Collapsible food storer

[Pellicano Solitudinis]

It has occurred to me that a collapsible round silicon food storage container with a rigid lid would make an excellent lunch box, dinner bowl/plate and cutting board, while taking up very little space when not in use. Has anyone used one? Did it work for you, or were there unexpected drawbacks? Recommended brands/models?

 

[Anniesantiago]

Never found the need

 

[Kanga]

I'm like Annie. Occasionally I have thought it would be nice to have a knife, but not sufficiently to bother me. Never found a need for containers. The only thing I carry is a super lightweight shopping bag, but generally it only gets used for carrying dirty clothes to the washing tub.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Food (bread) in a re-usable plastic zip-lock type bag or its paper bag from the shop. Tin of sardines for emergency rations.
Plate - a cut off from a flexi-mat (thin plastic cutting mat for food preparation) kept in another zip-lock bag -or similar and tucked into the bladder pocket of my pack. The top is folded over the top of the pocket to stop it sliding down inside. If walking again I would cut a larger size square but the size is a personal preference.
Knife - part of a Swiss card set so tiny and light.
Apart from the weight of the food itself the whole lot would be under 100gms.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

Why do you need a collapsible container? It seems to me that if you were to put some of your stuff inside an ordinary container that's not being used to store food, it would barely take up any additional room in your rucksack.

Personally, I manage fine without a container. As someone else said, I sometimes wish I had a knife. But if I were to pack one, I'd only leave it behind in an albergue kitchen.

 

[pelerine]

I always carry a rigid rectangular plastic box big enough to accommodate a tomato and a peach plus maybe some soft cheese etc for my picnic to save it/ them from being squashed in my pack. Use the lid as a cutting board/plate. When not in use I fill it with other things I am carrying anyway, so it does not need to be collapsible. Have not yet walked the Francés, but on the other caminos there were quite a number of days when you could not find food during the day.

 

[pelerine]

You beat me to it, Raggy!

 

[Felice]

I use a very light plastic mug in the outside pocket of my rucksack to carry things like fruit. An apple, or a peach etc keep very safely inside. Last time, I was given a handful of cherries, which went in the mug (well, those that were left....).

It all depends what you want for lunch. For me, it's bread and cheese. Bread gets stuck somewhere in a similar way to a water bottle, cheese gets put inside one of my crocs which hand from the back of my pack.

 

[Shades of Narnia]

Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancouver B.C. has some great collapsible dishware that is ideal for your purposes....no lid....but the bottom is a cutting board. I used mine almost every day on several Caminos....I always buy an Opinal knife on day 1, folds safely and remains sharp....gear is completed by 2 'sporks'. buen Camino.

 

[Pellicano Solitudinis]

I use a very light plastic mug in the outside pocket of my rucksack to carry things like fruit. An apple, or a peach etc keep very safely inside. Last time, I was given a handful of cherries, which went in the mug (well, those that were left....).

It all depends what you want for lunch. For me, it's bread and cheese. Bread gets stuck somewhere in a similar way to a water bottle, cheese gets put inside one of my crocs which hand from the back of my pack.

That's a great idea, using the cup to store fruit. I don't like carrying fruit unprotected as it always ends up squashed.

 

[Pellicano Solitudinis]

Why do you need a collapsible container? It seems to me that if you were to put some of your stuff inside an ordinary container that's not being used to store food, it would barely take up any additional room in your rucksack.

Personally, I manage fine without a container. As someone else said, I sometimes wish I had a knife. But if I were to pack one, I'd only leave it behind in an albergue kitchen.

I like things to have their own proper place, I suppose. Most clothing etc can go in bags, which don't take up a predetermined amount of space, unlike a rigid container.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I like things to have their own proper place, I suppose. Most clothing etc can go in bags, which don't take up a predetermined amount of space, unlike a rigid container.

It's not the rigid container that takes up the space. It's the air inside it. To get rid of the air, place one of your bags of clothes in the container.

FWIW, there's nothing to stop you from using this space-saving trick when the container is full of food. It's just a bit messier.

 

[Kevin Malinak]

We used zipper bags a few times till they got worn out, then got another.

 

[pelerine]

We used zipper bags a few times till they got worn out, then got another.

How did the nectarines and tomatoes survive in zipper bags? (can’t resist!)

 

[Jeff Crawley]

How did the nectarines and tomatoes survive in zipper bags? (can’t resist!)

They'll suffer badly! I was given some figs as a present while buying food in a tiny grocers in Puenta la Reina. Hung the plastic bag off of my pack straps and it was syrupy mush by the time we got to the Roman bridge over the river. Would have been delicious with Greek yogurt!
I use a Lock & Lock tub slightly deeper than this one


useful for lunchtime tomatoes or nectarines, snack pot, drinking vessel, coffee cup, wine glass . . . you get the point!

 

[pelerine]

They'll suffer badly! I was given some figs as a present while buying food in a tiny grocers in Puenta la Reina. Hung the plastic bag off of my pack straps and it was syrupy mush by the time we got to the Roman bridge over the river. Would have been delicious with Greek yogurt!
I use a Lock & Lock tub slightly deeper than this one

View attachment 66420
useful for lunchtime tomatoes or nectarines, snack pot, drinking vessel, coffee cup, wine glass . . . you get the point!

So do I! Only mine is rectangular. Accommodates socks and underware when not in use for food. Wine glass???

 

[Jeff Crawley]

So do I! Only mine is rectangular. Accommodates socks and underware when not in use for food. Wine glass???

Mother disapproved of us swigging straight from the bottle

 

[pelerine]

!!!! (can’t do emojis(?))

 

[tahirih]

Doing the Camino next year, but have used these on numerous Aust, multi night treks, work travel to far remote places and normal urban travel when stuck in a hotel room with just a kettle. The lids have saved me over and over - they also work well to trap beetle-like things, spidery and/or small snakes type wildlife to be carried off and released elsewhere . . . Sea to Summit

 

[Kevin Malinak]

How did the nectarines and tomatoes survive in zipper bags? (can’t resist!)

Lol!!! Well, I never put that kind of food in them, but how it would survive would depend on where in my pack I put it...
(We mostly carried our leftover pasta meals in them that we cooked.)
Buen Camino!!!

 

[Pellicano Solitudinis]

Doing the Camino next year, but have used these on numerous Aust, multi night treks, work travel to far remote places and normal urban travel when stuck in a hotel room with just a kettle. The lids have saved me over and over - they also work well to trap beetle-like things, spidery and/or small snakes type wildlife to be carried off and released elsewhere . . . Sea to Summit

That looks good. Thanks for the link.

 

[Deputy Dan]

I carry a stainless steel cup/mug and a Tupperware bowl with a very tight fitting lid. The cup/mug can go on a stove if I need a pot, while the bowl can go in a microwave. So I'm pretty well covered regardless of the available cooking appliances. I have plenty of space in the pack - far less gear than available space, so no real need to carry stuff in the bowl when not otherwise employed; though using the cup to protect fruit is a great idea and one more good reason I love this forum!

Still trying to figure out a lid for the cup/mug to make it suitable for coffee-on-the-go . . .

 

[Donjek]

It has occurred to me that a collapsible round silicon food storage container with a rigid lid would make an excellent lunch box, dinner bowl/plate and cutting board, while taking up very little space when not in use. Has anyone used one? Did it work for you, or were there unexpected drawbacks? Recommended brands/models?

I use one for my toiletries. I use the bowl as a basin in those places where someone felt their need for a sink plug was greater than mine. Toothpaste, toenail trimmer, deodorant, soap dish, floss, etc.

The (hopefully) small quantities of food you might want to carry goes in a ziploc. (so does money and passport go in a separate ziploc)

You won't need a cutting board plate etc between albergues. If you buy the makings of a sandwich its usually a one or two day supply (you can't keep it longer for lack of refrigeration) then its easy enough to tear the loaf open and stuff it with smoked meat and cheese. If you must put it down use the paper wrapper the loaf came in.

Bring a plastic bowl from a hiking gear store (use as a plate or a bowl) without lid so it takes no space when you pack it, a spoon, a dull knife barely sharp enough to cut a steak (long story short is he cut himself on his too sharp blade and I had to help with first aid), and a metal cup (so you can boil water in it).

 

[HeidiL]

We use a rigid plastic bowl with a good lid - actually we have two, depending on whether we're three or two people walking. They're both big enough for my coil heater, and I have used them to heat water for drinks or for washing (just once), make tea, porridge, soup or salad, keep fruit and cheese from getting squashed, and in general to keep our food in. We also have sporks and light, collapsible mugs. (Yes, the lid also makes a good cutting board.)

I would never go on a camino without such a bowl, and I have also taken it in my hand luggage when travelling for work, along with the heater, a cup, tea bags and portion bags of oats for porridge.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I carry a stainless steel cup/mug and a Tupperware bowl with a very tight fitting lid. The cup/mug can go on a stove if I need a pot, while the bowl can go in a microwave. So I'm pretty well covered regardless of the available cooking appliances. I have plenty of space in the pack - far less gear than available space, so no real need to carry stuff in the bowl when not otherwise employed; though using the cup to protect fruit is a great idea and one more good reason I love this forum!

Still trying to figure out a lid for the cup/mug to make it suitable for coffee-on-the-go . . .

Always up for a challenge . . . what's the diameter of the cup (although measuring around the circumference of the lip might be better) - picture please?