Follow This Ratio To Keep Drinks Ice Cold In Your Cooler

Besides a grilled kettle wheel, you know what's the one thing that can always be spotted at cookouts? One of those wheeled, heavy-duty camping coolers. There are a thousand and one uses for a cooler at a cookout, but the best one is probably keeping your six-pack of beers or sodas nice and cool even if it's 80 degrees outside. But here's something you might not know if you've just bought your first cooler: The way you pack a cooler very much matters.

You don't just toss in a handful of ice, cram as much stuff into the cooler as possible, and hope for the best. This "technique" is all but certain to leave you disappointed when you open the lid at the campsite and are greeted with all your food and drinks floating in a puddle of melted ice water. Instead, you'll want to follow the golden "2:1 Rule" that every camper knows by heart.

First, you'll want to mentally divide the inside of your cooler into thirds. Gather everything that you want to bring along with you to one side until one-third of the cooler is full (you can go slightly over). Then, fill the rest of the two-thirds with ice. That's a lot of space for ice, and you'll naturally be struck with the "I could've filled all this with more stuff" idea, especially if you have a small cooler or a backpack cooler. But trust us and all veteran campers that came before; this trick is the surest way to keep all of your drinks cold from home to your campsite and back.

The key is keeping everything ice-cold from the very start. That means your drinks should be chilled in the fridge before they even see the cooler. As for your cooler, it needs to be pre-chilled by filling it with cold water the day before your trip.

About an hour before you're set to leave the house, dump the cold water and start building your ice chest from the bottom up by packing either block ice or disposable freezer packs at the bottom. Since cold air naturally sinks, this bottom layer is perfect if you're bringing perishables like burger patties and hot dogs (just make sure to wrap them in plastic bags so they don't get wet and soggy).

Next comes the fun part: Pour cubed ice on top of this base layer until you're ¾ the way to the top. This is where you'll be keeping all of your drinks. For tall-necked beer bottles, stand them vertically, then sink them deep into the ice until just the neck pokes out from the ice layer. The same goes for soda cans; you want to bury the cans so the top portion is above the ice. This way, you can grab a drink from the cooler without having to shove your hand into the cold ice water. Pry the cap, pull the tab, and enjoy the icy cold drink!