You Must Overpack Your Beach Cooler To Keep Foods Fresh All Day

Vacation season is finally upon us. Whether you are taking a weekend trip to your favorite beach town with friends, enjoying a day sprawled out near your local lake, or investing in an ocean-side timeshare with family, there's one thing you mustn't forget to pack: snacks. No day spent soaking in warm weather is complete if you don't have a trusty cooler stuffed with sandwiches, fresh salads, and icy treats for dessert. Not to mention, plenty of chilled beverages to keep you hydrated.

However, while you may expect to just carelessly toss your delicious snacks and drinks into the cooler and pop it open at the beach worry-free, a few packing mistakes can lead to soggy sandwiches and melted ice cream. There's no easier way to ruin an otherwise lovely day in the sand. Luckily, making sure to pack your cooler full to the brim is an easy way to ensure crisp, cold food all day. 

Any extra space, even just a few gaps, in your cooler will rapidly speed up the melting process. Make sure to stuff in extra soda cans or food packages anywhere you can after you finish packing. Unfortunately, it's not always beneficial to just add more ice. Here's a look at the science. 

While it may seem counterintuitive, if you add in way more ice than necessary in the hopes of keeping your contents cold, you're not guaranteeing a longer freeze. It's widely accepted that the best ratio of ice to product is 2:1. This ratio keeps your food cold for the longest amount of time — that is if you also make sure to pack your cooler completely full.

If there are large areas where no ice or food occupies, warm air will fill up that space. This will in turn warm up the cooler faster than you may imagine. However, by simply making sure your cooler is efficiently stocked full of food, there should be nothing to worry about. An easy way to do this is to pack in layers. Start with a thick layer of ice and place some food on top. Then, cover that product with more ice and repeat until you reach the brim. If you continuously find that you don't have enough food to overpack your coolers, then we recommend sizing down to a better-fitting cooler. 

Now, whether you like it or not, all your family and friends will continuously task you with ensuring everyone's lunch makes it through those scorching hot days. But, lucky for you, you'll be getting plenty of deliciously cold snacks when you're using this technique, too.