it's just want want want with me

[thisisyesterday]

first it's tent recommendations, then campsites... now i want an electric coolbox

but it has to be reasonably priced. or other solutions for keeping milk etc cold on a summer camping trip?

I should have said we camped for four nights using it and were able to put fresh milk in it on the last couple of days and it kept it nice and cool. When we go for longer this year it will still work out nicely b/c I will put a litre bottle of water in the on-site freezer ready for popping in there when the first one melts

Actually, slubber, I think I might be thick after all! Bees have better colour vision and can see ultraviolet which they need because of the flowers etc. And in my dotage I may be confusing bees with flies what with the six legs and the wings and all.

Sal, I am neither a secret nor in denial glamper. Any matching of pegs to coolboxes would be purely coincidental. I will instruct the dds to choose between red or orange so if there is a plague of daddy long legs stuck to the blessed thing I can blame someone else.

Poppy I have seen and read the reviews of the Lakeland cool bags, and very well they are reviewed too. Having spent only the Good Lord knows how long pissing my time away some time reading ukcs coolbox reviews I'm after a food chilling Leviathan.
10 days those muthers keep your ice icey. ten days
That's pretty impressive non?

Chipmonkey you may be right about bees being better than flies but after a google sesh this morning it turns out flies can see in colour quite well so you are not losing the plot.

Oi thisisyesterday have you decided yet?

Another (somewhat cheaper solution) is a bucket of cold water kept in the shade with a damp tea towel over the top.

Low tec, low cost and probably won't attract the flies. Food items have to be kept in natty little Tupperware boxes though.

Oh good. It would be like omdb taking anything more than a flick knife and a tarp to sleep under Would upset the universe and everything. You don't want to be responsible for that now, would you?

Would love to know what you decided, thisisyesterday. I'm so far refraining from buying anything this year, so stalking everyone else.

Lol no universal balance is maintained with red or orange coolbox choice.

I'm going to look at camping tables and chairs tomorrow with the dds in our newly refurbished camping store. This is Half Term Monday's Trip Out.

Sleeping bags
Coolbox
Table and chairs

And I am done for this year. Nothing else. No siree.

And LOLOL at you not buying any kit this year Sal. Har bloody har. You are an addict mate. Admit it, you are amongst friends here.

Oh no no no, Slubber, you'd have been proud / surprised of / at me lately. I went to the Outdoor show in London a couple of weeks ago, and despite drooling over way too many things, including a beautiful Dutch oven and the much praised Cobb (which looked lovely in real life), I didn't buy anything. Well, not anything big anyway.

Might start a camping fund for big but proper buys in the future.

Ah yes, that's it I think. I just need to stop buying rubbish-y little pointless things. I do eventually need a good coolbox, but has thus far been ok without, and would eventually like to be able to buy the perfect canvas tent. That's still a couple of years off though, I think.

well i think we have decided on a decent well insulated coolbox rather than an electric one

we only camp once or twice a year at the moment, and i just can't justify the icey-tek just yet.... tho dp does rather like it too!
The lakeland bag does seem to have a lot of good reviews, but I have a bag type at the moment and I really hate it because it's harder to keep clean (tho possibly a better made one would be easier!!)

so will do more research and see what I can find out about various makes of standard coolboxes!
I guess if we're staying somewhere where we can freeze our own ice packs then we should be ok with a regular coolbox?

Har @ not anything big

You sound most restrained. What is a Dutch oven? Was the outdoor show fun?

We HAVE to buy a new coolbox as the current one isn't big enough for a bottle of wine. I impressed this point upon dh, that and as we were driving through some of the finest white wine growing regions in Europe this summer it would be utter madness not to have appropriate chilling facilities.

He agreed.

thisisyesterday, when I was researching this the Coleman Xtreme coolers and the Igloo Max Cold coolers had the best reviews (both are 5day cool boxes iirc)

both types here

my friend used to make me play a game called "dutch ovens" where you got under a duvet and had to fart. first one out loses

thank you for link btw!

The other tips I picked up were.

Chill your coolbox for at least 24hours before you fill it (with ice blocks or frozen water bottles)

When you go to fill it try to put already frozen or at least refrigerated food in.

Ice cubes ( from the supermarket) work better than ice blocks and when they melt don't empty the water as it will only be a bit warmer than the ice, so still keeping your food cold.

Pack bubble wrap over the top of your food/ice so you are only chilling what you need to chill and not the air in the top of the box.

Keep your toolbox in the shade or put a damp towel or reflective visor/ blanket over it.

all garnered from ukcs. I love that place.

Ooh, don't get me started. Oh, ok then.

Dutch ovens are the perfect thing to use when cooking over a fire and have coals. You can make the most amazing stews, soups, bread - hell, you can even make popcorn in it. Really just a cast iron pot, but for outdoor use. Very much a leisurely way of cooking though, sitting around, talking, drinking wine, relaxing. Not for the stressed or those in a hurry. Mind you, not for anyone without a car either, as they weigh a ton. I really do need one...

Hmm, got a bit carried away there. Uhm, yes, show was good, but there weren't many cheaper exhibitors. I suspect exhibitor rent was high. E.g. belltent uk was there, but not Decathlon, etc. We got chatting to someone, and for some reason they were impressed with us as we were "extremely adventurous" (have been to Peru, Amazon, India etc with ds in a backpack, but hardly adventurous as we slept in really good hotels! ), so they gave us free tickets to some of the speaking events, which saved a lot. Also really impressive, if mad, climbing walls etc. I felt very much an impostor with my inflatable mattress and hot water bottle, haha.

Hahahahaha.

"I really do need one"

Where have I heard that before ....
[reminiscence tv screen shimmer into thread about kelly kettles]

Show sounds fun, did you buy a mattress and hot water bottle or take them with you in case you got snowed in?

Because an inflatable mattress wouldn't come into my "not anything big" category of camping things.

LOL! You make me laugh tonight. Dh working and think I'm insane sniggering at laptop. No, I meant the thought of me camping with them. Even I'm not usually that mad.

Oh yes, and Kelly Kettle. Uhm, Eydon, to be exact. Hmm, and that was clearly a brilliant spend, so perhaps should give some serious thought of buying DO.

Ignore anything I said above about buying ban this year. Ds was typing. He's a child genius.

Nah, I only bought cool little thingies. Those snappy hand warmer things. They fascinate me. I clearly need a life.

Heh heh

In the camping topic you are safe to admit to being fascinated by hand warmer jobbies. I like them too, so sciencey

No cannot get fancy kettle. One in One out policy now functioning wrt car packing.

'hand warmer jobbies' has a fairly revolting sound to us scottish types

Hmm. Get a bike rack. Dh to sit on it. Now that's adventure travel if you've ever seen it. Tell him it's a special treat. As he's so manly, you know. Equality is overrated.

DuplicitousBitch! And on a Sunday night?!

I don't think they would sell such things DB at an outdoor show?

Sal, I need dh to drive the bleeding car. I am navigating so can't be on the rack. I'm leaving my utility tent behind, this is how serious and critical the space situation is.