How to keep food fresh whilst camping

 There's more to keeping food fresh when camping than packing it away in little plastic boxes. Happily, there is no shortage of options to help you keep food good to eat and safe from wildlife.

Most options are fairly simple, relying on insulation to retain cold inside and keep outside heat at bay. Some are soft, others hard. All are fairly tough and can be used with a variety of freezer packs to help keep food fresh and drinks cool. Pre-chilling drinks and freezing food helps to lower the temperature for longer.

Similarly, not opening them often helps so it pays to keep drinks, say, separate from food. A personal preference is soft bags for drinks and boxes or chests for food. The latter double as ‘furniture’ in the tent and are really useful for food preparation or, even, seats. Having a range of freezer packs allows for packing options.

After all, there’s no point in having an insulated bag packed with freezer blocks and leaving little room left for food.

1. A personal favourite, Coleman Stacking Coolers make packing for travel easy and allow for a wide variety of food to be stored safely on site; they also form handy tables and food prep areas as well as packing away securely and flexibly. They're great for use with or without ice blocks.

2. As well as plugging into a car's accessory socket for power and cold drinks on the move, with an electric hook-up and a transformer, Campingaz's Powerbox fridge can be used horizontally or vertically in your tent; another power option includes gas.

3. Opposite ends of the spectrum – a handy insulated bag and a sturdy coolbox from Coleman that can double up as furniture and shrugs off careless abuse; its wheels make it easy to manoeuvre. With its snug-fitting lid, it makes a great larder on site even without ice blocks. Outwell’s Chill-Bin XL is a soft insulated bag with a huge capacity and packs flat for storage at home.

4. Soft insulated bags are fine for keeping food fresh on overnight trips, day walks and picnics. Handy, too, at home for carrying frozen foods back from the supermarket.

5. There is a wide variety of freezer pack styles and sizes available - blocks, boards and flexible sheets. Many sites have a freezer for campers to re-freeze their blocks at no charge. Having two sets (one in use; one in the freezer) makes tent life easier. Mark and freeze them in a mesh bag to avoid losing them.

6. There’s no need to plump for just one insulating option on a camping trip; here are a simple soft bag, a coolbox to plug into your car and a tough box with handle for use with freezer blocks.

7. Avoid leaving your coolbox in the tent or under the fly. Keeping it in the shade will help extend its cooling function.

8. Chilled drinks packed in with food and freezer packs extend freshness and safe use.

9. Simplicity is the foundation of this old way of keeping food and milk on site. A bucket part-filled with cold water and a damp cloth laid over the top will help keep the contents fresh through evaporation.