I'm looking for waterproof options to store things like lunchmeat, cheese, and similar items INSIDE a cooler.

YOu know how it is, when it is all solid ice it isn't a problem, but over the hours, especially in the summer, the ice melts and turns to water.

What kind of containers can accommodate that, and even some premade sandwiches that could be made the morning of, and kept in the cooler waterproof and not get soggy.

Ideas? (yes, I am investing in a "better" cooler, but even then there is some water that gets in the packages and ruins everything) Even ziplocks let in some water, especially after multiple entries into the cooler and jostling around to get things.

Instead of waterproofing your sandwiches, why not use the sealed cold packs that you can refreeze? With enough of them in the freezer being refrozen, you’ll always have some ready to go.

Large cooler for a 3 day camping trip needing to keep beer, waters, soda, and food cold for 2 people.

I use zip lock bags inside Tupperware type containers. Two is one and one is none.

Sorry, I thought you were talking about your lunch kit.
I recently bought a set of 3 clear waterproof containers from Costco that are made by Rubbermaid. They have good tight seals with locking clips to keep them tightly closed. The size I bought are about 11 X 7+ inches and about 3 inches deep. Costco also had square and cylindrical food containers made by Oxo. They have push button locking tops that work well, but I don’t know if they seal quite as securely as the Rubbermaid containers.

My two tips would be...

Some of the better freezer packs are impressive, I'v put things in my cooler with mine and when I took the stuff out it was frozen solid.

I never buy ice. I buy a 28 or 32 pack of water bottles, put them in the freezer several days before hand. (of course you need a full size freezer and room) When they melt, the worst that happens is you have bottled water.

Ziploc is definitely your friend for this. With sizes from snack to 2 gallon and more, very versatile.

Organize into small trays if needed, or as suggested consolidate and double-bag.

Don't discount those solid freezer packs. They will get you through at least half of that trip duration with a decent cooler before you even think about ice. By then your total volume of crap in there will be less as well.

I vacuum seal stuff that I think is going to end up floating in an ice water laden cooler. I realize not everyone has a Foodsaver, but if you do, it works great. Plus, it's one more reason to buy a Foodsaver if you don't already own one. They pay for themselves quickly in food savings when you buy in bulk, and repackage for later use.

You can always leave the drain plug partially open or off all together. I've never noticed accelerated melting because of this.

I do a fair bit of camping. The water logged bag of shredded cheese or meat juice in the water is the worse.

Like most things in life, success is going to be a result of a multi pronged approach.

1) Separate your food into zip lock bags, precooked and portioned out for each meal... then freeze the bag. Start with frozen food, and you'll need less room for ice.

2) Don't use ice anyway. I use the reuseable freezer bags that get included in meal delivery packages, and frozen water bottles.

3) if you use Tupperware (for instance, for the sliced onions and tomatoes you'll need as condiments to burgers), them get the high quality stuff that that has the silicone seal in the lid and the glass container. That stuff is leak proof.

Go to the grocery. Pick up a one gallon jug of Arizona Iced Tea. The jugs are hell for stout. Drink the tea, refill the jug with water and freeze it solid. Put it in the cooler. Should last 2-3 days depending on the cooler. To extend the life, wrap the cooler in a fleece blanket.

Have done this with plastic milk bottles but they are too thin and will crack from handling. So, I use the tea jugs, heavier duty plastic.

quote:

Originally posted by shiftyvtec:
You can always leave the drain plug partially open or off all together. I've never noticed accelerated melting because of this.

You lose a lot of thermal mass when you let the water drain.

I freeze my ice to -5. Ice will stay frozen until 32. If you drain it at 32, you lose the thermal mass that's chilled from 32 to room temperature. If it's 80 degrees out, you are losing more chilling power in the drained out water than you got from when it was still frozen as ice.

Pre-cool your cooler. Freeze things that can be frozen and defrost them in the cooler. Use water jugs or bottles that are frozen instead of bagged ice. A couple dollars of bottled water and your set.

An option is dry ice. It is possible to use it in a cooler containing both frozen and refrigerated items at your desired states. Set it up to keep the regular ice frozen longer.

Good luck, have fun.

I really like how Snapware brand containers seal. I have been having excellent results with them. Bought mine at Home Goods and TJMaxx. Zip lock bags for what doesn't fit in Snapware.

Brilliance containers. I bought mine at Costco. Rated waterproof by Cook's Illustrated.

How about dry bags?

https://www.rei.com/b/sea-to-s...ry%3Adry-bags&page=1