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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Hot-weather camping tip: Bag your cooler

CAMPING -- Double the life of the ice in your cooler during long camping trips by wrapping it with your sleeping bag when not in use.

Better yet, I dedicate an old rectangular sleeping bag to the cooler and leave it on to insulate all day and night.

This past week, I had cold food on the fifth day of camping using that method with minimal ice. The sleeping bag's value was apparent every time I uwrapped the package for food and felt the outside of the cooler -- it was always cold to the touch.

On the fifth day as we ended a backpack fishing trek down the St. Joe River last year -- with temps soaring into the 90s, I surprised my sweat-soaked companion at the trailhead by pulling out a sleeping bag-wrapped cooler from the pickup and treating him to a very cold Corona.

He's a believer.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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