Where do you put dry ice in cooler to keep food frozen for several days, bottom or top?

Not sure it matters I would think cold air sinks so put on top?

I’ve wondered can you put dry ice in a yeti type cooler?

I put dry ice on top of stuff inside a Pelican cooler for the first annual THF DIY elk hunt in Colorado. It cracked and shattered the containers my wife's stew was in.

Supposed to put dry ice on top of things you want to stay frozen. I have put dry ice in bottom and then covered with regular ice to just keep the ice longer. It froze everything in the cooler whether I wanted it frozen or not. Dry ice is REALLY cold!

I’ve done it with RTIC cooler on top, wrapped in a towel. Kept frozen birds frozen for 3 days. It was a 24 qt size. Gonna haul vac sealed meat same distance, maybe in a 48 qt with ice. Just wondering about placing in bottom when loading cooler.

I’ve done on top and bottom,both ways work the same

On top, cold travels down.
Make sure you have a cardboard barrier between your food and dry ice or something so the ice won't burn your food.

Thanks for the replies!

Top if you want every thing frozen, and don’t do it if ice chest is inside vehicle..

reminds me of a funny story ... one year I shot a MD in New Mexico late in the day on the last day, no place to process, so bought several pounds of dry ice, wrapped in newspaper and stuffed up in the chest cavity and between the hind quarters, then wrapped the deer in a tarp. My FIL said he would skin/quarter it when we got home as I had to get back to work. I talked to him later that week and he said that the dang deer was still frozen solid and he couldn't process it yet.

yes, dry ice is really cold !!! and it doesn't take much

Yes, inside the truck is a no no.

I kept ice cream frozen for most of a day in my grizzly cooler. Dry ice on the bottom and a few chunks on the side where it fit. This was with big tubs of ice cream from a restaurant supply store.

You could also dedicate a cooler to just ice jugs and use dry ice to keep them frozen. Use the jugs to replenish as others melt.
Cardboard barrier works well and yes it will freeze everything if not careful.

My ORCA cooler will bring 8 half gallons of Blue Bell ice cream back, frozen for two days, from AZ to ID with 5# of dry ice.

Dang if the local HEB was out of dry ice. I’ll hit up Fredburg HEB in the morning to see if they have some. I’ll be using a 24 qt Yeti for my frozen vac sealed meat. Will put a large frozen water bottle and top off with ice til I find some dry ice. Trying to keep meat frozen on the 3 day drive. Our second night stop in Wyoming local grocery store had some last year.

Got an 8# block yesterday morning in Fredburg.. This evening I got another 5# at Safeway in Douglas, WY. Original block was still about 1#, put it in bigger cooler, little cooler with frozen meat is good to go for last leg of trip mañana to Montana. Then frozen meat hits freezer in motel room.

Take the scenic route back down from Casper, through Shirley basin and into Laramie. 287 from here to Ft Collins and I-25.
Maybe drive over the Snowy Range.

Saturdays in Laramie next 2 weeks are a zoo, home football games for UW.

Walmart and I believe Safeway have dry ice here, maybe Ridley's too.