Sylvie Mathis is one of the most resourceful truck camper owners we have ever met. She also happens to know her way around a racing sailboat, but that’s another story.
Sylvie sent us some extremely clever advice on a topic most of us probably haven’t thought much about, but should; how to best pack a camper’s freezer for long-term off-grid camping. Her cold storage strategies will not only help you boondock longer, but eat better while you do it.
Sylvie and her husband, Jake, have some serious credibility in this department. Before traveling extensively in their Northern Lite, they lived full-time on the road for five years in an Airstream. This is one couple who believes in living life to the fullest, with a very smartly stuffed freezer!
How To Maximize Your Camper Freezer
by Sylvie Mathis
We prefer to camp off-grid in our Northern Lite truck camper. A few years ago we traveled for 105-days and only visited one campground.
To maximize our off-grid capabilities, we need to be extremely efficient with our use of storage. One specific storage area that I have learned to maximize is our freezer. Here’s how we pack our camper freezer for maximum efficiency.
Tips For Packing Your Camper’s Freezer
Four about a month before taking long trip, I cook for four to eight people at a time. I use two portions the first day (there’s just two of us) and freeze the other portions for our trip.
We also purchase fish and meat on sale and create four meals of fish and four meals of meats for grilling. These are stored as flat as possible on the bottom of the freezer.
Purchasing only square re-usable freezer storage containers, you will be surprised at the capacity of your truck camper’s freezer when it’s planned well.
A two-cup container is a perfect size for most casserole dishes, soups, stews, and meat portions – just to name a few. Our camper’s freezer will hold about twenty prepared meals that are stacked well on the top shelf.
In the freezer’s door, I use two quart-size freezer bags that are each filled with four snack-size bags of cooked ground meat. Cooked ground meat can be added to spaghetti sauce or to a rice dish.
In addition I have another eight snack-sized bags of cooked chicken to be added to a stir-fry or used for a good sandwich.
Our children call us resourceful, which is a nice way of saying we’re cheap. We’re proud of it!
