Camping food storage: cool boxes, fridges and resupply(/power/power-on-the-road/).]*
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The short answer
Keep camping food at 5°C or below, the range the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends for fridges. A cool box works with ice or frozen packs for short trips. A 12 V compressor fridge runs from your battery and, according to Dometic, can freeze contents whatever the outside temperature, but it draws power. Keep raw food apart from ready-to-eat food, and plan your shops before the cold runs out.
Keep food at 5°C or below
The FSA says fridges should be set between 0 and 5°C, and recommends checking the temperature with a fridge thermometer, about once a week. FSA chilling guidance
The same target applies outdoors. The FSA's camping advice says food should be stored below 5°C, and a well-insulated cooler with ice packs should be checked to stay at 5°C or below. A thermometer inside the box tells you more than guessing from the feel of the lid.
Time matters as much as temperature. The FSA's picnic advice says food that reaches 8°C or above for four hours or more should be discarded. In extremely hot weather, use food that has been out of the fridge for no more than 2 hours.
Cool boxes: ice and time
A passive cool box relies on insulation and ice, with no power. Campingaz's Icetime Plus 26 L is one example. Its product page describes a passive cooler that works without electricity, with ice packs or ice (not included), and says it keeps contents cool for up to 24 hours. The page doesn't say under what conditions. A UK retailer's listing for Coleman's 28QT Xtreme gives 26 litres and up to 3 days of ice retention, again without conditions.
The FSA is more cautious about cool boxes. It says a cool box is unlikely to keep food chilled for an extended period, so it suits short trips. Treat any maker's hours as the most optimistic figure, and check the temperature yourself.
To make the ice work, the FSA's picnic advice is to place food in a cool box with ice or frozen gel packs. Spread the packs through the box rather than leaving them all at the bottom, and add frozen drinks to help.
12 V compressor fridges
A compressor fridge works more like a home fridge, and it draws power from your vehicle or leisure battery. Dometic says its compressor coolers can freeze contents whatever the outside temperature. Its thermoelectric coolers only keep contents cool, so you need to pre-cool food before it goes in. Dometic electric coolers
Dometic's US page for the CFX3 35, a 36-litre model, lists 12/24 V DC and a rated DC input current of 7.5 A. Dometic CFX3 35 That page gives no daily figure, so work out your own draw against your battery in the power on the road guide before you rely on a fridge for a trip.
If your pitch has electricity, the FSA suggests a camping fridge or cooler that holds its temperature. Without power, use an insulated cool box with ice, as above.
Keep raw and ready-to-eat food apart
The FSA says to store ready-to-eat food separately from raw food. Sealed containers help. If you can't keep them apart, mostly dry foods such as pasta or lentils are worth considering instead.
At home, the FSA's chilling advice is to keep raw meat, poultry and fish in their packaging or in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf, so they can't touch or drip onto other food. Use the same idea in a cool box. Seal raw meat, keep it below the ready-to-eat food, and set up a separate prep area with the camp kitchen setup guide so the two never share a board.
Plan your resupply stops
No source gives a number for this, so the advice below is planning rather than a rule. Work out how long your cold will last with your box, ice and packs, then plan a shop before that point. Keep the FSA's 4-hour and 2-hour limits in mind for food left out. On remote routes, check where you can get ice and fresh food before you set off.
The overlanding kit list shows the cooking and storage kit to plan for, and the packing guide for the car helps you find room for a cool box or fridge.
FAQs
What temperature should camping food be kept at?
The FSA's camping advice is to store food below 5°C. An insulated cool box with ice packs should be checked to stay at 5°C or below, and a thermometer is the simplest way to check.
Can a cool box keep food cold for a whole trip?
The FSA says a cool box is unlikely to keep food chilled for an extended period, so it suits short trips. Maker claims such as Campingaz's 24 hours come without stated conditions, so treat them as the most optimistic figure.
How is a 12 V fridge different from a cool box?
A 12 V compressor fridge draws power from your battery, while a passive cool box uses ice and insulation and needs no power. Dometic says its compressor coolers can freeze contents whatever the outside temperature.
How long can food be out of the fridge?
The FSA's picnic advice says food that reaches 8°C or above for four hours or more should be discarded. In extremely hot weather, use food that has been out of the fridge for no more than 2 hours.
Should raw and ready-to-eat food share a box?
Keep them apart if you can. The FSA says to store ready-to-eat food separately from raw food, and sealed containers help. If you can't, mostly dry foods such as pasta or lentils are worth considering instead.
Next: add your cool box to your kit list
Add your cool box or fridge to your list with the kit list builder.
More in Kit
Sources
- FSA chilling guidance: fridge between 0 and 5°C; fridge thermometer checked about once a week; raw meat, poultry and fish in sealed containers or packaging on the bottom shelf so they can't drip onto other food (checked )
- FSA camping food safety post: store food below 5°C; a cool box is unlikely to keep food chilled for an extended period; pitches with electricity can use a camping fridge or cooler; a well-insulated cooler with ice packs should be checked to stay at 5°C or below; store ready-to-eat food apart from raw (checked )
- FSA picnic guidance: cool box with ice or frozen gel packs spread through it; frozen drinks help; food at 8°C or above for four hours or more should be discarded; within 2 hours in extremely hot weather (checked )
- Dometic US product page for the CFX3 35: 36 litres, 12/24 V DC, rated DC input current 7.5 A (checked )
- Dometic electric coolers page: compressor models can freeze contents whatever the ambient temperature; thermoelectric models keep contents cool and need items pre-cooled (checked )
- Campingaz product page for the Icetime Plus 26 L: passive cooler, 26 L, works without electricity with ice packs or ice (not included), keeps contents cool for up to 24 hours with no conditions given (checked )
- Att Woolls UK retailer listing for the Coleman 28QT Xtreme: 26 litres, up to 3 days ice retention, no conditions given (checked )