# Good food storage options



## Shadow (Oct 24, 2011)

For dry and wet storage for food, liquids, etc one of the best things I have found are the "LocknLock" type storage boxes. I like that a lot of their containers use the same size lids, so hunting around looking for the exact lid for the container is pretty easy.

Besides Lock&Lock, another company called Snapware makes a product practically identical to it. 

What I like about these are two things, other than being a bit sturdier than those Glad containers, the lids have a rubber gasket on them, with a latch on each side of the lid. They are waterproof and airtight. You can pitch one of these sealed containers across the room with no problems.. I wouldn't try that with a Glad container. 

I like keeping my cold food cold, and I find that not draining out the icewater from the cooler helps keep the rest of the ice frozen longer. The problem I sometimes have is items get submerged, and water seeps in them. Icewater will really ruin cheese for instance. If I put the cheese in a lock-n-lock, I can just toss it in the cooler and not worry about it. Same with tortillas, which I usually bring in place of bread since it packs smaller. You can even heat things up right in the container, just sit it in a pan of boiling water. Very little cleanup needed. 


I actually learned about these containers from the Geocaching community. Along with surplus ammo boxes, these are probably the most popular container they use for their caches, because it is pretty much weatherproof, can stand submersion, and doesn't fall apart easily. 
These come in all sizes and shapes, so besides food storage, you can pack other things in them, like cameras, books, etc if you are worried about them getting wet. 
Here is a pic of what the lids look like.


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

Yup, we have those too for the same reasons. We use them for coffee beans, cereal and stuff like that. For cold storage we use Freezer style Ziploc brand bags to keep refrigerated goods from getting water inside, plus they tend to pack smaller because the bag forms around what's inside of it, where the box takes up too much room sometimes. We have found store brand versions of these bags don't work as well for keeping water out. I forget about Glad brand, but we stick to Ziploc because it definitely works (assuming you seal the bag correctly)

When in camp do keep these away from direct sunlight or the contents will heat up. But this pretty much holds true for everything.


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## silverz51 (Jul 27, 2011)

How about coming up with some viable alternatives to "cooler" type food but not so restrictive as a backpacker might carry. Ideally it would be food that keeps well for fairly long periods of time without refrigeration, but are relatively easy to prepare and more like a real meal than some dehydrated powder mixed with water...
For instance, eggs will keep very well for a long time without refrigeration as long as they are not cooked. The only thing is that you need to use a good carrier. Cnned food comes to mind, but I would like to have other viable options for car camping and such.


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

No doubt this is more for tent camping and even RVing.

Backpacking, or minimalist camping is a whole other world. I find backpacking an extreme form of camping and not for everyone. Nowadays with the minimalist mind set, even the kind of backpacking I do, it's too much for most, but it's what I'm used to and I just deal with those extra pounds that a minimalist would not try. On the other hand a minimalist wants to travel 15 to 20 miles, where I have 7 to 10 miles limit.

Those lock and stores wouldn't work well for backpacking. Zip locs, stuff sacks are much better, but this means no cold stuff most times. I have used plastic egg crates but in trying to cut down size and having to use a bear canister even the size of fresh eggs and trying to keep them protected goes bye-bye in favor of saving room.

We must adapt to what we are doing. Everyone sharing ideas sure makes it better. Maybe I should post how I've improved carrying my 40 lbs on my back nowadays. At my advanced age this was necessary.


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## Shadow (Oct 24, 2011)

artmart said:


> No doubt this is more for tent camping and even RVing.
> 
> ......
> 
> Those lock and stores wouldn't work well for backpacking. Zip locs, stuff sacks are much better, but this means no cold stuff most times. I have used plastic egg crates but in trying to cut down size and having to use a bear canister even the size of fresh eggs and trying to keep them protected goes bye-bye in favor of saving room.


Exactly. This is guest a suggestion for better alternatives to leaky Glad type storage containers. I wouldn't take these backpacking, unless it was to hold something that was vital to keep dry, but needed more protection than a zip-loc would provide. 

Sometimes when I go camping with other people, they bring everything including the kitchen sink, and want to have 4 course meals three times a day, so lots of things get tossed in the cooler. I have seen cheese, butter, and other things ruined in the cooler because water got in it even in zip-loc bags. That's why I suggest these. If you plan to do something like cook spaghetti while camping (seen it) then you can store the sauce in one of these and not have it get messed up. 

I do agree that a better alternative is bringing things that don't require the cooler. When I camp alone, about the only things that i have a cooler for are drinks, hot dogs, and maybe something like braunschweiger and cheese if I am feeling exceptionally snacky that weekend. My drybox usually consists of a few packs of ramen noodles, some hot chocolate envelopes, crackers, maybe some chips (BTW you can start a campfire with a handful of potato chips) or 1-2 MRE's for emergencies. Most of these already come in their own packages, but crackers for instance, if I am not bringing a whole box, I can put them in a lock-n-lock to keep them from being crushed. 

I find that when i am camping, I probably eat half or less than I do in town. If I could take an extended camping trip, i'd probably loose a lot of weight.


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## abmac (Nov 1, 2011)

*Try Taking Dehydrated Foods*

Dehydrated foods work really well for camping. I have the different jerky s that I put with veggies or mix them together in soups and like the fruits for sweet desserts. They don't require the cooler so you can save space there for the things you are carrying that need that type of storage. Great to carry on the hikes you might want to take. 

I do extra ears of corn on the grill so I can use what is not eaten to cut off the cob and dehydrate. Makes fantastic snacks because of the grilled taste along with the spices used and is a nice alternative to popcorn.


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## artmart (Sep 21, 2010)

What do you use to dehydrate the food? And how long does it take to dehydrate stuff?

I really should get one, otherwise shopping for these prepared foods is very expensive for every outing. Buying fresh food, then dehydrating things myself would sure seem less expensive over time and the longer I take to buy a dehydrator, the longer it would take to gain the return on the initial investment.

It would help that my wife likes dehydrated fruit especially for the grandkids and this would help get that return. We would learn to dehydrate others things too.

We probably should have used a different topic for this now, but then using the LocknLocks to store this food in an airtight environment or in a Ziploc bag would work great. If water still gets in your Ziploc, then you didn't seal it correctly. A Ziploc seals great but like a LocknLock, if you don't take the patience to seal it right, then it won't seal. Other brands of bags don't seal as well even when you take the time (like Glad or store brands). Go ahead, ask me how I know!


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## abmac (Nov 1, 2011)

You can dehydrate in the oven or you can get a dehydrator. I wrote an article about Nesco (but do not sell it) on my blog because it is easier to use for beginners. There are great recipes in every post so you have a place to start. 

My experience with dehydrating is that the foods taste just like the fresh foods so whatever you or your family members like may be a candidate for fixing it this way. The foods store well and are fabulous for at home meals, camping meals or just when you want or need great tasting snacks and are free from any kind of chemical preservatives you may get when you buy them already done for you.


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## edwinjd (Sep 8, 2011)

I've also been using LocknLock for sometime now. Not just for camping. Even at home and for my lunch in the office. Really sturdy and handy. 

I found this dehydrator and jerky kit on Amazon. It looks really okay and the price is pretty reasonable. Has anyone tried this or heard about how well this one works?


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