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Second the beef jerky. Nuts-peanuts are usually the cheapest for me, but you can look at what's on sale. Stores that have bulk nuts often, not always, have cheaper prices. Those same bulk stores usually have dried salted edamame-not super high in protein but gives you a little. You can also do smoked salmon, or peanut butter/cream cheese on lengths of celery stalk. Or just a straight up PB&J would keep fine.
If you're just looking for cheap protein, most cooked meat will last a few hours in a cooler. So will hard boiled eggs. For me, I go with the poster above-I would eat almost anything that had been in a cooler for only a few hours, which gives you a few options even given that you can't really heat anything up. Chicken (tuna) salad would be fine. You don't have to do a mayo base if that makes you uncomfortable, although commercial mayo will be fine with a couple of hours in the cooler.
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