by Michael Totten

Created on: May 11, 2010

At the end of a long, hot day, nothing beats a nice, cold drink. This goes double on a camping trip, where getting that cold drink is not simply a matter of stepping into the nearest air-conditioned store. Any perishables you bring on your camping trip also have to be kept cold, so you don't risk food poisoning. If your idea of roughing it is a house trailer or RV with electrical hookup, you already have a built-in fridge and you don't have to worry about the rest of this article. Once you leave electricity behind, keeping your food cold is a little more challenging.

Coolers

If you are camping out of the back of a car and you will be able to buy ice every day or two, a cooler may be the way to go. Just empty out any excess meltwater and place a fresh block of ice in the cooler every other morning as needed. The meltwater is close to freezing temperature, so it also helps keep your food cold. Store the cooler in a shady place during the day and place a blanket on top of it for extra insulation. At night, lock it inside your trunk to keep animals away.

Before your trip, you can also make your ice blocks by filling clean milk jugs or plastic pop bottles with water, then placing them in the freezer until they are frozen solid. As the ice slowly melts, this also gives you a constant source of clean, ice-cold drinking water.

If you want cold packs, you can use any plastic bag which seals tight, such as a ZipLoc bag. Fill these about 2/3 full of water, adding a pinch of salt to make them freeze harder. Do not fill them all the way to the top, because the bag will break when the ice expands. Lay them out on a cookie sheet, then place the whole sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid.

To get the most cooling power from your ice, open the cooler as little as possible. Each time you open the cooler, you lose some of that cold air, so more ice has to melt to replace it. If your camping group will be constantly opening the cooler for drinks, use 2 coolers: one only for drinks, one for everything else. When buying ice, look for large solid blocks, which will take much longer to melt than an equivalent bag of ice cubes.

Although nothing is better than ice for keeping things cold for long periods of time, there are other options. 'Magic' bags contain dry bean husks, which retain both heat and cold. They will work in your cooler for short periods of time, although it is better to rely on them only as cold compresses for injuries.

Dry ice is another cooler option. It has no liquid form, is much less messy than ice, and is also colder than ice. However, it also doesn't last as long in a frequently opened cooler, and it will freeze your eggs and other food. You want a cold drink, not a frozen one. Do not store dry ice in sealed bags or containers, because the expanding gas will pop them.

Non-cooler methods

When your camping takes you further away from civilization, keeping food cold takes a little ingenuity. If you have a bucket with a tightly fitting cover, one easy method to keep your drinks cool is to dig a pit into the earth in a shady spot, then place the covered bucket in the pit. This takes advantage of the fact that a few inches down, the earth is cooler than at the surface. However, this won't suffice for perishables.

Instead, waterproof all perishables by placing them into plastic containers or baggies, then tie them together into a cloth or plastic sack. Place this sack into a shallow stream. Anchor it with rocks and build a rock barrier around it. Place a decoy piece of bacon or fish several yards upstream from your container of perishables. Even so, you should try to use up any perishables within a day or two.

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