Pot in Pot Zeer type cooling on larger scale

Hi to all

I am working the bugs out of a theoretical primitive site for long term wilderness camping and presently considering how to upscale or enlarge a zeer or pot in pot type refrigeration system.  Could two steel drums one inside the other with the interspace filled with water work the same? Granted steel is not permeable like a clay pot but steel does sweat.  How about a 75 gallon steel drum inside a 100 gallon for a larger summer refrigeration type unit rechargable with catchment rainwater?

Failing that design, what about a 3 to four foot deep mini pond with the steel drum submerged , a few inches sticking above the water line?  Removing some weight (like a couple of logs or beams could raise it to the surface like a dumbwaiter then sink it again. Animals kept out with the lid secured tightly. Any of these ideas have potential to keep perishables chilly for the Summer months?

Many thanks for any design suggestions...Mike

Interesting questions: My understanding is that the steel drums are condensing, whereas the zeer pot is evaporating, and it's evaporation that you want.
In the past when camping, I used an old towel which I kept damp overtop my cooler to help it work better. The downside was that after 3-4 days the towel got a bit rank.

These techniques work better or worse based on the exact weather where you're using it. Zeer pots are used in Africa in low humidity areas I think. The higher the humidity at your camp, the less the system will evaporate.

In a perfect world, you'd find a cave close by! Even those are warmer in hot places like Texas and colder in places like Wisconsin. If the camp location isn't so blessed, you could consider making an earth bermed "cold room" on the north side of a slope, ideally in a narrow valley. Simply digging in the steel drum would keep it cooler than the air, particularly if you put some sort of insulation over it like straw.

Using spring water is certainly something people do, but a pond will warm up if it gets a lot of sun, so if you try that approach, I'd suggest you plant trees to shade it.