How To Store Food While Camping

In this article, we will be exploring the science of food storage while camping.  Additionally, we will be looking at proper food storage from the perspective of preventing spoiling as well as how to store food in a way that won’t attract animals (namely bears).  So let’s dive in and discover how to store food while camping.

How to prevent food from spoiling while camping:

If you are going to be camping for several days then you will likely be packing a variety of food to sustain you throughout your expedition.  Sure, packaged foods and jerky sticks are convenient but there is no reason why you can’t bring some enjoyable meals on your camping trip.  The key is proper preparation and effective storage techniques. The last thing you want is to have your perishable food spoil halfway through your camping trip and now you’re battling a wicked case of food poisoning.  

Pre-freezing:  

This is perhaps the most commonly overlooked technique for preserving food on long camp expeditions. Freezing your perishable foods the night before you embark on a camping trip can drastically extend the life of the food you intend to bring.  Any food that has moisture in it should be frozen before you leave to go camping. The moisture in your food is, in part, what makes food such a breeding ground for bacteria.  By freezing your food before you leave and then putting your food on ice (like in a cooler) while traveling to the campsite, you can extend the life of your perishable food be several days (depending on the efficiency of your cooler or storage container).

Pre-cooking:

We know.  Part of the camping experience is cooking your food over a campfire and eating it on the spot.  We aren’t saying you can’t do that.  We’re simply saying that if you plan on camping for several days on end, you are going to have to plan ahead to the final days of your trip.  Cooking some of your food ahead of time can be a great way to ensure that you’ll have food to sustain you through those final days. Try cooking some meat at home and then packaging it in zip lock bags and storing the cooked meat on ice in a cooler. This can be a great way to ensure that you will have a protein source all throughout your camping trip.

Ziplock bags:

This goes back to what we were mentioning earlier.  Moisture in your food is partially what makes it a breeding ground for E. coli and other bacteria.  Even if you decide to precook your food before your camping trip, there is still the issue with the ice in your cooler.  Think about it.  What is the main problem with ice?  It melts! As the days wear on, even the most efficient cooler or storage container can’t completely stop ice from melting or frozen food from thawing.  When this happens, water can pool in the bottom of the cooler.  The last thing you want is for your perishable food to be floating in a puddle, which will accelerate spoilage.

This is why ziplock bags are your best friend.  As the ice melts, the water pools in the bottom of your storage container.  When this happens, those hamburgers and sandwiches that you prepared before leaving on your camping expedition turn into little life rafts for harmful bacteria.  Ziplock bags will ensure that your meat and pre-cooked food will stay dry as the environment inside your cooler gradually becomes increasingly moist.

How to prevent animals from getting food while camping:

Once you have taken the necessary steps to battle the threat of harmful bacteria, your next challenge is to prevent encounters with a wide variety of wildlife that you will encounter while camping.  This ranges from pesky squirrels and raccoons to more dangerous animals like wolves and bears.  It’s important to realize that the presence of food at a campsite poses a real danger to campers and proper precautions must be taken to ensure your own safety and the safety of others.  

Did we mention ziplock bags?

Aside from protecting your food from moisture, zip lock bags also serve to mask intriguing smells from the local wildlife.  It’s important to remember that everything with a smell is attractive to animals. This isn’t limited to just food products.  Even your toothpaste, sunscreen and even certain insect repellants can be alluring to animals.  For this reason, you are going to want to put everything with a smell in a ziplock bag. In fact, we would go as far as to say that double bagging these items is the best practice for preventing unwanted visits from local wildlife. 

Always bring garbage bags!

Many people think that proper disposal of your trash is simply good camping practice for keeping the environment safe.  Although this is true, there are far more life-threatening risks that come with loose garbage.  Going back to what we mentioned earlier, anything with a smell can be attractive to an animal.  This is precisely why you need to properly manage your trash.  Even something as insignificant as an old rapper can be enough to lure a hungry bear into your campsite.  

Hang your food and trash

This is by far the most neglected strategy for properly taking care of your food and trash while camping.  Simply leaving your food off to the side somewhere is not going to prevent a dangerous animal from invading your campsite.  We know that for convenience purposes you want to keep your food nearby. However, doing this is like sending out a welcome call for nearby animals.  This is why, when it comes to food and trash, you have to create distance between these things and yourself.  Furthermore, you’ll need to limit the access that animals can have to these things.  That is why it is always advisable to hang your food and trash at a far distance from your campsite.

The point of hanging your food and trash away from your campsite is that, for one, if animals come searching for it, they will be searching in an area away from you and your fellow campers.  This increases your safety level when you are camping in the wilderness.  Additionally, by hanging your food, you limit an animal’s ability to access the food or trash.  If you simply leave the food or trash in a bag on the ground, an animal will most certainly claw through the bag and make its way to the contents. This means that your food will be eaten and your trash will be scattered around.  Without food, you’ll have to cut your camping trip short.  Furthermore, once the animals have discovered that there are no more treasures to be had, they will proceed to come looking for more food and that is when things can get dangerous for you (think about an unsatisfied wolf or bear).

How to hang your food and trash while camping 

It’s pretty simple. First, you’ll need to find a tree approximately 100 feet from your campsite.  The farther, the better.  Next, you will need to tie a long rope to your food container or trash bag.  Then you will need to throw the other end of the rope over a branch that is strong enough to support the weight of the trash bag or container you intend to hang.  You might need to tie the end of the rope to a stick or rock to add some weight to the rope.  This will help you throw the rope over the branch.  Once you have done this, simply pull the rope and hoist the food container or trash bag up in the air.

The goal is to hang the food or trash 15 feet up in the air and 10 feet away from the trunk of the tree. You need to do this so the food or trash is high enough in the are that bears can’t get to it and far enough from the trunk of the tree that they can’t climb up and reach it.  

What is the best way to store food while camping?

If you really want to take every precaution while camping, then a bear canister might be for you. In fact, there are some major national parks that actually require bear canisters when you intend to camp with food on the premises.  Always check the website of the location you intend to camp on to see if they have any special rules or regulations while camping on the premises.

What are bear canisters?

Bear canisters are basically food lockers that are portable and constructed from a hard material that makes it difficult for animals (i.e. bears) to gain access to.  They conceal smells as well so they are ideal for storing your toothpaste and lotions in addition to your food.  They can be bulky and somewhat heave so you’ll have to plan accordingly.  However, safety is crucial when camping in the wilderness and that is especially true when you are camping in the proximity of predacious animals like bears and wolves.  Plus, it helps to keep away the more nuisance animals like squirrels and raccoons.  The savvy camper should always have a bear canister on hand for any camping expedition.

What is the worst way to store food while camping? 

Perhaps the worst thing you could ever do while camping is to store your food in your tent.  We know it seems convenient but if actually living through your camping expedition is a priority to you (and it should be) then the last thing you want to do is to keep your food in your tent.  Even keeping food at your campsite is asking for local predators to explore your campsite for a snack.  Never keep your food or your trash at your campsite. Always hang it at least 100 feet away.

Storing food while camping doesn’t have to be a chore or an inconvenience.  Just follow the simple techniques outlined in this article and you will have a fun and safe camping experience.