
Here
are the tips you need to pack a 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.
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