Pro Tips for Packing Your Roto Molded Cooler

Now that you’ve made the smart decision and upgraded to a roto molded cooler, following some simple guidelines in food preparation and packing will make sure you have plenty of good food for your adventure. Follow these tips from the pros that know the best way to:

• Prepare your food

• Select your ice

• Pack your cooler

Preparing Your Food 

Planning ahead is key to prepare all the food you’ll need to make some excellent campfire meals. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy a great marinated steak, potatoes and veggies fit for a king. Plan ahead the day before with these tips for food preparation and packaging:

• Prep your food – prepare as much food at home in advance as possible. Make your marinade ahead of time and portion condiments in smaller, leak-free containers rather than taking a full bottle. Chop your veggies ahead of time and pack in small, sealable containers. You want to save as much space for ice as possible.

• Reduce the amount of packaging – packaging can take up valuable space in your cooler, so reduce and repack what you can in sealable containers. Take only what you need and use packaging without a lot of excess room.

• Leak-proof containers – most food purchased from a grocery store is not in a leakproof container. By repacking into sealable, leak-proof containers you reduce packaging space and protect your food. You can count on your food getting wet and the last thing you want is meats and cheeses floating next to your beverages.

• Freeze what you can – since the roto molded cooler keeps ice for several days, you don’t want to freeze what you plan to eat on the first night. But there’s no reason you can’t freeze the steak you plan to eat in a few days. You can freeze some water bottles as well, this serves two purposes – to act as an additional ice source and then you can thaw them out and drink them as needed. If you do freeze some water bottles, pour out about ¼ of the liquid first to account for expansion.

• Use refrigerated food – this only makes good common sense but packing food that is already chilled is the best way to pack your cooler. You should avoid packing food that is at room temperature. This makes your ice work harder at bringing down the temperature of your food instead of maintaining a nice chilled temp.

Selecting Your Ice

Ice is ice, right? Well to some degree, yes, but there are different types of ice you may consider depending on where you’ll be and for how long.

• Freezer packs and block ice – freezer packs and block ice make a great foundation for your cooler and take longer to melt than ice cubes. Put your block ice at the bottom and build up on top of them.

• Ice cubes – cubes will melt quicker than freezer packs, although they are great at filling in the cracks. Fill in the spaces in between your packed food and drinks with cubed ice.

• Dry Ice – dry ice will last longer than regular ice and may be an option for extended trips. Dry ice is extremely cold and will freeze everything it touches, including finger tips. Here are some tips for handling dry ice safely to prevent injury.

Packing Your Cooler

Whatever you do, don’t wait for the last minute and just throw in your food and throw ice on top of it, this might be how our parents took us to the beach but there’s a better way. Here are some time tested best practices for packing the perfect cooler:

• Pack your block ice first, on the bottom

• Use a cooler basket for fragile foods

• Use cooler dividers to separate food types

• Keep in the shade when possible

• Use two coolers for a large group, one for food and one for beverages

While just using a cooler divider might do the trick for a family vacation, if you are camping with a large group of people, using one cooler for food and one for beverages can make the ice in your food cooler last longer as the beverage cooler is typically opened more frequently. And finally – make sure the cooler is the last thing to go in the car. Pack everything else first and then load your cooler up last as you head out to your destination.

Follow these tips from Cascade Mountain Tech to get the most out of your roto molded Super cooler.

Cascade Mountain Tech offers quality made hiking and camping gear, with many styles of trekking poles and stadium seats with back support for your continual comfort. We believe in providing affordable exploration to everyone. Contact us with any questions and for more tips on selecting and packing the perfect cooler for a perfectly chill adventure.