Packing Your Cooler for a Full Day on the Water

As the summer boating season continues here in the southeast, the weather keeps getting hotter. To make sure you and your family have cold snacks and drinks all day, we have a few tips for packing your cooler before hitting the water.

Ice Pack Bottom Layer

When I start packing a cooler, I begin by putting ice packs in the base. This gives an ice-cold base layer that will not melt all day long. I like to fill in the gaps between the ice packs with bagged cubed ice as well.

Drink Layer

Once the base is made, I add a layer of water and sodas into the cooler, leaving just a little space between each bottle. Then I fill in ice between and around each bottle. This ensures ice contact around the bottles.

Middle Ice Layers

After packing ice around the drinks, I add another layer on top of the first layer of drinks. I like to use enough to cover everything I pack in. From here, if I have space and another drink layer, I can repeat the process or continue to the final layer of ice.

Final Ice Layer

For the final layer of ice, I like to pack in a heavy layer to cover all the items below it, keeping all drinks cold and covered well. To prevent excessive melting, make sure to pack the cooler very close to the top.

Snacks and Food

Before closing the lid on the cooler and hitting the water, I like to put all my boat snacks on top of all the ice in the cooler. This keeps everything cool and at the same time prevents anything from getting crushed by ice. I also like to bring a small trash bag to keep cleanup easy on and off the water.

Although it seems simple, finding a way to retain the ice in your cooler on those full days on the water can keep your family and friends cool and have fun on your boat. No matter if you’re fishing, wakeboarding or cruising to the sandbar, a full iced-down cooler set for the whole weekend will be a great addition to your weekend. See you on the water!