9 Mistakes a New Camper Makes With Their Cooler
Image by Playing with Sticks via Youtube
Going on an adventure? If you are, and if it is your first time, check out these 9 mistakes a new camper makes with a cooler by Playing with Sticks. Knowing these tips will keep your drinks cool for a longer period and will save your food from getting spoiled. Loading your cooler with food and drinks and then throwing in some ice is a recipe for disaster, especially if you are going to camp for days. It might work for overnight camping, but I am sure the ice will just quickly melt and won’t last for hours.
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There is a lot of preparation that needs to be done if you want to store your food and drinks properly. It is not just simply dumping ice into your cooler. I wish it were that easy, but it’s not. Try these camping tips to keep all your goods and produce in your cooler fresh for days.
Here are more tips for you: 10 Useful Camping Hacks and Tricks
1 – Not Precooling Your Cooler
The night before your adventure, add some ice into your cooler and add some water. This will drop the temperature inside your cooler, so the next morning when you put your fresh ice it will not melt to get the temperature down.
2 – Buying the wrong size
A larger cooler has better ice retention as it has a larger insulation-to-surface ratio, but most of the time, these types of coolers are expensive.
Use a 2:1 ratio. Two parts ice to one part food and drink.
3 – Draining the melted water
When you eliminate the water, every time you open the lid, you will fill the open space with hot air. The remaining ice will melt more quickly just to bring down the temperature.
4 – Opening and shutting it often
Separate your food and drinks into two different coolers. Keeping drinks separate minimizes the number of times you open the food cooler.
5 – Not preparing food
The night before, take off the excess packaging that will get waterlogged and take up space. Put them in resealable containers or bags.
6 – Not freezing food
If there is food that will not be consumed on day one, freeze it in a ziplock bag. Shape it flat like a plane. This will stack nicely in your fridge and will save you space. Refrigerate your food and drinks the night before to bring the temperature down.
7 – Forgetting block ice
Fill a container with water and freeze. You can also buy in your grocery stores. It lasts longer than cube ice. Use cube ice to fill the air gaps. If you are going to use cube ice, place them in sealed containers or plastic bags.
8 – Not using ice packs
Place the ice packs on top of your drink or ice load. This will prevent hot air from taking space in your cooler. You can also use wet towels.
9 – Not packing your food in order
At the bottom, add your block of ice and frozen food. Next, add your refrigerated food. Add a layer of ice cubes as thick as the layer of food. Repeat, then on the top add the ice packs.
