was wondering what you guys do about storing cold food such as burgers and dairy products etc, i know about cool boxes but once the packs thaw out then what.
seen 12v boxes or fridges, thinking run one off a 12v leisure battery?
or is there a better way?
thanks
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Hi Festa. Many campsites will offer a facility to re-freeze the packs. Some make a small charge, normally around 20p each. Some just have a communal freezer for the job. Whatever they do, if you go down this route, make sure your name is firmly on each one. There are people who will select the best that are in there. The problem you may well find with the 12 volt ones is that they will run down the battery which will then need charging. Do you have EHU? If you do, you can get transformers to run the 12 volt ones off the mains. Pity you've missed out, but Aldi, when they do their camping kit specials, normally have a coolbox which runs off 12 volts or mains. There are others available though.
Hi festa when we go for just weekends we take the cool box for longer trips we have a table top fridge, for weekends we freeze the milk and all the meat.We take fresh milk we will need for 12 hours we usually use 3 freezer packs.We usually manage for the weekend like that.
My biggest regret from my years of camping is the fact that I waited so long to get a 3way fridge. After a years of resisting, and persisting with loud cool boxes and inadequate freezer blocks, (the resistance was from my DH’s wallet, not me!) we have this year invested in a £149 Quest 3way fridge from Go Outdoors and it has taken our camping experience up a level. If you really have caught the camping bug, and from what you say you have already thought about the problems of keeping your food fresh, (never mind keeping the drinks cold!)just go for it! There are many other 3ways on the market, and I'm sure that there are others who will recommend different brands, but the message is the same: If you can afford it, go for it – you won’t regret it.
Tracey
PS: They are also great as a back up fridge at home – especially for keeping the beers/wine cold for parties or get-togethers!
Fully agree with Tracey - get a 3-way fridge. If you can't afford a new one, then have a look on ebay for a second-hand one. Ours not only keeps the food cold, but we can make ice cubes in it too
If you buy a 3-way fridge you won't be tied to booking sites with EHU - we often run ours on calor.
We use an electric coolbox with ice packs for weekend trips and have a tabletop fridge for longer trips. I wouldn't recommend electric coolboxes for any longer than a couple of days. Good luck & enjoy your trips.
------------- Mark - Got the camping bug back!
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I've always used my electric coolbox with EHU for long trips, two or three weeks at most. With any coolbox, buy small supplies daily and try not to run your camp kitchen like you would at home. Just think of that day and at most the following morning if you want to make bacon sarnies.