Don't let the summer heat get you down! We share our tips and advice on how to pack a cooler for camping so your food and drinks stay colder, longer.
"How hard can it be? Just put your food in the cooler and throw ice on it, right?"
This is how we used to think about packing our cooler, which is to say: without really thinking about it. But after a miscalculation led to eating food of questionable freshness, we decided to get serious about our cooler situation.
After extensive research and experimenting with several techniques, we've compiled some best practices for properly packing a cooler: ways to extend the life of your ice cubes, optimal organization strategies, and a pre-travel checklist.
At the end of this article, you will know how to prepare your cooler like a professional!
How to Select the BEST Cooler (For You)
The first step to improving your cooler's performance is to make sure you have the right cooler for your specific needs.
Consider Upgrading Your Cooler
Cooler insulation has improved significantly in recent years. If you're using a cooler you bought at a discount years ago, you may want to consider upgrading to a newer, better-insulated model.
The new coolers feature higher-quality insulation materials, better construction methods, and details like freezer-style seals and tighter-fitting lids. These features go a long way in keeping the cold out.
Adapt the Size of Your Cooler
No one talks about it, but properly sizing your cooler is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to cooler performance. We'll get into details a little later, but for optimal performance, your cooler should have an ice-to-contents ratio of at least 2:1.
If you want a premium cooler brand, but ultimately decide to go with a smaller model due to price shock, you will inevitably end up with a lack of ice, thus compromising any performance advantage you might have gained .
We recommend choosing a cooler that is slightly larger than necessary (you can always fill the extra space with ice). But you don't want to have to reduce the amount of food to maintain the correct ice ratio.
Our Opinion : This is exactly the mistake we made! We initially purchased a 35 liter cooler when we should have opted for a 45-50 liter cooler.
Don't Get Too Attached to Brands
Certainly, the insulation of coolers has improved, but no brand has a monopoly on an exclusive revolutionary technology. It's a very competitive industry (valued at over $1 billion in the US alone) and there are many very good products on the market.
Consider a Two Cooler System
Depending on the size of your group and your budget, there's a strong argument for using one cooler for food and another for drinks.
The beverage cooler will be opened much more frequently and, therefore, will warm up more quickly. Digging under food to find a cold beer at the bottom is not only annoying, but also a huge waste of energy.
In our opinion, the beverage cooler may be a cheaper model or perhaps a semi-retired older cooler. When it comes to food safety, there is a greater margin for error for beverages than for food. Less cold beer isn't a big deal, but lukewarm chicken is a major problem.
So if you can, a two-cooler system can really help keep your perishable foods colder and safer for much longer.
Preparing the Cooler
The day before your camping trip, there are a few things you can do to set your cooler up for success. Here's how we prepare our cooler before a big trip.
Bring Your Cooler Inside
If you store your cooler in a warm attic, shed or garage, bring it indoors at least a day before your trip. You don't want to start with a hot cooler.
Clean Thoroughly
If you're like us, chances are you didn't clean the cooler very well after your last trip. Take a moment now and wash it with a disinfectant spray. One of the best ways to increase food safety is to start with a perfectly clean cooler.
Pre-cooling
This step is very optional, but if you're really looking to maximize performance, consider pre-cooling your cooler with cold water and/or expendable ice a few hours before your trip. Empty this water/ice mixture just before you start filling the cooler, then refill with fresh ice. This step will cool the inside of your cooler, making it freezing cold from the start.
Food Preparation
The prep work you do here will make your camping cooking experience much easier. This is how we prepare our food before putting it in the cooler.
Prepare Food
To save space, you'll want to prepare as much camping food as possible at home. Prepare your vegetables in advance and marinate in advance. Divide the condiments into smaller containers if you don't need the whole bottle. The less space the food takes up in the cooler, the more room there is for ice.
Remove Excess Packaging
Product packaging takes up a lot of extra space and is usually not airtight, so remove what you can. There's no need to bring a whole carton of eggs if you only need six. Likewise, you don't need the cardboard box that comes with a six-pack of beer. It will just get wet and have to be thrown into camp.
Transfer to Airtight Containers
Another reason to remove packaging from products is that it is generally not resealable. Assume that everything in your cooler is going to get wet (because it will). So unless you want your half-opened package of sausages to float, we suggest transferring everything into reusable, leak-proof containers.
Freeze What You Can
For longer trips, you will want to freeze as much food as possible. Obviously, don't freeze the food you're going to eat the first night (or food that shouldn't be frozen like eggs, dairy, mayonnaise, etc.)
But any meat that won't be used on the first day can, and should, be frozen. (Note that this frozen meat counts as ice when calculating your 2:1 ice ratio.)
Refrigerate the Leftovers
Anything not frozen should be refrigerated before packaging. This includes resealable food containers.
Nothing should go into the cooler at room temperature, otherwise you waste your ice cooling hot things instead of keeping things cold.
Ice Cream Preparation
With a little forethought, you can save a lot of money by making your own ice cream in advance. Although you still need to supplement with store-bought ice, it's always worth making as much ice as possible. Especially block ice...
Block Ice Cube
Literally a solid block of ice, block ice has less surface area than crushed or cubed ice, meaning it will last much longer. Although block ice is difficult to find for sale, it is very easy to make at home.
Simply fill any loaf pan, gratin dish or large reusable container with water and freeze. Depending on the size of the water you are trying to freeze, this process can take time, so start a day or two before your trip.
Ice Cubes or Crushed Ice
If your refrigerator has an ice dispenser, increase it and start storing as much as possible. Or use the old trays. Ice cubes or crushed ice are great for filling empty spaces between food and drink containers.
Our Opinion : Ice cubes are also perfect for cocktails, but we suggest putting your drinking ice cubes in a Ziploc bag. You don't want your VIP ice cream mixing with the general ice cream.
Reusable Ice or Blocks
Whether you decide to use ice or reusable blocks often depends on the length of the trip and space considerations.
Weekend (2-4 days)
If you are going for less than 4 days, we suggest you consider using reusable blocks. There are some truly amazing products on the market, such as dry ice sheets or Arctic Ice ice packs, that will actually outlast ice. Plus, everything in your cooler won't get wet with melted water.
Week or More (4+ days)
If you are going on a road trip for a few weeks, it will be best to use ice. You can dump the melted water and fill the cooler with ice purchased from grocery stores, gas stations or campgrounds.
Or, if you're going on a long trip but have extra space, you might consider starting with reusable ice packs, removing them after a few days, then switching to ice if necessary.
Ideal Cooler-Ice Ratio
When filling your cooler, aim for a 2:1 ice-to-contents ratio.
This means you want TWICE as much ice as food and drinks. To maximize food space, you can count all the food you freeze in the "ice" part of the ratio.
Adding more ice can improve your cooler's performance, but only to a certain point, after which you will see diminishing returns.
But with less than 2:1, you will see an exponential decrease. There just isn't enough material at 32 degrees Fahrenheit to keep everything cold.
Cooler Packaging
When packing your cooler, there are some important steps to follow. By organizing your cooler in the right order, you will not only improve its performance, but you will make life at camp much easier.
Ice cubes at the bottom
Start with a layer of ice blocks the depth of a gratin dish on the bottom (or frozen food items), then put the food items back in the reverse order you plan to use. Start with last day's food at the bottom and work your way up so that first day's food is on top.
Fill with Ice
Air is the enemy. Large air pockets inside your cooler will make the ice melt faster. Fill as much of this space as possible with ice cubes and/or crushed ice. Ideally, there should be no "extra" space in your cooler. It must be completely stocked with food, drinks and ice.
We find the best way to achieve this goal is to fill a layer of food, then a layer of ice, and repeat until the cooler is full.
Reusable freezer sheet for cooler
To optimize cooling in the cooler, we like to place a few reusable freezer sheets on top of the contents. These collapsible, reusable packs effectively capture the cold and prevent warm outside air from entering the cooler when opened.
Their collapsible nature allows one side to be lifted to access a specific part of the cooler without exposing all of the ice to the outside air.
If you don't have a freezer sheet, a damp towel can also be used.
Meal categories
If you have space, consider storing breakfast foods on the left and dinner foods on the right. This makes it easier to find ingredients when cooking.
Create a cooler map
For large coolers, it helps to draw a quick map to know where things are located (thus reducing the time the cooler stays open while you search for what you need).
Best practices
How you transport and store your cooler will affect its performance. By following these best practices, you will be able to get the most out of your cooler.
Transportation
When loading your vehicle, keep the cooler inside the car if possible. Avoid placing it in a hot trunk or tied up on the roof where it will be exposed to direct sunlight.
Keep it in the shade
When camping, place your cooler under a picnic table or in a shaded area. The sun is a source of heat and it is best to avoid direct exposure whenever possible. Attaching a sheet of Reflectix to the lid can also help.
Keep it closed
One of the main factors influencing how long ice will last in your cooler is how often it is opened and exposed to outside temperatures. Keeping it closed maintains freshness.
Do not drain the melt water (except when you should)
If you want to extend the "cooling power" of your cooler, it is better to leave the melt water inside rather than emptying it. This is because water has a much higher thermal density than air, meaning it won't change as quickly.
However, if you plan to replenish your ice stock quickly, there is no harm in emptying the melt water to lighten the cooler.
Cooler Accessories
Here are some cooler accessories that we personally use while camping.
Cooler thermometer
If you really want to know what's going on inside your cooler, consider purchasing a small food thermometer and attaching it inside. You will know at a glance whether the food is stored safely (temperature below 4°C) or not.
Techni Ice
These are the best reusable freezer sheets we have used. They literally stay frozen for days (much longer than regular ice cream). Foldable, they lay flat in your cooler.
When we only use reusable freezer sheets, we place one or two at the bottom and one or two at the top to keep things cold. It is very effective for up to 4 days.
Conclusion
The performance of your cooler depends greatly on how you use it. Owning a quality, well-built cooler will certainly help, but there are many things you can do to improve the performance of any cooler you own!
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