How to Pack, Clean, and Store a Cooler in Six Easy Steps

Forgive the dad joke, but coolers are a hot topic this season. There’s a lot of chat online in blog posts and camping forums about which coolers are best, how to achieve maximum chill, and what to do with coolers when they’re not in use. But the majority of the conversation is, perhaps unsurprisingly, centered around the age-old question: “How do I pack a cooler?”

The good news is: We’ve done all the research for you, so you don’t have to waste time and energy scouring the internet to compile all the tips and reference articles. Believe us, packing, cleaning, and storing a cooler for the best possible use is both an art and a science, so you’ll likely want to click through any links we recommend for further reading.

Six Easy Cooler Tips

Scroll through to discover the very best advice on how to pack, clean, and store a cooler for your summer trips and parties.

1. Consider Your Cooler

Before you even begin to think about the details, you need to size up what you’ve got – and figure out what, if anything, you need to purchase. If you’re using a budget cooler that’s been sweating in the shed for the last 15 years, it might be time to invest in a more modern (and better insulated) option. Switchback Travel has a great roundup of cooler choices including popular, high-end choices from Coleman and Yeti as well as some lesser cost options.

When determining what size cooler to get, think first about the number of items you’re going to want to chill. You want to aim for a 2: 1 ratio of ice to food or drink. It may help to mentally divide any cooler into three segments and then make sure that what you’re planning on packing can completely fit in one. (Of course, this is just a visualization exercise; you shouldn’t pack the cooler like that.) 

Pro Tip: If you’re going on a trip that will last more than a few days, you might want to bring two coolers: one for drinks and one for food. Use the better cooler for the food.

2. Get in the Ice Business

If you have room in your freezer, you’ll want to make as much ice as possible before your trip or party. Cubes are great, but the more surface area a piece of ice has – the quicker it will melt. Put water in containers and pans so that you have large blocks of ice with limited surface areas. You need to put a layer of ice on the bottom of your cooler, so plan accordingly to freeze ice in dimensions that match at 1-2 inches of thickness. Do not, however, freeze water in your coolers it may cause significant damage. And, as we learned above, coolers are not cheap.

Pro Tip: Freeze water in bottles (leave room for expansion) to fill extra space in your cooler – and provide a steady supply of ice-cold water.

3. Plan and Organize Your Menu

If you’re using your cooler for a camping trip, you’ll need to figure out what you’re going to cook long before you take off into the yonder. Freeze whatever you can, as frozen food can count towards the 2:1 ice to food ratio mentioned above. At a minimum, make sure that everything you put in the cooler is pre-refrigerated. Organize your cooler in sections for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so that you’re not wasting valuable chill rummaging around looking for the hot dogs. Do as much food preparation as you can so anything you need to cook is packed together with all of its components and ready to go. Fresh Off the Grid has a useful collection of tasty sounding camp cuisine to get menu ideas flowing.

Pro Tip: Get rid of every bit of excess packaging you can. No need to haul a bunch of trash with you into the great outdoors. Consider investing in some reusable food storage containers, especially for any raw meat (which you’ll want to pack separately from everything else and at the bottom of your cooler). 

4. Pack ‘er Up

Once you’ve done all the prep work above, packing the actual cooler should be a breeze. First, place the bottom 1–2-inch ice layer in the cooler. Popular Science says that you should next add an insulation layer, like a thin piece of wood or cardboard, to protect the ice layer at the bottom from exposure to air. You could potentially use flexible plastic cutting boards for this layer as well.

Next, add food in reverse order of when you’ll need it (with the exception of uncooked meat, which should be stored in the bottom in watertight containers, and any fragile foods). Fill in all the gaps and any empty space with blocks and cubes of ice, including those frozen bottles we mentioned above. The point is to completely cover your food and beverages, so this isn’t the time to skimp. At the top, add a lightweight freezer sheet. Voila! The world’s coldest cooler.

Pro Tip: Try not to keep any of your food in its original packaging. Transfer items to sturdier and more sealable options that are meant for reuse. A compromised bag leads to soggy contents. You’ll thank us when your bread stays dry!

5. Clean and Dry Your Cooler

Once the trip is done, and everyone has avoided food poisoning thanks to your superior cooler packing skills, it’s time to pat yourself on the back and get to work cleaning out your cooler. Igloo recommends emptying the cooler, and then giving it a basic clean and rinse with mild detergent and water. They suggest using a solution of baking soda and warm water for tougher stains and breaking out the bleach and water to get rid of odors. Open it up and dry it completely in the sun before getting it ready for storage.

Pro-tip: Use a garden hose to make quick work of the task. Just be sure that any soapy run-off is directed well-away from plants or grass.

6. Store it for Next Time

When cooler season is over, it’s time to store it away safely and securely. If you’ve followed the advice in step five, then all you need to do is wrap it in a tarp or cloth for extra protection and then either place it in your climate-controlled storage unit, or in a cool, dark and dry spot at home. Outdoor sheds, attics, and unheated garages are not ideal for coolers, which can suffer damage from the elements that dramatically reduces its lifespan and freezing capacity.

Pro Tip: Place your cooler in a large plastic bag for ultimate ease and cleanliness. When you pull it out for your first trip, the bag may be filthy – but your cooler will be pristine!

We hope we’ve cut through the noise and given you six actionable tips for packing, cleaning, and storing your cooler. A little bit of preparation will make everything a lot easier in the moment, which will make everything more enjoyable overall. Here’s to a cooler summer!