How to Keep Food Cold While Camping

Outdoor camping is always an unforgettable experience. Exploring the unknown and looking up at the night sky is enough to change your life forever. But a camping experience isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Many things can go wrong when you don’t plan and organize properly. One of the crucial aspects many people miss out on is keeping the food cold while camping.

If you don’t manage to store your food, it will go horribly bad. In desperate times, eating those can lead to diseases like food poisoning. You definitely don’t want that. That’s we are here to guide you on how to keep food cold while camping.

Tips to keep food cold while camping

There are many ways you can keep food cold while camping. Choose the ones you feel are the most convenient. So without further ado, let’s dive straight into it.

Bring a Cooler

This is probably the best way to keep food cold while camping. A cooler will keep your food cold and store it for a long period. But the confusion arises when you are searching for the right cooler. It all comes down to your budget and preference. But it’s wise not to buy a cheap cooler as it will do more harm than good.

If you are thinking of camping for several days then fiberglass and steel coolers might be for you. These coolers will keep food cold for a long period. A cooler can weigh you down. That’s why you can choose the Styrofoam cooler to keep food cold while camping. They are much lighter than other coolers in the market.

Long story short, always choose a cooler that is lightweight and has good insulation. Make sure it’s well in your budget.

Two Separate coolers

When you look at experienced campers like Bear Grylls, you will notice that they always have two coolers. They use one for food and the other for drinks. You may think drinks are easy to store. But the main reason for doing this is getting organized. This is a great trick to keep food cold while camping.

Don’t open the cooler too much

There’s a tendency among us to open and close the cooler way too much while camping. Sometimes we do it without any reason. The atmosphere in the place is full of warm air. So, when you open your cooler too much, the warm air gets in it. Consequently, the cold air also gets out. Therefore, the sole purpose of the cooler goes into vain.

Therefore if you want to keep food cold while camping, do not open the cooler unnecessarily. Open it only when necessary to keep your food fresh.

Carry Freeze packs

Freeze packs are great to keep food cold while camping. Most freeze packs are completely reusable. Therefore you can use them multiple times. Make sure they are made of nonhazardous materials.

Avoid Perishable food

Filling your bag with fresh meat and dairy is a bad idea when you are camping. The reason behind it is that they will go bad pretty quickly. Without proper refrigeration, they will start to rot. And in the middle of nowhere, you are most likely not going to find a refrigerator so easily. So, it’s best to avoid such food.

If you can’t live without meat then take some beef jerky or sausages. You can store them for a long time. Also, take plenty of water with you. While camping, you will often get dehydrated.

Freeze your food in advance

This one is quite obvious. When you freeze your food before, it will be cold for a much longer period. Just thaw everything before you travel and you won’t have to worry about keeping food cold while camping.

Avoid Sun

If you are a travel freak, you already know how the heat gets to you. It just doesn’t affect your body but your food also. Storing your food in places with high temperatures is quite arduous. Many people have the misconception that keeping food under the sun helps it stay fresh. But it’s the opposite.

To keep food cold while camping, go under a tree. If there isn’t any tree nearby, make a small shade. Then keep the food under it. It will keep food cold while camping.

Pack everything the right way

Just the thought of going camping makes us go into a state of euphoria. We get so excited sometimes that we forget to do the most essential task. That is to pack and organize things the right way.

Always make sure that the cooler is not in the outside pockets. You don’t want to open and close it repeatedly as we’ve mentioned before. If you are carrying meat or cheese, add some ice on top of it. Put all the other food items in separate containers. If you manage to organize it this way, we can guarantee that you will be able to keep food cold while camping.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to keep food cold while camping in a car?

You can buy a portable car fridge.

2. How To keep eggs cold?

Before camping, crack every egg and take the yolks into a separate container.

3. How do you keep food cold while camping without a cooler?

One efficient way to do this is to carry a thermal bag

4. How long can a cooler keep food cold while camping?

As long as the temperature remains below 4 degrees Celcius, you are good to go.

5. Should I add salt to the water?

Adding salt can significantly reduce the melting point of the water.

Final Thoughts

Camping with your friends and family is one of the most relaxing things you can do. But running into problems like bad food can hamper the overall experience. That’s why try applying our methods and keep food cold while camping.