Packing the cooler might not seem like a big deal but it is!. Do it right, and you’ve got cold drinks and fresh food when it’s time to eat. Do it wrong and your pasta salad and potato salad drown in cooler water! I’ve learned that lesson the hard way—so now I’ve got a system.
I chill everything ahead of time, even the drinks, and pre-chill the cooler itself with a bag of ice for a few hours before we hit the road. That way, it’s already cold when I pack it. I also freeze the meat, especially ground beef and thin-sliced chicken, since those thaw fast once we’re out in the woods. For ice, my favorite trick is freezing those little 8-ounce water bottles. They work like ice packs, keep everything cold, and when they melt, extra drinking water.
I pack the cooler in layers. Frozen meats and anything we won’t need right away go on the bottom. The middle is for stuff we’ll use sooner—dairy and lunches. Drinks and snacks go on top.
To avoid soggy food, I double-bag anything that might leak. And depending on how long we’re out and how many people we’re feeding, I’ll bring a separate cooler just for drinks. We’ve got this little Igloo Playmate that’s perfect for drinks. It cuts down on how often we’re opening the main cooler—and it’s the same one we used when I was a kid, so it’s fun seeing it get another round of use with the next generation. Before I close it all up, I lay a wet towel on top for each cooler for extra insulation.
With all that in place, we can usually keep food fresh and drinks cold for a solid three-day weekend. Just right for a family camping trip.
