The Best Ice Chest
For Storing Food Items

With summer camping there is always the need for an ice chest to keep perishable foods cold and this can become a chore in the hot summer heat. I have some beach camping tips to help make sure your food items stay cool and safe.

Best kind of cooler to use

I have found the 1 1/2 inch thick styrofoam ice chests hold the ice longer than the nice plastic department store coolers.

A styrofoam cooler may not be as durable but I have one I've used for years. I painted the outside with a few coats of white latex paint and reinforced the lid hinge with some clear packing tape.

New High Performance Ice Chests

Even though I have found the thick styrofoam chests to work much better than the plastic department store coolers, there are some really great high performance coolers available to buy.

You will find these high performance coolers are expensive compared to some of the cheaper alternatives, but you are truly making an investment that will last for a life time of camping.

Some models will hold ice for 5 to 7 days. These coolers can even be locked and are bear proof. Well there aren't any bears at the Outer Banks, but if you ever do a camping trip to the mountains it may be a consideration.

I guess you can say, you are getting what you pay for.



What is the best ice to use?

You may ask, is there really a difference in ice? Well if you want ice to last, I recommend using blocks of ice rather than loose ice cubes.

Ice cubes are really good for keeping food items and drinks very cold but they melt fast.

Buying ice every day can become expensive in one week's time. We like to freeze blocks of ice at home several days before we leave for our camping vacation and store them in our freezer. This way we have a good supply of ice to start out on our trip.

To make block ice, we use square plastic dishes that hold at least 1 quart of water but a half gallon to a gallon size is better.

If you purchase two ice chests, be sure to get one of the styrofoam coolers I mentioned and use it to store extra blocks of ice. They will last several days if you limit how often you open the lid.

Best way to pack a cooler to keep food cold

• Put enough block ice in to allow space between each block.
• Best to have food items in ziplock storage bags to prevent water-log.
• Food items stay colder if they are placed between the ice blocks.
• When the weather is 80 degrees or more, I like to put ice cubes on top of any food placed on top of the ice blocks.
• Drain the water out of the cooler twice each day to slow down the ice from melting.
• Don't let the ice get too low before you add more.

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