Simple trick to get more space in the cooler AND more variety with your food.

[Kerensky97]

I did a search to see if somebody had mentioned this before but didn't find anything.
I was getting sick of bringing a whole bottle of mayo, mustard, and ketchup on trips because I was only going to use a small squirt on my sandwich or hamburger. Then they would inevitably fall in the melted water in the cooler ruining the rest of the bottle, and giving the cooler water an interesting color and smell for the last few days of the trip.
A friend showed me a cool way he packed and organized condiments when camping.

Just buy a Plano Stowaway tacklebox like one of these http://amzn.to/25lnGzG and fill it with the individual packets of condiments you get at fast food restaurants (ask for a handful of packets at the drive thru, or take a few of each at the little condiment counter they have inside). Sporting goods stores have tons of different sizes and most all are under $10.





An added benefit is they're shelf stable at room temperature so refrigeration is optional, although I wouldn't recommend leaving them in a hot car.
Papa Johns has Parmesan Cheese, Red pepper flakes, and "Seasoning" packets.
Chinese Takeout has Soy Sauce.
Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A have BBQ, Buffalo, and Ranch sauces.
Subway has Mayo, Mustard, Vinegar, and Oil.
Taco fast food chains have varying levels of hot sauce and sometimes salsa.
And just about everybody has Ketchup packets.

Maybe not ideal for long trips or large families that can actually get through an entire bottle of mayo over a weekend. But short trips and solo or couples adventurers it's great having an organized, quick to grab, easy to carry version of the "Refrigerator Door" when on a trip.

 

[Ichimonji]

That's a fantastic idea!


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[003suns]

We do it do!

You have awesome ideas, including the box!

 

[dlh62c]

I've been saving and using individual packets of condiments for ages, even for use at home. Ziplock bags are another good way to store them.

.....Then they would inevitably fall in the melted water in the cooler ruining the rest of the bottle, and giving the cooler water an interesting color and smell for the last few days of the trip.

This problem is easily solved by containing the ice within the cooler. As the ice melts, just lift out the bucket, pour the water off and add more ice.



Here's another good link; How to use a cooler to store food.

 

[wagex]

I've been saving and using individual packets of condiments for ages, even for use at home. Ziplock bags are another good way to store them.



This problem is easily solved by containing the ice within the cooler. As the ice melts, just lift out the bucket, pour the water off and add more ice.

View attachment 347317

Here's another good link; How to use a cooler to store food.

another way is to freeze gallon size jugs and use those.

 

[LoupGarou]

another way is to freeze gallon size jugs and use those.

Frozen gallon jugs are only good for one time use, unless you have the ability to refreeze them while on the road.

 

[thethePete]

^ I use the 1L pop bottles. By using several, you minimize the melting in each of them, which means you keep more ice volume, and the water within each is close to freezing anyway, so it's still keeping your cooler cold. They also fit nicely along the bottom of the cooler so they don't "waste" too much space, and they're sealed. That bucket of ice seems to take up a lot of volume, and with no lid, it'd splash out on the first rough road.

Good idea for the organizer container of condiment packets though.

 

[BIGGUY]

You can pick up a lot of different single serve condiments here too with a nice variety if you can't get what you want locally.

http://www.minimus.biz/

I've also figured out what I'll need such as mayo for 2 sandwiches, mustard for 2, and ketchup for say 4 hotdogs. I'll put some of each in separate "baggies" that I then tie off and then I put them all in a ziploc bag. Pull out a mayo, cut the corner off and squeeze it onto your sandwich and toss the baggie in the trash.

 

[OCD Overland]

Something to keep in mind with using ice blocks or frozen containers is that if your cooler gets in the sun, or left in a hot car, the temp difference between areas within the cooler can become dramatically different. I've had stuff go bad that way, even though we use a nice yeti-style Pelican cooler. So for anything that's marginal on spoilage, like meats and some veggies, it gets double bagged and submerged in ice.

My packing technique is to do one block of ice at the bottom that's surrounded by cubes. The meats/perishables get buried in the cubes other stuff goes on top of the ice. Then there's a tray that keeps things like condiments that are less likely to go bad. I add a bit of cold water which makes it easier to fish things out of the bottom on the first day or so before the ice begins to melt. I can go for almost a full week like that so long as I'm careful about how often I open the cooler.

Thanks for the Minimus link - I'm definitely shopping there for the next trip.

 

[justcuz]

I use dry ice. Wrapped and bagged, with food used toward the end of the trip closest to the dry ice.

 

[Frank]

A lot of people don't think about pre-cooling their cooler. If you throw a bunch of ice into a warm cooler (think a cooler that has been stored in the garage) the ice not only has to keep the food cold but also cool the hot insulated cooler that has been keeping heat contained in the cooler.

I keep bottles filled with water in my freezer and the night before I know we will use the cooler, I will toss the bottles into the cooler. When I add my food and ice the next day, the cooler is cold and will retail ice MUCH longer.

 

[madmax718]

cut a sheet of reflectix or foam board that fits inside of the cooler. As your food gets eaten, this layer moves down with it. It reduces the melt rate by having to keep a smaller volume cool.

 

[Tazman]

Thanks for the Minimus tip. Great idea for saving space. My latest cooler setup is: one yeti styled cooler for beverages, containing a block of ice and a bit of crushes; one cooler for frozen stuff, dry ice with frozen meats, stews, meatballs; one cooler for dairy, vegis, condiments, etc, all packed on block ice. This is good for 8 days without a problem.

I realized on my last trip I totaled the amount I spent on ice and dry ice. I just bought a ARB 50 q. Fridge/freezer, installed a dual battery in my rig, and look forward to eliminating a few of the above. I will keep the Yeti syptyled cooler with beverages and the campers fridge for the rest. Should pay for itself in no time.

 

[kojackJKU]

I am using a coleman thermoelectric cooler, works great, but I am going to use the frozen 1 liter bottle trick. that would increase the efficiency of the cooler. I unplug it when I stop as I only have one battery!

 

[Wilbah]

Most ketchup, mustard and mayo does not need to be refrigerated due to the vinegar in it. The makers usually say to do so for "best results" but I think that has more to do with separation etc rather than spoilage. When I was a kid my mother made her own mayo with raw eggs and we kept it in the cupboard. It would separate so we would have to stir it before use but we never got sick. Just my $0.02 and certainly with this post YMMV

But I do like the idea of a small box with single serving sizes of condiments! I will use that for sure. Especially for stuff where I don't need a ton of it!