How To Keep Food From Freezing Winter Camping

It is a soft case cooler that can be flattened down when you don’t want to use it but provides tonnes of insulation in comparison to a bag or nothing at all. It’s that time of year again when the temperature starts to drop and camping becomes a fun winter activity. The area you decide to keep your cooler is also important. You should always make sure there is shade where you keep the cooler.

Finally, as the dry ice melts and releases the gas, the pressure in the cooler increases. If you’re using a considerable amount of dry ice then you will need to open the lid once every while to ensure that it doesn’t burst open. The last thing you want to find is a cooler full of ice water.

How to keep water from freezing during car camping?

Pasta, rice, oatmeal, and lentils should always be in your winter camp kitchen. These foods don’t have any water content in them, so there is very little danger of them freezing. When you’re ready to eat, you’ll need to boil water to cook them.

Dehydrated food lasts longer, is much lighter, and takes up less space. Plus, unlike with commercial freeze-drying, home dehydrating locks in much more flavor, and you can pick up a dehydrator for very cheap. Lots of campers take a meat thermometer to make sure those finger-lickin’ chicken drumsticks don’t come with a side-order of salmonella.

Dry Foods

Packed with calories – more than twice as many calories per pound than carbohydrates and proteins, making them great for winter hiking and camping. Another way to do it is to keep it inside the cooler wrapped in a Mylar blanket or an extra sleeping bag. Salt when added to water lowers the freezing point to 0° C and keeps water from freezing when left overnight in the cold. This is why 10 degree sleeping bags are designed in a way that they keep you warm even in the coldest nights.

Consider wrapping your foods up in some extra clothing or a blanket as well. Just as moving around helps you stay warm, moving the food around may help it stay warm as well. This holds especially true when it comes to liquids, so giving your water bottles a quick shake every now and then is a smart move.

Using a Yeti (or other brand) Cooler To Keep Food From Freezing

And if you’re worried about gaining weight while hiking in winter, don’t even worry about it. Now, if you keep your thermos or water bottle inside your sleeping bag, there is less to no chances of it being affected by the outside temperature at night. The heat from the bottles will be trapped inside the cooler for more than 12 hours, and your water will not freeze.

For this trick, you might need to pack a few extra things, which may add up weight but will make your life much easier on your camping trip. You may think that dealing with the cold is all about keeping your body warm, but that’s not it. I mean, what’s worse than waking up thirsty in the middle of the night to have some water and finding a popsicle instead? Or going back to your tent after a long day of the hike and find all your water turned into ice. Winter camping can be tough for the first-timers especially when you don’t know the dos and don’ts of it. When you are out in the wilderness, one of the challenges you face is to keep water from freezing in the near or sub-zero temperature.

Pack A Thermos

The best and most working way is by investing in a top-quality cooler. As we all know that the more you can invest in the best quality product the more you will get. Actually, the expensive coolers have thicker walls and they offer great insulation than ordinary coolers in order to prevent the ice from melting.

If you boil water and put it in the thermos, you can leave the thermos next to your other food as well. This could cause some heat transfer and help keep everything just a little bit hotter. Freeze-dried ready-meals are a very convenient option for winter camping.

Forgotten Ways To Make Your Tent Cozier

Therefore, using a separate cooler for drinks can prevent your food from getting in touch with warmer air and it will also prevent ice melting. If you have a large chest freezer in your home then you can also make your coolers really cool as a headstart before leaving for a camping place. You should stock your cooler with liquids such as beer, soda, and eggs if you’re planning on spending the night vehicle camping in subzero temperatures . While out on a snowshoe trek or hiking, it stops water from freezing or becoming ice cold. In addition, filling the bottle with hot water before bed is a nice strategy to remember.

While coffee and tea don’t have many calories, hot cocoa can have upwards of 200 calories per package. Hot cocoa can also be used for emergencies to treat hypothermia in the field. Warming up in the morning with a warm cup of coffee is one of the best ways to start the day. Coffee wakes you up, but it’s also a way to appreciate where you are and spend quality time with those who you are with. One of the challenges to getting enough calories is actually consuming it. There are a thousand ways to keep water from becoming ice, and it all requires a pinch of insulation.

Pro tips for the cooler

What we are thinking of doing on our next winter trip is to bring some dried food such as lentils and various beans that do not require long boil times. We are going to try cooking these foods slowly by placing them in a hot water thermos. This way the heats energy is contained in the thermos cooking the food slowly. We should be able to substantially cut our fuel usage for these items and also increase the eating of unprocessed food. This is suitable for an overnight camping trip, since a thermal bag cannot insulate food as long as a cooler box. Add a bottle of hot water to the bag to help keep the food from freezing.

The food list below will help you plan your next winter camping or hiking trip. While these foods are great for winter, many of them are great for summer trips as well, as they are lightweight and full of calories. See the list below for some of the best winter camping foods. Still, some foods with little water content can still freeze if it gets cold enough. If you have any food that you wish to eat on the go, keep it close to your body. There have been a few times I have gone for a cliff bar on a cold hike only to find it frozen solid.

What foods are good for eating in the winter?

Try to schedule dinner early enough so you’re not fumbling around in the dark. If you do start cooking in the dark, you’ll definitely want to use a headlamp. Start with getting some warm drinks going to keep you warm while you prepare your hearty winter meals. Another huge advantage of using freeze-dried foods over other camping foods is how easy they are to make. And you’ll save fuel in the process by not having to boil water as long.

Tips to Insulate Your Food Before Setting Out

Cooler boxes made of fiberglass or steel will keep colder for longer but can be more difficult to cart around. Styrofoam coolers, on the other hand, are light to carry but may not insulate as well as others. For breakfast we keep it simple with instant coffee, bannick style mixes, and instant oatmeal. We are able to eat quickly and most of these items with the exception of the cocunut milk that we use does not need to be kept in the cooler. Salt lowers the freezing point of water so that it doesn’t freeze at 0C/32F as usual. You can also add a little bit of alcohol to the water.