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Subject Topic: Storing food in a tent,fridge/coolbox? Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonNight Sky
30/1/2018 at 9:45am
 Location: Wales
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I'm wondering what the best option is for keeping food cold.
I'm not sure if we will always have electric hook up but have kids so need to keep milk cold and other food and wonder what everyone uses or recommends :-)


PersonBob61
30/1/2018 at 10:09am
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I always struggled with coolboxes. The ice blocks hardly lasted long enough to reach the campsite and a pain in the rump having to re-freeze them in the campsite shop...assuming there is a shop. I once tried a bag of ice cubes from the local supermarket only to discover the water leaks out when they thaw and drowned all the food in the coolbox. I gather you can buy coolboxes that actually keep things cool but maybe not for more than a couple of days.

One compromise was to take two bottles of milk and freeze one using it like an ice pack. Then by the time you have drunk the first one the second one has thawed. You could also fill a small plastic bottle with water or squash and freeze that...lasts longer than ice packs.

So, I now use a mini fridge on EHU and I probably wouldn't go camping now on a campsite without EHU. Instead of plugging the mini fridge into my car for the journey I use it like a coolbox with ice packs, then as soon as I can when I reach the campsite I plug it in.


Personduffs54
30/1/2018 at 12:45pm
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We have an Igloo maxcold, cool box 65ltrs so quite a large one.

all food is now in plastic containers on one side, and milk, beer and wine take up the other 3/4s lol!

we take frozen bottles of water and milk too, the milk can remain frozen into our second week. we top up the ice packs and also add ice cubes, the defrosted water at the bottom helps keep the box cold, so shouldn't be removed.

On the bottom of the box is a plastic tray (carp filter tray I think) cut to size, this makes sure nothing sits in the water and keeps the bottom nice and cold. A brilliant tip from someone on here years ago.

We also camp with EHU but find our coolbox is so good we don't have a fridge.

-------------
Duffs54      


PersonNight Sky
30/1/2018 at 1:32pm
 Location: Wales
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wow, thanks for your replies, I'm feeling a bit happier about it now :-)


PersonFrancais
30/1/2018 at 7:22pm
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Yep our main fridge is a Mobicool C40 mains only and for in car use and when there is no mains electric we use a Waeco CF25.

Both are compressor portable fridges, so work in just the same way as a domestic fridge.

Probably overkill for the UK climate, but as we only go camping in Southern France during July, they do the job perfectly.


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PersonLincscamp
30/1/2018 at 7:22pm
 Location: South Lincs
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As a tent camper the solution I found for milk was to buy small cartons of long life milk which keep well if away from heat.


PersonFrazzle-
30/1/2018 at 9:09pm
 Location: Hampshire
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We have a Coleman Extreme and it suits us 5 for a week in England, however in France we hire a fridge and use EHU.

In our coolbox - it is meant to stay cold for 5 days, but we open it to get out food & drink. We cool it and then take 2 x 4 pints of milk (or is it 4 x 4 pints of milk??) Then we shop every 2 days for food. We find it often cheaper to buy bags of ice (supermarket £1 or £2) which melt than pay to hire blocks and get them re-frozen at a campsite.

We do take our own blocks for the journey but some sites will not freeze our own blocks.


Personfloppy-poppy
30/1/2018 at 11:46pm
 Location: notts
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We used to use coolboxes and used freezer block/frozen water etc., but when we discovered EHU there was no turning back and we bought a Waeco fridge at the Camping and Caravanning Show at the NEC.
We usually freeze our first meal - well, it used to be our first meal - it has now become our second meal as we put it in the fridge and even after a 7 hour drive, plus set up, it never seems to defrost. But the frozen food does keep other "fridgeables" cold en route.
The Waecos are not cheap but, touch wood, no problems at all and it's always nice to get back to the tent to a cold beer or cider!


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PersonMargie Maxfield
31/1/2018 at 12:23pm
 Location: Ash Vale Surrey
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On one outing our fridge broke down on the second day. We camped for the next 5 days using a bucket filled with cold water and ice cubes bought daily from the local supermarket/garage and covered with a wet tea towel. Kept in the shade outside the tent. It worked really well. Everything was kept really cold the whole time.


PersonClaydoncamper
31/1/2018 at 1:32pm
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The thing to do with a non electric coldbox is to prime it. So about three days before you leave stick in a couple of bottles of frozen water. Put another couple of bottles in your freezer at home and swap them daily. This will significantly drop the temp in the box when you fill it before you leave.

Another trick is to line your box with one of those foil space blankets you can get in pound shops for - oh yes - a pound!


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PersonAndy Higham
01/2/2018 at 11:02am
 Location: Bolton Lancs
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Long life milk is fukcing disgusting in tea


PersonKelper
01/2/2018 at 1:47pm
 Location: Northern Ireland
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Table top fridge for us ... through tent to folding camper ... 15 years ...

This is the one we had for the last six years and it is phenomenally good value ... also, has a small freezer compartment and can take full height bottles ... many small fridges don't/can't.

Whilst travelling, we made sure that the inside was completely packed ... not necessarily with food ... but anything, so as to reduce space take-up.

I can't recommend it enough as a practical/great value answer to camping in warm/hot climes.


PersonFrancais
05/2/2018 at 9:14pm
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Link not working for Safari users, not your faul Kelper, it is what it is.

I did consider a Table Top fridge, but in the end opted for the Mobicool C40, which is a proper portable camping fridge, and thankfully now back in production according to Mobicool.

We already had the Waeco CF25 so that's no EHU and in car use taken care of.

If I was buying now it would be the Mobicool FR40 best of all worlds, 12/24v DC or 240v ac operation, what's not to like, for a proper truly portable compressor fridge at around half the price of the Waeco CF equivalent.

OK the Mobicool FR40 may cost the thick end of £300 but good kit is always worth paying the extra for.


PersonNight Sky
09/2/2018 at 5:43pm
 Location: Wales
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wow, thanks everyone for your replies, that's given me plenty to think about and plenty of tips/advice and options.

Thank you :-)


Personpurplebean
13/2/2018 at 12:08pm
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Quote: Originally posted by duffs54 on 30/1/2018

On the bottom of the box is a plastic tray (carp filter tray I think) cut to size, this makes sure nothing sits in the water and keeps the bottom nice and cold. A brilliant tip from someone on here years ago.



That was me


Still use it in our Icey Tek to keep carton bums out of the water we just throw a bag of ice in every two days and empty some water when it gets too high. We empty the water into a bucket and hubby then puts his beer in it so the cold water gets a second use before it gets thrown away


PersonFrazzle-
14/2/2018 at 4:54pm
 Location: Hampshire
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Thanks to Mr PB for buying beer to re-use that cold water. When you have paid for ice (like we do in our Coleman Extreme) you don't want to waste it.

PB - Once Mr PB has used it for his beer, you could always use the left over water for washing muddy shoes or even into a water pistol for children (or us adults) having a water fight.

That really is eco-friendly with all that reuse of water!!!!!!



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