You may think you know how to pack a cooler. Toss in a bag of ice, shove in some drinks, slam the lid, and congratulations, you’ve created a lukewarm aluminum-can soup by lunchtime.
Apparently, cooler packing is a science. First, hard-sided coolers usually keep things cold longer, while soft-sided ones are easier to carry but need a little prep.
The night before, freeze water bottles. They work like ice packs, then eventually become actual drinking water—very efficient, very little drama.
Also, pre-chill the cooler. Don’t yank it out of a garage that feels like a pizza oven and expect one bag of ice to overcome the issue. Throw in frozen bottles or ice a few hours early.
If possible, keep drinks and food in separate coolers, because the beverage cooler gets opened way more often. Pack everything tightly to avoid warm air gaps. And for soft coolers, stash extra ice packs in those outside pockets. It’s basically giving your lunch a tiny arctic security detail.
