How to Efficiently Pack Your Cooler for Summer Camping Trips
You’ve been waiting all winter to pull your favorite cooler out of storage — it means that it’s finally summer, and your camping plans are in full swing.
But what snacks are best for camping, and how can you pack your cooler to capacity while keeping foods safe to eat?
We’ll offer some tips and tricks to ensure that your packed cooler is ready for the woods.
Camping-friendly foods
When it comes to camping, it’s important to keep the food simple, yet enjoyable. You know your space is limited regarding ingredients, so it’s incredibly beneficial to make meals ahead of time. Ready-to-eat meals are even more appealing after you’ve spent an entire day on the lake or hiking the campsite trails!
Simple meals also save you from having to pack tons of utensils to mix and measure ingredients.
Here are a few of our favorite camping-friendly foods! (And they won’t take up your entire cooler)
1. Yogurt, oatmeal and fruit mason jars
If you’re looking for an easy, hassle-free breakfast, try stacking yogurt, oats, and fruit in individual mason jars! These keep perfectly in your cooler, and they provide a filling breakfast for everyone! Check out these delicious breakfast parfaits from Iowa girl eats.
2. Sandwich salads
One of the best things about tuna, chicken, or egg salad is that you can make it ahead of time and store it in your cooler. Salads also work great when you’re camping because you don’t have to worry about creating a huge tray of lunch meat — you can scoop the salad directly onto your bread. And speaking of bread, it won’t take up space in your cooler since you can keep it in a separate dry bag! Make these easy tuna, chicken, or egg salads from Food Network for your next trip!
3. Giant campfire pizza log
For pizza fans, this is a meal made in heaven — and you can prepare it ahead of time. Use store-bought pizza dough and fill it with your favorite toppings. Roll it up into a log, cut air vents on top, and wrap it in tin foil. The only thing left to do is to throw it on the campfire! Here’s a camping pizza log recipe from ShockMunch!
Cooler packing tips
You’re always looking for space-saving ideas to fit the most into your cooler and keep it cold for as long as possible. Here are some tips to help.
1. Pre-chill the cooler
When you put ice and cold items into something that’s already cold, it will stay that way for much longer. You can pre-chill your cooler by leaving ice in it overnight before you pack it.
2. Ice blocks on the bottom, cubes in between
Utilize blocks of ice at the bottom of your cooler and spread smaller ice cubes in between your foods. This method of packing ensures that the entire cooler stays cold, which is especially helpful if it is extra large.
3. Freeze drinks
Speaking of ice, utilize your drinks to keep things cold. Freeze bottles of water and beverages to act as an extra cooling component.
4. Break into packaging and repackage items smarter
Are you making omelets on your trip? No need to take the entire carton of eggs, peppers, onions, and ham. Cut up all your ingredients, scramble your eggs, and store the mixture in a large mason jar. You’ve just saved yourself tons of space! Instead of packing whole cartons of fruit, cut it up and make a fruit salad. You’d be surprised how much wasted space those cartons hold!
Enjoy your camping trip
We hope these cooler camping tricks help you get even more excited for your trip! Let Foodtown assist in making your summer camping trip stress-free with our camping-friendly foods and cooler packing tips.
Don’t forget to not only pack Smart! but shop smart too, by reading our weekly circular and shopping online for in-store pickup or home delivery from your local Foodtown.