Here are the tips you need to pack
perfect camping cooler...
Chill everything first ~
Whenever possible, cool down the items that will be going into your cooler. If
the camping cooler only has to maintain the cold temperature, it won't need as
much cooling power (ice) as it does when it has to cool the items down and then
maintain. You can save yourself from having to add ice by cooling everything
down before you start loading your cooler.
Cans on bottom ~
Start by lining up your cans in a ring around the outer edges of your cooler.
That means you'll be leaving a hollow space in the center. Lots of people make
the mistake of tossing the drinks in last, on top of the ice before going
camping. Their theory is that drinks will be reached for the most often, so they
should be on top where they'll be accessible. But cold sinks, while heat rises.
So drinks sitting on top will never get as frosty cold up there as they will on
the bottom.
Lining them up along the edges puts the cans in the coldest
part of your cooler, but still makes them easy to get to. Since you know they
are on the edges, you can just slip your hand straight down against the sidewall
of the cooler and grab one, without having to rummage through the whole cooler.
Bag all items ~
Put all of your food items into zipper
baggies before you add them to the camping cooler. The cellophane wrapper that
most food comes in is not waterproof. Food left in only its own original
packaging is likely to get soggy in a hurry. Don't pack any glass into your
cooler. If you need mayonnaise, scoop some out into a plastic sealable
container, and leave the glass jar at home.
Filling the center ~
Put an inch or two of ice inside your ring of cans, then lay all your bagged
items on top of that ice. Then layer more camping ice, filling
up all the empty space in the cooler.