How to Pack your Picnic Cooler

Tips for organization, convenience and food safety

Have you ever packed a cooler for a party, road trip or picnic only to open it later to find lukewarm beverages and soggy food? There's actually a science to cooler packing that can prevent these issues. We know what you're thinking - 'you put the food in with some ice, genius' - but there are actually some useful tricks to keeping everything cold and dry all day. Here are our tips for using your picnic cooler to its fullest potential.

Choose a cooler with high quality thermal insulation for best results. Hard-sided coolers don't offer much insulation, not to mention how difficult they are to lug around once they're full. See the coolers at PicnicFun.com for a selection featuring the latest in thermal shield technology.

Bring food and beverages to the temperature you want them to be when you're ready to consume them before putting them in the cooler. Use your cooler to keep foods at a steady temperature - not to cool them down. If you place warm food in a cooler with ice, the ice is going to melt before the food can chill.

Place food in airtight zip-close baggies to keep condensation from making it soggy.

Pre-cool your cooler before placing everything inside with a few reusable gel ice packs. The opposite applies to keeping food and beverages warm in cold weather.

Place food directly from your refrigerator into the cooler. Don't allow it to sit out.

Pack food and beverages in two separate coolers or compartments if you'll be grabbing drinks throughout the day. The more often you open your cooler, the more cold air you let out, warming up the food inside.

Place a few reusable gel ice packs on the bottom of the cooler before putting food inside for maximum cold retention.

Arrange food in the cooler so that the items you'll be eating first are on top. That way, you won't have to dig through the contents and take some things out to find what you need.

Pack the cooler as full as you can to keep it cold (or hot, if that's your goal) as long as possible. Fill cracks and crevices with ice packs or frozen bottles of water. You can further insulate warm foods by placing your cloth napkins, a kitchen towel or other linens in the cooler along with the food.

Don't transport your cooler in the trunk of your car, which exposes it to extreme heat or cold depending on the season. The best place for coolers is on the floor of the backseat, if they'll fit.

Keep your cooler in the shade, if possible. If you're going to be lounging on the beach, rowing down a sunny river or hanging out in the park for a while before you eat, finding a shady spot for the cooler can make a big difference in how cold your food stays.

Pictured: Safari Lunch Cooler