Packing Your Cooler To Stay Colder Longer

Starting with a cold cooler is the first step to making ice last longer and keep the contents inside your cooler cold. Grizzly suggests storing your cooler somewhere cold to begin with, like a meat locker or walk-in cooler if you have access to one. However if that isn’t an option, there are other ways to chill the inside of the cooler before loading it up. You can check out some of their ideas here.  Either way, the colder you can get the inside before loading it up, the colder the cooler will stay once it’s full and ready to go. 

This one is pretty self explanatory. You want the contents in your cooler to be cold and to stay cold. Grizzly says if you start by packing up cold products, the ice won’t need to work as hard to keep things cold, therefore, the ice will last longer. Try to avoid letting items heat up outside of the cooler or putting warm items in whenever possible.

Grizzly experts say you want the cooler packed to capacity with minimal airspace inside. You can use ice packs on the bottoms and sides to add an extra layer of insulation as well. Using ice packs helps boost the “insulating power of Grizzly Coolers’ thick pressure-injected polyurethane foam insulated walls.”

“Every time the seal is broken, and warmer air is introduced to the cooler contents, the ice has to expend more energy to chill the contents again.” To keep the ice longer, keep the lid sealed and avoid checking out the goods. Grizzly coolers are equipped with a rubber gasket for a tight seal and BearClaw™ Latches for a secure grip.

Place the cooler out of direct sunlight. Grizzly suggests keeping it inside the car, wrapped in a blanket or sleeping bag to buy extra time. “It’s a good, better, best situation.” You can place the cooler anywhere, but if it’s insulated the ice will last longer.

Designating different coolers for different needs helps. You know the beverage cooler is going to be opened frequently, so the ice won’t hold as long. Separating out food and other needs will keep those coolers closed and chilled.

“Dry ice may be a good choice if you have paper-wrapped game meat that could get wet from melting ice.” Grizzly coolers are compatible with dry ice also. The experts at Grizzly suggest not using dry ice if you don’t want your food or drinks frozen. Dry ice also comes with very careful handling instructions that should be followed carefully. 

If dry ice isn’t for you, you can use ice, ice packs or even freeze jugs of water to keep your cooler cold longer.