Gearhungry logo. Gearhungry logo.
  • Gear
    • Everyday Carry
    • Best Gun Cleaning Kits
    • Best Pocket & Folding Knives
    • Best Rechargeable Flashlights
    • Best Hiking Gloves
    • Best Neck Knives
    • Best Penlights
    • Best Hydration Packs
    • Best Slingshots
    • Best Bowie Knives
    • See More
  • Home
    • Best Essential Oil Diffusers
    • Best Oil Lamps
    • Best Cold Brew Coffee
    • Best Tea Makers
    • Best Hygrometers
    • Best Meat Cleavers
    • Best Lunch Boxes
    • See More
  • Tech
    • Best Mini Projectors
    • Best Smart Doorbells
    • Best Telescopes
    • See More
  • Tools
    • Best Torque Wrenches
    • Best Cordless Lawn Mowers
    • See More
  • Fitness
    • Best Fitness Gifts
    • Best Boxing Gloves
    • Best Gym Equipment for Your Home
    • Best Curl Bars
    • Best Barbell Collars
    • Best Mouthguards
    • Best Fitness Watches
    • See More
  • Style
    • Best Leather Belts
    • Best Stretch Denim Jeans
    • Best Neck Gaiters
    • Best Trucker Hats
    • Best Beard Trimmers
    • Best Work Boots
    • Best Ear Warmers
    • Best Men’s Walking Shoes
    • See More
  • Fun & Games
    • Best Chess Sets
    • Best Adult Jigsaw Puzzles
    • Best Basketballs
    • See More
  • News
  • Blog
  • More
    • About Us – Learn More About Gear Hungry
    • Editorial Guidelines: How We Create Reviews and Buyer’s Guides
    • Advertise
    • Brand assets
    • Contact
  • Home
  • Blog

How To Store Your Food Safely Outdoors

Avatar
By GearHungry Staff
Published February 1, 2018
GearHungry Staff
GearHungry Staff posts are a compilation of work by various members of our editorial team. We update old articles regularly to provide you the most current information. You can learn more about our staff here.
Learn about The Gearhungry's Editorial Process
GearHungry may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn more

Safety Tips To Store Food

Keeping your food safe while in the great outdoors can be especially challenging if you are not familiar with some of the basic concepts in food storage and spoilage prevention. While refrigeration remains the best method of keeping and storing your food, the convenience of electricity is simply missing when you’re outdoors. As such, you have to think creatively on how to store your food safely outdoors. In this article, we’ll examine some of your options to help ensure your foodstuff remain safe to eat.

Storing Foodstuff in a Campground

Having a large cooler with you can be a very effective way of keeping and storing your foodstuff safe for the entire duration of your camping trip. This is especially true if you can get hold of a camping gear that comes with exceptional thermal insulation which effectively prevents the rapid thawing of its cooling mechanism – usually in the form of ice blocks or some dedicated built-in ice pad – and keeping your foodstuff from spoiling a lot faster.

large cooler

Experts also recommend freezing your foodstuff at home before putting these into a large cooler to be brought to the campgrounds. Frozen foodstuffs will thaw out much longer. The addition of longer-lasting ice cubes or packs should also help lengthen the time the foodstuff remains frozen. Moreover, a quality cooler or backpacking cooler with double or even triple vacuum walls can help retard the increase in temperature inside the device.

It is thus, imperative that your choice of a large cooler is one that reflects your understanding of these things. It must be large enough to accommodate all of your food including the ice packs or any other cooling mechanism that you put inside. It is also crucial to look at its level of thermal insulation including its leak proof properties to help ensure the inside remains cold, if not frozen, a lot longer.

At night, it is critical to place any loose food as well as your large cooler inside a metal bear box or even inside your car. Spoilage is not your only concern when you’re outdoors. You’d have to contend with other animals as well that might be out foraging for sustenance.

Keeping Food Safe in the Backcountry

Camping in the backcountry means you’ve got to be a bit more creative in your food storage options since your camp site is generally more distant from civilization or a well-equipped campground. This also means you will need to utilize whatever resource made available to you by Mother Nature.

Since backcountry camping entails some degree of hiking and trekking, carrying a large cooler with you may not really be a good idea. As such, you may have to think of other ways in which you can safely store your foodstuffs for you to cook as the days move on.

Some national parks or forests provide backcountry campers with a metal food locker which should be sufficient to keep your foodstuffs safe. Unfortunately, some of these lockers are communal, meaning you will be sharing their space with other backcountry campers. In cases where you do get a food locker that’s basically for you, it is imperative to secure the latch to keep your foodstuffs and toiletries safe from bears and other wild animals.

If there are no metal food lockers or you don’t actually have plenty of foodstuffs to store, then a bear canister should do the trick. It’s not a large cooler but it sure can protect your foodstuffs from wild animals especially bears and raccoons. These furry creatures are rarely known to pry open a canister such that you can easily leave these devices lying on the ground. Bear canisters have a hard shell made of durable plastic. The lid is screwed on and off for security and access, respectively. These are a bit heavy, however, often weighing in at 2 to 3 pounds. The good news is that they’re so sturdy you can use them as a stool.

bean canister

If you don’t like a bear canister, maybe a bear bag should do the trick. The problem is that, while this can help protect your food especially if fitted with an aluminum liner, a bear can still run away with it if you leave the bag lying on the ground. As such, these should be tied to a tree limb to help keep your foodstuffs safe.

Storing your food safely outdoors can be ensured if you use the right gadget or tool for the job. If you’re in a campground, your best solution is to store your coffee mugs in a large cooler. In the backcountry, your choices are metal food lockers, bear canisters, and bug out bags.

Share

Sign up for our newsletter
Related Reads
food gifts for men
#Gift Guides

Food Gifts For Men Who Love To Eat In 2021

see more→
Best Camping Stove Guide
#Gear

Best Camping Stoves For Outdoor Cooking in 2021

see more→
best indoor grill
#Home

Best Indoor Grills in 2021

see more→
best air fryers
#Home

Best Air Fryers in 2021

see more→
best survival food kits
#Gear

Best Survival Food Kits in 2021

see more→
best coolers
#Gear

Best Coolers in 2021

see more→
Sign Up Now
GET THE VERY BEST OF GEARHUNGRY STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
Gearhungry logo
  • Home
  • About Us – Learn More About Gear Hungry
  • Contact
Gear Hungry – West Hollywood, California
8605 Santa Monica Blvd
PMB 30337
West Hollywood, California 90069-4109 US
Gear Hungry – Denver, Colorado
1624 Market St Ste 226
PMB 30337
Denver, Colorado 80202-1559 US
Gear Hungry ©2021 Privacy policy Affiliate Disclosure
DMCA.com Protection Status