snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on May 27, 2024 13:20:24 GMT -8
We are headed to Maine for a week at the end of June. We will be mostly tent/car camping, no backpacking planned for this trip as we will have our young dog with us for the first time so want to keep it simple. I'd like to stock the cooler with things that can be used a variety of ways. We will have a propane 2 burner grill and a jetboil as well. I was thinking of bringing lots of cut up veggies for both things like stir fry or fajitas but that can also be snacked on raw? Any good hacks for eating well out of a cooler for a few days at a time? We will obviously have access to grocery stores and such but want to minimize waste and try to eat everything we buy/bring but also seeking some variety. I could live on ramen but my SO requires something with more sustenance lol. ETA we only need to cook/make one meal a day as we will be on the go the rest of the time and will probably just bring snacks or grab a sandwich on the road.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on May 27, 2024 16:46:34 GMT -8
I bought a plastic container the size of a 10 lb block of ice, keeping my water soaking the food to a minimum. How about, 2 coolers? One for daily use and one for food that is frozen for later in the week?
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on May 28, 2024 3:17:07 GMT -8
I second the two coolers. There is a risk of food in a daily cooler getting warm. I also do a variation of what zeke suggests. I put ice cubes in Ziplock freezer bags then put them on top of the food so the cold goes down. The bags so everything isn't a soggy mess. I do cubes because that is the most common form of ice on the road. |
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snappypepper
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Post by snappypepper on May 28, 2024 5:24:35 GMT -8
Great suggestions! Yes, we will have two coolers, a nice Yeti for the food since that's important to keep cold enough and then also just a smaller beverage cooler for us. I have the big Yeti ice blocks for the main cooler and planned on supplementing with bagged ice. I'll definitely bring some extra ziplock bags for ice! We also planned on freezing a few water bottles. We will be in a hotel with a freezer in the room one night mid trip so I'm hoping we can refreeze everything that night to get maximum coldness as long as possible. I saw in a previous thread a great idea about freezing some things and putting them in the cooler that way so I'm leaning towards that and we actually froze some pulled pork last night for that purpose.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on May 28, 2024 5:38:00 GMT -8
I upgraded to a super insulated rotoformed cooler for my storage cooler. The first time I used it I put a bunch of frozen food and ice in it. With my previous Coleman cooler the food would have been partially defrosted by mid week but with the new one they were still rock solid. Now I know to move frozen stuff to the daily cooler the night before to defrost.
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on May 28, 2024 7:03:36 GMT -8
We have had for years a plug-in cooler from ARB. That thing can actually freeze - even in the desert. What we don't get is soggy food, because no ice is needed. Just plugging in.
As for food, honestly? Almost everything you would want fresh you can find in shelf-stable if you look hard enough. That means say you like dairy milk? Buy it in 8 ounce containers instead. Is fresh better? Maybe, but for a week, eh, go easy. Less worries.
And plan out meals in advance so you know exactly what to bring. The less waste the better. You can always stop at a store for fresh berries, etc that are delicate. Or things you suddenly crave.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on May 28, 2024 9:15:06 GMT -8
I once used one of my smaller coolers to keep some ice cream and dry ice. I thought it might be a cool treat. Ice cream-wise it worked well except the outside of the cooler became so cold it was a condensation machine. Thick frost on the outside. Got the car all wet where we kept it.
My super insulated cooler warns not to use dry ice in it. It is so strong and well sealed it could blow up from the CO2 pressure.
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