joined: 06/02/11
Posts: 833
Loc: VIRGINIA
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I read the same reports prior to our last trip. Someone on TTOL recommended that I keep the original USDA packaging labels with the meat. I did and I don't think C&I saw them or even gave the items a second glance. They did check to make sure I declared the items on our paperwork.
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GlennA
Moderator
Joined: 04/06/04
Posts: 9721
Loc: Macon, Georgia
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There is a lot of confusion about this subject. The beef import permit is primarily for commercial imports. In my experience they only pay attention to meats brought in by visitors when there is an active, publicized outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (i.e. Mad Cow) or Aphthae epizooticae (i.e. Hoof and Mouth) in your country of origin. Currently there are no outbreaks in the US or Europe so all they care about is collecting the duty.
Even when the Dept of Agriculture requires the permit for all imports the C&I people don't get the message. When there was an outbreak of mad cow out west a few of years ago I went ahead and filed for the permit for about $300 worth of steaks and sirloin. I was supposed to pay the $25 fee along with the duty on arrival but when the Customs officer looked at the permit he had no idea what to do so just waved me through.
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Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
My attempt to reduce charter fees
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