Comments on: How to Pack a Cooler like a Pro

By: Terry C

Terry C

Love your ideas and I think I’ll get some freezer sheets. (I’ll use your link). I’ve just “graduated” from cooler to tiny car fridge for my teardrop camper. I’m tired of soggy butter and tomatoes. LOL. But I’ll still take drinks in a small cooler. Your ratio of 2:1 will help me decide which cooler to take on a given trip depending on how many drinks I take.

By: Fresh Out Do

Fresh Out Do

In reply to Leona. It's basically the same reflective foam material a car's sun shade is made out of. If you have one of those already, you can just place it on top of the cooler. Otherwise, they sell Reflectix at hardware stores, or if you just need a little bit, you can also pick up another car sun shade.

By: Kim F

Kim F

I followed several of these tips this past weekend, and I did so good that we could’ve easily stayed an extra day or so since my ice lasted so long! Really pleased with the results from creating my own block ice, freezing all items that could be frozen first, keeping ice sheets on the top layer to create a barrier, and keeping the entire yeti chest covered with a reflective heavy tarp. Thanks again for the super helpful information, it allowed us to eat like kings in the middle of nowhere!

By: Kim

Kim

This was a very helpful article. Going on my first REMOTE 4 day trip and I’ll be putting my ice chest packing skills to the test…with help from this page! Thanks again!!!

By: Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

This is the single lost useful article I’ve read on the internet in a very long time. We brought our cooler into the cold basement, we made ice blocks, we made a bag of drinking ice, we don’t have a super new cooler either. We put everything in waterproof containers, we packed just like to said and everything stayed cold and we even had part of our bottom block still frozen. Thank you so much!! We also prepped some of your foil meals and brought way less food than we usually do and ate like camping royalty. I’m so happy Raddish Kids introduced me to your website!

By: Carrie R

Carrie R

In reply to Linda. Flaming plastic straws releases toxic chemicals, and so, I'd advise not to do so. Side note: dry ice can be purchased at most grocery stores in 1 or 2 lb flat blocks which are perfect for coolers.

By: Pia

Pia

We also used two coolers one for food one for drinks. It also helps if your cooler has wheels. We also bring a mini travel cooler for beach days. Ziplock bags of all sides for everything, put food, I.e. hotdogs into a ziplock bag as soon as you open them. You have to picture that everything will eventually be floating in water. Dollar stores have ziplock bags of all sizes. The one inch size from the craft section are great for spices. I also freeze water flat in extra large ziplock bags, frozen flat. They are my homemade ice blocks which can be used for drinking water as they melt. Just before I close it up we empty our fridges ice maker reservoir into the cooler to fill up spaces. I also freeze homemade soups flat like our water. They fit better and don’t leak.

By: Donald Burger

Donald Burger

Nice article.

Good tips on block ice and the role of ice cubes in filling in the gaps. Also, reverse packing is a clever idea.

The two cooler system is good, especially with kids. Keeps them out of the main ice chest.

By: Nona

Nona

In reply to MotherNature from Massachusetts. Great idea. I was actually thinking, before I seen your comment, that I’d make one with Dollar Tree reflective car sunshades to fit my cooler.

By: John L

John L

I have reused the frozen packs that my neighbor gave me from his Freshly food order. Eack weekly order comes with four 18″x12″ bags. He also give them away online. I leave mine in the garage, melted of course, then freeze them a few days before our trip. He gave me 10 bags, which is plenty…too much in fact. But they were free. Anyone else try using those frozen bags?