Keep Your Food and Drinks Cold for Days: Tricks for Your Cooler

Now, I know what you're thinking: "I've been packing a cooler for years, what's the big deal?"

Well, let me tell you, my friend, the big deal is keeping your food cold and fresh for as long as possible.

And that's where Kona Slim Extra Large Ice Packs for Coolers and Kona's new Blue Ice ice packs come in.

These bad boys will keep your cooler icy cold for days.

Plus, the Kona Blue Ice comes prefilled with the state of the art dry ice cooling powder which you add water to to activate, then freeze.

Now that's what I call cutting-edge technology.

But let's get back to the basics.

The first step in efficient packing is having the right cooler.

The cooler you choose should be able to hold as much ice as possible and leave as little empty space as possible.

After all, you don't want to waste precious ice chilling random air. Trust me, that's a rookie mistake.

Once you've got the right cooler, it's time to pre-chill it.

Stash your cooler in the coolest place possible until you're ready to pack it up.

A great trick is to freeze water in old water or milk jugs and place them in your cooler the night before. You can use extra ice packs as well. 

This will maximize pre-cooling the interior walls and insulation of your cooler.

Before you pack your cooler, make sure to pre-chill and prepare your food and drink.

Get rid of as much dead weight as possible by preparing food in advance and ditching any unnecessary packaging.

And, if possible, place pre-chilled beverages or cold foods in your cooler.

When it's time to pack, leave as little airspace as possible and layer ice and/or ice packs on top of the contents to fill the cooler to full capacity.

Remember, the less air in your cooler, the longer everything will stay cold. And don't forget to top off with ice or ice packs.

Finally, there are a few additional steps you can take to help retain ice in your cooler for as long as possible.

Keep the cooler lid sealed, insulate the exterior with a blanket or sleeping bag, or you can get creative and wrap it with insulation as pictured. And, of course, keep it out of direct sunlight.

Now that you know how to pack a cooler like a pro, you can confidently keep your food and drink fresh and icy cold for as long as possible.

And don't forget to check out Kona's Slim Extra Large Ice Packs for Coolers (works great as top layer, bottom layer and as dividers!) and the innovative Kona Blue Ice ice packs to take your cooling game to the next level.

Stay frosty, my friends!