How To Keep Food Cool While Camping
Everything you will need to know about keeping your perishable food goods cold while camping.
Storing your food while camping and actually keeping it cool are two entirely different things. When we talk about storing your food while camping, we are referring to how to keep it fresh and prevent animals from getting to it. Storing your food while camping is a topic that can apply to any form of food, not just food that requires cool storage. Trail mix and jerky require proper storage while camping. Toothpaste requires proper storage while camping. However, if you are going to be bringing steaks or raw fish on your camping trip, you had better have a plan to keep these cold for the duration of your camping trip (or at least until you have a chance to cook them over a campfire). In this article, we will be looking at various methods and equipment for actually keeping your food cool while camping. For more information on how to generally store your food while camping (beyond simply keeping it cold), click HERE to read our article on the subject.
What To Know About Keeping Food Cold While Camping
Generally speaking, your problems begin to arise when food temperatures climb above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Once this happens, your food becomes at risk of growing bacteria and microorganisms that can make you extremely ill if consumed. This is why proper cooling techniques must be used when bringing perishable foods on a camping trip. The last thing you want is to get food poisoning while camping. This can leave your completely incapacitated and dehydrated which can be a serious threat to your own survival. If you begin to feel ill while camping, do NOT wait to see if it will pass. Make your way back to your vehicle and get to a place where you can readily seek medical attention. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in the woods, unable to get medical attention. This is why it is better to be safe than sorry.
What Are The Different Ways To Keep Food Cool While Camping?
So you plan to eat more than mixed nuts and s’mores on your camping trip. You’re more accustomed to finer dining and you want to bring that with you when you camp. Congratulations. You are finally ready to truly enjoy the camping experience. Just because you are in the wilderness, it doesn’t mean that you cant have a filling, protein-packed meal. In fact, if you are going to be camping for a period longer than 24 hours, you would be wise to bring some healthy food that requires preparation over an open flame. However, whenever you are dealing with meats and protein sources and other perishable goods, you are at risk of exposure to salmonella and other bacteria. You will need to choose a product that will accommodate your cooling needs.
Coolers –
This should not come as a shock to anyone. Coolers have been a camping essential product for generations. They are convenient and energy efficient (in that they do not require any energy source). Just pack these boxes with a layer of ices or some frozen ice packs and load them with your favorite food for your camping trip. Super simple.
Although coolers have been a constant among campers for years, they do have some disadvantages that have to be considered when preparing for a camping trip. For one thing, the ice you put in a cooler occupies much-needed space that could otherwise be used for actual food. In fact, if you are going to be camping for several days, it might be necessary to fill your cooler as much as halfway with ice before you begin adding food to the cooler. Remember, coolers are NOT 100% efficient. The minute you add ice to them the ice begins to melt. Even though there are definitely some coolers that are better than others for keeping ice frozen, you need to realize that given a long enough timespan ice will eventually melt in any cooler. Once your ice has melted and the internal temperature of your cooler has risen above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to consider trashing any remaining perishable goods in the cooler.
Camping Refrigerators or Portable Refrigerators-
These little devices offer superior cooling advantages over a traditional cooler because they actually actively cool the interior when connected to a portable power source. Just hook these devices up to your portable generator or the outlet in your vehicle (depending on what type of power supply your refrigerator supports) and you have a portable means of keeping your food cold throughout your camping trip. These portable refrigerators are a must for anyone camping for any period longer than a weekend. They aren’t just convenient; they are essential for preventing food spoilage, which can lead to food poisoning.
Like anything else, there are compromises when choosing to bring a portable refrigerator/freezer on a camping trip. The most notable sacrifice that you will notice is the added weight to your overall camping load. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that portable refrigerators and freezers are heavy. Depending on the storage capacity you choose, the unit itself can weigh well over 50 lbs, and that is just the unit by itself. Remember, you still have to fill the camping refrigerator with food and supplies. If you are planning on bringing a portable refrigerator/freezer along on your camping trip, be prepared to choose a campsite and sticking to it. This may not be an issue for some people while others like the freedom of moving from location to location throughout the wilderness. If you are packing a heaving refrigerating unit with you, it may be difficult to lug the unit around with you as you travel. However, once you have selected the perfect campsite, you’ll be glad you have your camping fridge nearby too.
How To Select A Cooler For Camping
Like so many other things with camping, this will be determined by a multitude of personal factors before you can really examine a particular product. How long do you plan on going camping? How many people will be going with you? Basically, how much food are you going to need for this expedition? The more you will be eating, the larger the cooler you’ll need to pack. Additionally, you need to remember that coolers don’t magically cool your food on their own. They require ice to initiate the cooling of the food. With more food in the cooler comes a need for even greater amounts of ice to keep all that food cold. It’s a bit of a tradeoff when packing supplies. In order to be on the safe side, plan on giving up half of your storage space to ice then packing a cooler to the brim. This means for longer trips (three days or more), only half of the storage space of the cooler will be used for actual food. So plan out all the meals you will need for the duration of your trip and squeeze them as best you can into 50% of your cooler space and then use the rest of that space for adding ice. Granted, shorter trips (less than three days) will require less food and thus less ice to keep that food fresh. Additionally, you can always supplement your meals with non-perishable foods that don’t require cold storage temperatures.
Now that you have determined the size of the cooler you will require for this camping trip, you now need to select a reliable cooler that will accommodate you for the duration of the excursion. So what makes one cooler better than another? Well, simply put, it’s the ability to retain a cold temperature and keep ice frozen. A cooler isn’t worth the money you spent if the ice within it melts before you reach your camping destination. A good quality cooler will keep ice frozen for long periods of time (sometimes days on end) before it completely melts. It is important to remember though that no cooler is perfect. Many factors will be working against the internal temperature of the cooler. How often you do open it up to grab something from inside? If you are constantly opening your cooler then warmer air will be constantly making its way inward and thus your cooler will not stay cool as long as it should. Additionally, the external temperature can work against your cooler. Many coolers are only designed to keep an internal temperature that is a certain degree below the external environment. This means that if you are camping in 90-degree heat, your particular cooler might struggle to maintain a temperature that is optimal for storing food. Be sure to read the specifics of your particular cooler and note if its internal temperature is dependent upon cooler external temperatures.
What Is The Best Cooler For Camping?
• Pelican Progear Elite Cooler (Amazon ASIN: B00CQNJENS):
If you are going to do something, you might as well do it right. Perhaps the best cooler in the game is the Pelican Progear Elite. This 150-quart vessel offers 7-10 days of ice retention! Anyone planning on spending an extended period of time in the wilderness would be doing themselves a disservice by not investing in a cooler with this degree of ice retention. The capacity of this cooler is enormous and ideal for multi-day excursions or for shorter camping trips with large groups of people. If you plan on storing meat while camping, this unit is essential due to its extended retention time.
YETI Tundra 35 Cooler (Amazon ASIN: B003V55790):
It’s hard to go wrong with a YETI cooler. YETI has become a household name due to their ultra-efficient mugs but they have always been a dominating force in the world of coolers. The YETI Tundra 35 is no exception. The benefit of this model is that even though it has a 28-quart capacity, it is still compact enough for a single person to lug around to the campsite. Additionally, you can expect to get a solid 5 days of ice retention from this model which is ideal for a short camping trip for a single individual. Perhaps the most alluring feature of this cooler is that they are tested by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (a U.S. Forrest Service Department of Agriculture Committee) and the Tundra 35 meets their structural standards, inspections and testing methodology for bear-resistant containers (1).
• IceMule Classic Cooler (Amazon ASIN: B00IX9TLQY):
If you’re looking for a compact solution to get you through a night of camping, the IceMule Classic Cooler is perfect for you. This little beauty has ice retention of 24 hours and a capacity of 10 Liters. This makes it perfect for the solo camper who plans to spend a night in the wilderness. It’s made from fabric instead of hard plastic which makes it perfect for rolling up and storing once it has fulfilled its purpose. It is leak-resistant and has a strap that makes it extremely easy to carry over your shoulder. The casual camper should definitely have the IceMule Classic Cooler on hand for those short camping trips or as backup storage when your larger cooler is filled to capacity.
How To Select A Refrigerator For Camping
Though there are obvious differences between coolers and refrigerators, the initial factors to consider before making a purchase are similar. How long do you plan on going camping? How many people will be going with you? Basically, how much food are you going to need for this expedition? The more you will be eating, the larger the cooler you’ll need to pack. By comparison, portable refrigerators have their own unique variables that need to be considered, the big one being the power source. Will you have access to an outlet of some sort (i.e. your vehicle)? Does the campsite where you will be staying have power outlets available? Or, will you be forced to bring a charged battery pack or generator of some sort? These are all things that you will have to consider when selecting a refrigerator. Always consider any limitations that you might encounter at your campsite. It does you no good to invest in a portable refrigerator if you have no way of powering it at your campsite.
What Is The Best Refrigerator For Camping?
– Acopower P40 DC12V Compressor Fridge/Cooler (Amazon ASIN B07G9L991C):
If versatility is what you need, look no further than this portable refrigerator. It can be charged by your vehicle, a wall AC and DC 12V, Solar Generator or Gas Generator. It boasts a 42 Quart (40 Liter) capacity so you could fit as many as 64 cans in it. This unit can achieve temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees C). If you are serious about camping and need a portable refrigerator to suit your needs, this Acopower unit needs to be on your shopping list.
– MD Group Electric Fridge/ Portable Warmer (Amazon ASIN B07F3NFWXS):
This 27.5 quart (26 L) capacity electric fridge is perfect for the casual camper. Not only does it cool to a temperature that is 64 degrees Fahrenheit below the outside temperature
– Magnasonic Portable 8 Can Mini Fridge (Amazon ASIN B06XWDPT1T):
Just as the name states, this wonderful unit can store 8 cans of your favorite beverage. Let’s be honest, sometimes that’s all you need. What is great about these devices is that it can actively heat and cool its internal temperature. That means that you can cool your beverages to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below room temperature or you can heat up your coffee or dinner to 149 degrees Fahrenheit!. It has the capability of plugging into a wall outlet or a 12V (DC) cigarette lighter outlet in your vehicle. For many campers, this is all you’ll ever need when it comes to a little bit of luxury while camping.
But What About A Power Source?
If you are considering camping with anything that requires a power source (i.e. a portable refrigerator) you need to make sure you pack a reliable power generator. Possibly the best in the game is the Jackery Portable Power Station (Amazon ASIN B07D29QNMJ).
This 110 Volt, 200 Watt unit offers easy outdoor living. It can be charged with a 50W solar panel (sold separately), or a wall outlet. Depending on the type of portable fridge you intend to power, this beauty can power a unit for as long as 5 hours (duration shorted by higher output units and when powering multiple devices). This portable power station isn’t just for campers. Anyone who wants to be prepared for a power outage needs to own one of these.
Did Someone Say Solar Charger?
In this age of technology, solar panels are becoming increasingly prevalent in our day to day lives. So it should come as no shock that many portable power sources come with the capability of being charged via solar power. The problem is that many such power sources don’t come with the solar charger. This is where the
This device is compatible with most solar generators on the market. When connected to your portable power source, this device actually has the technology to identify the device it is connected to and then maximize its charging speed while protecting your power source of overcharging and overloading. Additionally, it is water resistant and built to withstand all sorts of weather conditions while giving you an effective charge on your portable power source. If you have anything that has solar charging capability, this charger is a must-have.
Proper cooling essential for food preservation while camping. Whether you elect to use a cooler or a portable refrigerator, be sure to take into account the points mentioned above and you will have a fantastic camping experience.