How do you keep food fresh when you’re camping? Iain Duff puts a selection of camping coolboxes through their paces
A camping trip can mean picking up fresh seafood from a harbour fishmonger or a visit to a farm shop to stock up on locally produced sausages, bacon or cheese.
Even a basic supermarket shop will involve buying fresh food and drink that needs to be kept refrigerated or it will quickly go off, like milk, butter and ham.
And there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day than a cold beer, a chilled glass of wine or a cool soft drink as you sit on the campsite at your tent, soaking up the sun’s rays.
But how do you keep food fresh and drinks cold in the height of summer when you are camping?
Here are your options:
COOLBAGS
A coolbag is ideal if you want to keep food and drink cool for a few hours. Soft insulated coolbags are relatively cheap and are a lighter and less bulky option than a coolbox.
Coolbags rely on insulation to keep their contents cold, and the soft sides allow you to squash them flat so they take up very little space while not in use.
They can be used with a variety of freezer blocks or ice packs to help keep food fresh and drinks cool.
INSULATED COOLBOXES (NON-ELECTRIC)
With far more capacity, solid sides and superior insulation qualities, am insulated coolbox is generally a much better performer than a coolbag.
An insulated coolbox, sometimes called a passive coolbox, is a non-electric version, which is usually made out of heavy-duty plastic, with thick insulated walls and lid and a carry handle to make it portable.
The largest models have wheels and a telescopic handle to let you pull it along behind you.
Inflatable coolboxes combine the better insulation and larger capacity of solid boxes, with the easier packing of a coolbag.
ELECTRIC COOLBOXES
A step up from insulated coolboxes are ones that work with thermoelectric technology. Most will run off either the 12V connection in your car or via mains electric on site.
These are more effective at keeping your food cool as they allow you to control the temperature settings via the electric fan that draws air into the unit through metal plates.
They won’t keep the contents as cold as your fridge at home because the lowest temperature is dependent on how warm it is outside, but they are more effective than a passive coolbox.
ELECTRIC FRIDGES
Electric fridges are the most effective option for storing fresh food in a tent. But they are also the most expensive to buy and will cost more to power if you have to pay for the electric hook-up.
Their size means they
