Very boring question about ice blocks and hiking

[Garminharmony]

Evening!

The below will be a random question but please bear in mind that I have bad food intolerances so cannot just grab things on the go and ambient temp options are very limited for me!

Has anyone got recommendations for ice packs that can keep lunch cool on long hikes that also fit in a backpack? We have catering blocks which we use for picnics but it is quite limiting because the bag is much too heavy to carry around (and picnic bag shaped!) so looking to split food into two and carry separately. We usually have a few pots each with dips, fruit and veg as well as a sandwich. I know most people will roll their eyes but hopefully someone else understands my pain! Thanks.

Have you looked into a coolbag rucksack? I got one from Amazon and it’s really good! Much better for carrying, helps keep your food cooler for longer (and drinks too). I’ll see if I can find a link if it’s still available!

Currently unavailable - but this is the one I got if it gives you ideas for similar!

https://amzn.eu/d/db6kbWw

Could you not just freeze a small water bottle and stick it in? Maybe in a small cooler bag to help as well (lunch bag sort of size). I’d not personally worry about keeping any of what you mentioned cool unless it was an absolutely boiling hot day, I’d just eat it!

Oooh!! I hadn't even heard of these, thanks so much.

On a recent camping trip I froze a small bottle of water to use as an icepack which I could then drink later, saves carrying extra weight.

Good idea re the water bottle, thanks! I get what you're saying but honestly my stomach doesn't need any encouragement to act up 😂

I agree, a frozen drink is the easiest option, and you have a nice cold drink at the end of the day as a bonus!

I do intensive hikes and don't carry any kind of ice pack. I carry food that doesn't need it. When you're hiking you want to minimise weight and water/ice is heavy.

Definitely!

I get that but unfortunately I'm much more restricted in what I can eat, unfortunately

I also have dietary restrictions. A lot of them. I just work with what I can carry and often cook my own to pack. You can make and freeze ahead to save time.

I have some ice packs that are like mini quilts - plastic sheets of squares filled with blue liquid that freeze, and because they're in squares, there's still some flexibility.

Oh yes, I've seen these! Do they stay cool a lot time?

I'm glad you've got a way to sort it! 😊 There's literally one lunch item I've found that I can eat on the go that doesn't need refrigeration so it complicates things somewhat. Anyway, you don't need to hear about my medical problems.

Maybe if you share your restrictions I can help with ideas, and others may too.

Fruit doesn't need chilling. I do make salads sometimes and have never had a problem with not chilling them (I make sure they are eaten within three hours of leaving the trailhead, which I know is outside the allowed two hours). Boiled eggs cold. Nuts I can have, home baking, snack packs I can have (like salt and vinegar rice cakes, just those three ingredients).

Never really timed it <she says unhelpfully>. Haven't actually used them for ages, because I too aim for food that doesn't need the fridge.

Unless you're carrying seafood around for more than about 6 hours on a hot day, I just wouldn't bother. I never refrigerate my lunch and have never had any issues.

But if you still want cool blocks, you can get very small ones, each about the size of a deck of cards, but a bit thinner/flatter. Probably available in most supermarkets/pound shops/camping shops/B&M type places or online.

I have the same lunch every day and it includes hummus and yoghurt, these are the bits I'm most worried about. I do know I'd probably live if they got a little warm but I was in a place where I basically could only manage dry rice cakes without being immediately ill so I get quite anxious about it all. It's taken 10 years to get to a point where I can have a normal lunch and be ok. I am coeliac but the main issue is my IBS, if I want to try anything new I have to trial it at home for ages. I also take medication which makes me unbelievably hungry so I try and have a big healthy lunch as otherwise I'd just be scoffing anything I could get my hands on! 🙈

Thanks everyone for the replies. Lunch would typically be about 6 hours after leaving home so I'll get one of the insulated backpacks and try it out at home with some ice blocks/packs and then I can get an idea of how long everything is cold for!

These are slimline ones I found in my local camp shop. Bottle top for scale!

Thank you! These look good and not too heavy!

189g I just weighed it 😄 I'd happily take a couple of them on a hike.

Is it just for one day? Absolutely any food will be fine uncooled, assuming you are not hiking in extreme temperatures.

Houmous is particularly good I've found. I've kept houmous unrefrigerated for four or five days in a tent and it's been fine. Ditto cheese, milk, and so on. I think the only thing that might be dodgy is shellfish.

If you have some kind of food/health anxiety where you cannot bear to stretch any of the food standards guidance, then obviously that's the actual problem, rather than the specific food you want to eat.

Thank you, this is really helpful. Yes just say hikes. I'm not fussy about use by dates normally, it's just nerve wracking when you're hours from a car if you have a history of stomach problems like I do. I feel much better about it all now!

I reckon I should be able to manage that 🤭 thank you so much.