Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Flip

Original poster

If I put this lot in my coolbox......

12 replies

Insanity · 05/07/2009 18:43

frozen chicken breasts, bacon, milk, pitta breads along with 4 cool box ice packs how long do you think it would stay fresh for?

We are going camping for a week where the nearest shop is 30mins away so was hoping it would last a good 3 days before I had to go to a shop or eat tinned food.

What do you think?

OP posts:

Original poster

Insanity · 05/07/2009 18:45

The milk,bacon and pitta breads would all be frozen too.

OP posts:

stubbyfingers · 05/07/2009 18:48

the chicken would last about two hours... really wouldn't risk it.

Stinkyfeet · 05/07/2009 18:57

I reckon the chicken would keep for at least a day, the rest 2-3 days. Will you be able to refreeze your icepacks on the site?

EachPeachPearMum · 05/07/2009 19:17

I would have cooked the chicken dish at home and frozen that- much safer I think...

Original poster

Insanity · 05/07/2009 19:49

Yes, think that would be a better idea to cook chicken first.

Dont know if you can refreezr ice packs on site but was hoping that we could, I will phone this week and ask.

We have been looking at electrical fridges but they are very expensive, and then we would have to buy EHU and as we are on a budget I was hoping we could get away with just a coolbox.

OP posts:

Furball · 05/07/2009 21:05

Freeze a 2 litre milk or pop bottle, they last much longer

Katymac · 05/07/2009 22:29

Isn't it funny I would have thought reheating chicken is much more risky than cooking thoroughly from raw

But I don't camp (yet)so ignore me

slummymummy36 · 05/07/2009 22:49

I have camped for years with just a standard cool box and ice packs.

I have found before that frozen stuff stays frozen as long as you use ALOT of ice packs and you dont open the cool boox frequently.

I pack the cools box literally moments before we get in the car to depart. I prefer to take something already cooked but frozen - maybe a homemade bolognaise in a tupperware and wrapped in a carrier bag with its own ice pack on the top. Keep meat at the bottom of the cools box and covered with a layer of icepacks. Take 50/50 mix of food to ice packs if possible. I use the large double size ice packs although some people use frozen litre bottles of water. I would also pack on the very top anything you need access to alot like milk. It may not keep as long but every time you lift the lid and rummage an have to repack you loose coldness and spoeed up the thawing process. You may want to consider UHT milk (yuk imo - but some peeps like/tolerate it) or milk maybe avialable from te site shop or a local village shop or petrol station/newsagents even.

Freeze your ice packs for atleast 48 hours before packing the cool box to ensure they are rock solid.

I find this method works well and even have semi frozen meat 24 hours later. Before now we have needed to have a tinned/packet meal and delay the meat meal to allow longer for it to defrost, but I would rather this than have "off" meat.

I always take a bit of a crappy tinned meal for the 1st night bearing in mind I am usually tired after a long drive and tent erecting. My kids love the tradition of tinned stewing steak, tinned potatoes and tinned petitpois and baby carrots! LOL
You could take pasta n sauce packets or similar to help eek out the meals and shopping trips. I always take stuff like this for emergency back up meals!

Hope this helps.

Original poster

Insanity · 06/07/2009 12:17

Thank you, that is really helpful and I was hoping someone would turn up on here and say they do this aswell.

Its our first camping trip as a family so dont want to spend out uneccessarily on EHU and such if we decide never to do it again!

I have phoned the campsite and the man said he would place my ice packs in his freezer overnight so I can replace them daily which should help loads.

I am going to introduce the dc to the joys of pot noodles on the first night lol!

OP posts:

VanillaPumpkin · 06/07/2009 18:28

If you like the camping experience I can really recommend the Igloo MaxCold cool box. We went away this Friday and took a chicken (fresh from the butchers). I cooked it on Saturday and put the left overs back in the box. We had them Sun night and for lunch today and have just finished them off tonight. We got back from camping on Sunday and everything was still icy cold in the box. It claims to last for 5 days and I can quite believe it. It easily lasted 3 days. It is possibly my most successful camping purchase but is in competition with the Cobb at the moment....

Original poster

Insanity · 06/07/2009 19:45

I am watching one of them and a Coleman max cold one too on Ebay out of curiosity and if they are cheap enough I may place a bid - I am convinced I will enjoy the camping experience, its my DH who thinks this could be maddest idea yet

OP posts:

Sheeta · 06/07/2009 19:49

agree with slummymummy.

we took a frozen tupperware of chilli, 2pt of frozen milk, yoghurts and about 10 ice packs when we went away - five hour drive. the chilli was still almost frozen, and we had it for dinner that night (after defrosting in hot water!)

Put the cool box right in the middle of your boot, surrounded by all your bags of clothes, coats etc on top. this will provide extra insulation and it will be fine.

Even frozen milk will only be OK for max 2 days though without new ice packs. The campsite will prob sell milk and re-freeze ice packs for you.

agree with not taking raw chicken though. make a meal and freeze it for at least 2 days beforehand.

(

Flip