I'm having a bit of a camping freak out!

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

We are going camping for the first time ever this Friday for three nights... have bought a tent, sleeping mats, bags, blankets...stove, torches, outdoor games, tables, chairs etc etc... but now thinking of food and logistics I'm panicking.

My DD is 4, but has a neurological disorder that presents in a similar way to autism and she Needs her milk. She freaks out without it. So how long does a coolbox keep stuff cold?

The people we're going with have suggested we bbq Friday night, so I'm thinking..

Take a picnic lunch for Friday.

Take fridge cold meat and maybe fruit skewers, buns etc in a coolbox for Friday night.

Take frozen bacon etc for breakfast Saturday morning (is this okay?) and hope it will stay cold enough in a cool box over a day and night?

Eat out Saturday and Sunday nights.

But what to do about milk? She has to have some morning and evening...

(And less importantly, what do we do about wine? )

I would get a pitch with electricity and an electric coolbox personally in this situation...

Alternately a coolbox will keep things for quite a while, as long as you keep changing the icepacks, so you have lots? The campsite will have a place for you to refreeze them - Make sure you sharpie your name on them!

you would need this www.amazon.co.uk/Camping-Electric-Hook-Up-Cable/dp/B00O4W6YNM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503401178&sr=8-3&keywords=electric+hook+up&tag=mumsnetforum-21 and this www.amazon.co.uk/Coolbox-Electric-Warm-Cool-Box/dp/B003UZ83WE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503401224&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=electric+coolbox&psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21

you would need this this

I didn't book the pitch and I don't think it has electric hook up... we're going to sandy balls and staying on the cornfield or something?

then lots of icepacks in a coolbox! - works for wine as well!

If I put frozen milk (should you freeze milk? 🤔) in a cool box on Friday morning with loads of ice packs, would it stay could a day or two maybe?

Freeze some 1 pinters of milk - will keep other stuff cool and will slowly defrost over the weekend. Oh won't be too far from a shop so you should be able to replenish over the weekend too??

What about long life milk? Doesn't need to be chilled before opening and then I just discard it after one batch of use. Open a new one for the next time needed.

You can still have wine! Buy/top up shop with miniature wine bottles, that way there's room for milk and other chilled stuff. And yes as PP said, get electric hook up if you can and use a plug-in electric cool box. They're brilliant.

I also need my milk and it has to be cold

I always freeze the milk I need (it acts as a cool block itself) and top up with local purchases if I stay longer. As pp say, keep changing the ice blocks. and stash your wine in there too

Hopefully there is a camp shop where you can buy milk (go early!) and exchange/re-freeze your blocks.

And don't panic. Have a wonderful weekend!

slow typer

Thankyou! So you think frozen milk in a box on Friday morning will last a couple of days?

I'll try some long life milk too... I never thought of that!

Also, bacon etc should be put in frozen on Friday morning for Saturday morning?

(You're lifesavers!)

Also a bucket of water regularly changed with the milk container submerged in it will keep it cool if changed often.Airbeds are much more comfy than mats. Try lying on your mat at home and take a nap then imagine doing it in the dark and a little damp.

I always take one pint of chilled milk and one of frozen, the frozen one is still cold the next day (and acts as an ice pack for the beer rest of the food.

I also have an electric cool box which plugs into the car, but I can never fit it in.

I suggest googling the site. It shows there is an onsite shop and that they can provide you with frozen iceblocks should you require.

Do people really go to places without even a quick look at the website?

There's a shop on site - don't panic! You can buy milk and wine there

The bigger the milk carton, the longer it will stay frozen. So put in a 4-pinter just to be sure. Used to have ice cold milk on the first morning (yum) and practically defrosted on the second.

It will depend on the efficiency of your cool box of course, so could get away with 2 x 2-pinters maybe.

Long life milk? pah!

Yep, the previously frozen bacon will be perfect for your Saturday bacon roll

Air beds. You need air beds.

If there's a shop onsite, I would explain about your dd and ask if you can buy milk but leave it in their fridge. Then you've got an emergency back up if the cool box isn't as efficient as it might be.

I am usually a meticulous holiday googler but honestly thought a campsite was just a field

Great, I have airbeds from a sleepover so will take them... and will do the different sizes of frozen milk, and bacon

Freeze milk and freeze your blocks but somecampsites have fridges for campers . By the by everytime i read somebody is going to sandy balls I snigger like a 12yr old 😁

We used to caravan without hookup and we used to buy bags of ice for the cool box keeps stuff fresh for the weekend.

Is it the place in the New Forest ? if so there will be a shop....most campsites that are more than just field have shops that sell fresh milk (in the UK) so you will be able to get it as you need it ...
We take the frozen pints as well and would suggest that you may want to take it out when you go to bed as part frozen milk is yuk....

I would suggest taking some straws and letting them just drink straight from the bottle (less chance of spillage and you really dont want spilt milk camping.....)

frozen bacon will also be fine, as will cheese slices/ham - we often have cheese/ham rolls(easier to transport) cherry toms/cucumber sticks/chopped pepper...for lunch after bacon breakfast....(kids often have cereal prior to bacon breakfast )

Have tried freezing bag of wine so is chilled...worked better with rose than white but would highly recommend pimms/lemonade/dry ginger type drink and buy a bag of ice for it on sat ...this then keeps the milk/bacon cold for the next morning!

Oh my God, that campsite has more facilities than where I actually live. You could buy fresh milk every two minutes if you wanted.

Seriously, how can it not occur to people to use Google in this day and age?

Keeps it cold until the second morning??