The life of any party is the ultimate gathering place—your cooler. Whether it is the bench at the tailgate party where two sports fans think back on the all-time biggest referee blunders, or the rolling campsite refrigerator where meats meet and become a meal, it’s the hangout where everyone’s drinks come together at a backyard BBQ.
Our celebration of insulation sent us to the ice chest authority. Coleman’s chief cooler expert, engineer Mike Brockel is dedicated to designing and studying all things cold. He says the way to get the most out of your cooler is all about getting the most out of your ice. It begins before the big event by refrigerating the stuff that will go inside the cooler. The reason is seemingly simple: cool food and drinks won’t warm up the cubes as much. The colder the ice, the longer it lasts.
Those cubes will stick around longer with a dual attack. Start by filling a couple of two liter bottles almost to the top with water, freeze them for a few days, throw them in with the drinks and the meat and then sprinkle a bag or two of ice over everything. If your dad did this and you thought the old guy was just cheap, you were wrong. It turns out it was because he was smart. Mike says the bottled ice actually keeps the cubes cooler, the cubed ice keeps the drinks cooler and the drinks keep you cooler.
When it comes to packing everything you pick up at the grocery store, there is no real formula. Just remember the ice will eventually become the freezing bath you’ll have to fish through to find the last soda. Make sure it’s OK if the stuff on the bottom gets wet. Keep things like meats isolated in watertight bags or sealed containers so they stay dry. If you have the luxury of using two coolers, Mike says do so. Separate the stuff into two categories by things you may need more often, like drinks, and things you may need less often, like meat.
And don’t forget to keep the cold water in the cooler, even when you add more ice. That super cold H₂O will keep the new ice frozen longer. The ice will melt faster in the drink cooler you are in and out of a lot. The cubes you pour over the steak and dogs will last longer when you leave them alone.
Keeping the outside of the box as cool as possible is as important as keeping the temperature inside it down. By placing a tarp, sleeping bag or white, wet towel on top of the cooler and setting it in the shadiest part of the campsite will usually do the job.
That’s it. That’s all you need to remember to keep the party inside your cooler going until you’re ready to head home.