Lessons from a shoot gone wierd

My plans were for some night shots with a 5x7 & aero-ektar, but my kludge mount was too fragile so the night shoot became a day shoot with the 8x10 (luckily I had five holders already loaded with FP-4+ and a 19" Artar which badly needed to go out to play) I packed everything up in a light colored Rubbernaid Rough Neck plastic bin with a snap on lid since the Igloo was already packed for a different format. I left early this morning and headed over Tioga Pass with some delicious looking dark clouds overhead. After lunch at the Whoa Nellie Deli (I had the cheeseburger---I should have ordered the lobster taquitos and mango margarita but I had a lot of driving left to do:( ) I thought I'd shoot some of the hanging valleys with pocket glaciers on the South side of Lee Vining Canyon and maybe a bit of the Hall Preservation Area. There was a breeze, but not a bad one coming down the canyon so I set up next to the truck, using it as a wind break. I set up, focused on the gg, closed the shutter and reached for a film holder (old black Kodak woodies with metal tops) and.....ouch!
These things were too hot to handle! Now it wasn't that hot at 8,000'----it certainly wasn't hot enough to be uncomfortable to touch the sheet metal on the truck so I'm wondering if it is the plastic box thats the problem? Being light colored, it should (according to AA no less) reflect heat. FWIW the Rough Neck rode on the passenger seat exposed to the sun (just as I was in the driver's seat)
I'm going back to using an Igloo cooler for a "camera bag."

Maybe your Rough Neck tote needs a foil cap and gown? ;)

Is the Rough Neck translucent? If it is, I think you made a nice greenhouse to keep your holders nice and warm in, which I think is what Ralph was hinting at.

I think even if it is light colored, being sealed up and sitting in the sun turns your roughneck into an easybake oven.

It wouldn't take the frying (roasting?) of too many photographic items (sheets of film, filmholders, cemented lenses) to add up to the cost of another Igloo cooler. And if you put a couple of those blue freeze gizmos in, wrapped in towels to slow down the heat transfer, you should be good for Death Valley in summertime.

If you _have_ to use the plastic totes, consider that in the North African deserts the locals historically tended to wear layers of clothing, mostly wool. (Reflect as much heat as possible, and keep the rest from leaking into the occupant.) Draping a white blanket over your tote would probably make all the difference in the world.

Once when shooting in Death Valley in the morning, I turned my camera toward the increasingly hot sun, in between taking pictures, and my bellows started smoking. What I surmise happened was that the lens was focusing the sunlight onto a spot on my bellows. Yikes!

John, next time put a marshmallow in there. It smells better than the bellows and you also get a tasty treat in no time.