How Do You Keep Meat Fresh When Camping

How do you keep meat fresh when camping?

When camping, you are going to need all the energy that you can get, especially if you are backpacking or hiking through the wilderness.

Surrounded by nature, lush greenery, fresh bodies of water, and absolutely nothing else, you are going to need to take some supplies and food with you. So, how do you keep your food and meat fresh when camping?

The simple answer to this question is, you take a cooler with you! Ensure that your meats are wrapped in ziploc bags, and place them in the cooler.

For instance, you could try this Igloo BMX Cooler or the Coleman Xtreme Cooler , or if you prefer something lightweight and collapsible, try the CleverMade Cooler Bag.

With a cooler bag, you will be able to keep your food and meat fresh for a few days whilst out in the sticks, and prevent it from going off quickly.

However, there are a few steps that you should take to ensure that your meat is fresh and safe to eat. 

Meat and poultry are easily perishable foods that may go off quickly when you are camping if you do not take good care of them.

These types of foods have to remain at a temperature that is no more than 40 degrees fahrenheit, as this lowers the risks of microorganisms growing in your food. 

The warmer it gets, the faster the microbial growth, and so if you are going on a long camping trip of a few days, you will need to store your food properly, keep it cold, and ensure that it is fresh and safe to eat. 

How do you keep food cold while camping?

The best way to keep your food cold is to take ice with you. With your cooler at the ready, you will need to fill it with blocks of ice, so that the contents of the cooler bag stay cold and fresh, and ready to eat. 

In addition, if you are camping for a few days, then you can freeze meats and foods such as burgers, so that they stay cool for longer on your travels, or thaw out in time for you to eat them.

Just make sure any foods you froze before putting the cooler are completely thawed before you cook and eat them!   

Can you use a dry bag as a bear bag?

If you are on a camping trip of a lifetime, the last thing you need is a nosy animal getting into your food, or being attracted to your campsite. We're not just talking about rodents here, we are talking about bears! 

A bear bag is a term used for hanging up your food to keep it away from animals.

Despite being called a bear bag, you will need to use one even if you are camping in a location without any bears, as there may still be racoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes and other animals that will try to get your food. 

A bear bag, or bear hang is a means of hanging up sacks or bags with barabiners and pulleys in order to suspend it in a tree, to protect it from bears and animals.

The most common items that you would want to put in your bear bag are food items, personal items and anything you want to keep away and out of reach. 

To create your bear bag, you can actually use a dry bag, as this is one of the more common types of bag used to pack up your food and hang up when camping.

For instance, you could use this dry sack. This should keep your food dry, and has a large capacity, whilst still being lightweight enough for you to carry around with ease on your trip.