You have been here before, you got your water, clothes, and hiking shoes ready and you make a last second addition to your pack, one of your favorite chocolate candy bars. This candy bar will be a great treat in the middle of your hike, but in the middle of your hike you open your bag only to find your chocolate a gooey blob. How do you stop your chocolate from melting on your next hike?
To prevent your chocolate from melting on your next hike you can pack it in a Insulated cooler backpack, carry an insulated food container, or place it inside an insulated water bottle. These three methods will ensure you have solid and delicious chocolate to eat on your next hike.
Insulating your chocolate in a protected and cold environment is a must if you want to stop having melted chocolate on your hiking trips. You can use the same strategies to keep other food cold too. If you’re not sure which option is the best for you, we will cover the pros and cons of each options so you can easily make the best choice.
Three Ways To Keep Your Chocolate From Melting on Hikes
Insulated Food Container
The first item you can use to keep your chocolate from melting is an insulated food container. An insulated food container will help you keep cold things cold and hot things hot for a few hours. The design of insulated food containers are made to maintain a certain temperature internally while keeping the outside elements out. This would be a great place to keep your chocolate cold as you hike. To get t
To get the best results of keeping your chocolate bar solid you can fill the insulated container with a lot of ice and some cold water. Leave the cold water in the insulated food container for an hour or two. The cold from the ice and water will transfer to the insulating layer of the container. This will keep the inside of the container cold for the duration of your hike and keep your chocolate cool.
Pros and Cons of Insulated Food Containers
Carrying an insulated food container has some things you should consider. The pros of using an insulated food container are that it is small and easily packable. Since the most insulated food containers are small they will not take up much space in your pack. The containers are also very easy to use, just preheat or pre-cool before your trip by filling it up with your desired temperature and cap it. Using an insulated food container you can keep your chocolate cold, you can pack cold fresh fruits, or you can even pack hot soup for a cold day.
There are a few minor cons you should think about for insulated food containers. The first con is that they can be a bit heavy and are extra weight you need to carry on your hike. Another con of using an insulated food container is the form factor isn’t designed to fit on the outer pockets of most hiking backpacks, so you will need to store it inside your pack. Another con of these is due to their rigid nature if you have a backpack with a thin wall against your back then you may feel the container rubbing against your back. You can offset this by using a water bladder to block it or wrap it in a rain jacket. The last con of an insulated food container is that they can be difficult to wash. You will likely need a dish wash brush to properly clean the inside.
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Insulated Water Bottle
An alternative to using an insulated food container is to use an insulated water bottle to keep your chocolate from melting. The same ideas apply here. The insulating layer of your bottle will keep the cold in and the heat out which will help your chocolate maintain a consistent temperature during your hike.
Again the approach is the same with a insulated bottle as the insulated food container. For the best results of having solid and cold chocolate then you should add ice and water to the insulated bottle before your trip. The cold transfer to the insulation of the bottle which creates a nice and cool environment for your chocolate.
Pros and Cons of an Insulated Water Bottle
The pros of using an insulated water bottle is that the form factor will typically fit on the side pockets of most hiking backpacks. This makes grabbing the bottle to get your chocolate much easier. Another benefit of the insulated water bottle is that you have many options to choose from to get the job done. The third benefit of using an insulated bottle is the small size and lightweight. You can keep your chocolate cool with a small form factor.
The general cons of using an insulated bottle for protecting your chocolate is that you might only have one and want to use it to carry ice cold water. Another con is that due to the small size you might only be able to carry one chocolate bar. Another thing to think about is you may have to break up the chocolate bar into pieces due to the slim profile of some insulated bottles and put it in a zip lock bag to store inside of the bottle. Despite these minor cons, an insulated bottle will still get the job done for you and you will have non-melted chocolate during your hike.
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Insulated Cooler Backpack
Your third option for keeping your chocolate from melting is to use an insulated cooler backpack. This is probably the most drastic option of the three. Insulated backpacks have walled layers to keep things nice and cold. You just open the backpack and add in ice or ice packs to help keep things cool. Once you have the cold layers you can add your chocolate. Since the insulated backpack has much more space you can add even more things such as a sandwich, fresh fruits, and cold drinks.
For the insulated cooler you can do the same thing as the insulated food container and bottle and add some ice and water to the inside before your trip. This will help make the inside layers cold before you add the ice or ice packs.
Pros and Cons of an Insulated Cooler Backpack
The thought of bringing an insulated cooler backpack on a hike can sound like a great idea, but there are some things you should consider before buying one. The pros of these types of backpacks are that they are very convenient. Its like hiking with a mini fridge. You can carry multiple chocolate bars without breaking them apart. Another great benefit is you can carry more than just chocolate and have a nice lunch or dinner with fresh and cold food.
The cons of using an insulated cooler backpack is that it will be heavy. Since you are carrying ice or ice packs that will be a few extra pounds of weight you have to bring on your hike. Another con of using these backpacks is that you will not have much space for extra items such as sunblock, phone charger, or rain jacket. Keep in mind what essentials you need to bring alongside your chocolate bar.
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Final Thoughts
One of the worst feelings on the trail is to crave your chocolate bar, open up your pack and see that its a melted mess. You can avoid such sad memories by using either an insulated food container, an insulated bottle, or an insulated cooler backpack. These three items will prevent your chocolate from melting and allow you to take a bite out of a delicious and solid chocolate bar.
Using these items will also provide you with the ability to bring other cold food items to help boost your morale on your next trip. Having ice cold drinks or snacks on your next hike will give you caloric energy and morale energy to keep you going. Enjoy your next trip with wonderfully solid chocolate!
