How to Pack a Cooler for Camping

LifestyleEasy4:005 steps

By ShowMeStepByStepPublished April 28, 2026Updated May 9, 2026

Based on a video by Eastmans Hunting Journals.

Most coolers stop being cold after a day because people throw bagged ice on top of room-temperature drinks and call it good. The trick is dry ice on the bottom, regular ice as a barrier on top of it, and contents stacked above. Done right, your cooler stays freezer-cold for 2-3 days even in summer heat.

Keesman from Eastmans Hunting Journals walks through the technique he uses on multi-day antelope hunts. The principle is simple: dry ice does the heavy cooling, regular ice insulates your drinks from getting frozen solid, and stacking order controls what stays coldest.

You'll need a quality cooler (Yeti-style or similar), 1-2 lbs of dry ice in a paper sack, 10-20 lbs of regular ice, and 5 minutes to pack it.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Get 1-2 pounds of dry ice in its paper sack

0:55

Pick up dry ice from a grocery store, ice supplier, or some gas stations. About 1.5 pounds is enough for a typical 45-65 quart cooler going on a weekend trip.

Keep it in the paper sack the store puts it in. Don't touch it bare-handed - dry ice is around -109°F and will frostbite your skin instantly. The paper insulates enough that you can carry it normally.

Tip

Buy dry ice last on your shopping run. It sublimates (turns from solid to gas) at room temperature, so the longer it sits in your car, the less you have to work with.

Products used in this step

Insulated GlovesView product

Heavy-Duty CoolerView product

Step 2: Place the dry ice flat on the cooler bottom

1:20

Set the paper sack of dry ice flat on the bottom of an empty cooler. Spread it out so it covers as much of the bottom as possible.

The dry ice does the actual heavy cooling. Anything sitting directly on it will freeze solid - that's why the next step matters so much.

Step 3: Cover the dry ice fully with regular bagged ice

1:50

Pour bagged regular ice over the dry ice until it's completely covered. This is the most important step - the regular ice creates an insulating barrier so your drinks don't freeze solid against the dry ice.

Skip this step and you'll open the cooler to find exploded soda cans. Whatever touches dry ice freezes hard.

Tip

Use cubed ice rather than block ice for the barrier layer. The cubes pack tighter around irregular shapes and provide more surface area for the cold transfer.

Products used in this step

Cooler Ice BagView product

Step 4: Stack drinks and cold-need items on top of the ice

2:20

Place anything you want freezer-cold right on top of the regular ice barrier - sodas, beer, water bottles, raw meat. The closer to the dry ice (through the regular-ice barrier), the colder it stays.

Pack tightly. Empty space in a cooler is space for warm air to circulate. The fuller the cooler, the better it holds temperature.

Step 5: Add snacks on top, close, and wait an hour

2:40

Layer sandwiches, fruit, condiments, and anything else that just needs refrigerator-cold on the very top. These are the items you'll grab first, so they should be easy to reach.

Close the lid and let everything sit at least an hour before opening. By then the cooler interior has stabilized and even the warm items you just added are freezer-cold from the ambient cold inside.

Tip

Drain melted ice water as it accumulates - it actually keeps things colder than ice alone, but only up to a point. Once the cooler is more than half water, start dumping it.

Products Used

Insulated GlovesView Heavy-Duty CoolerView Cooler Ice BagView

Your Guide

Eastmans Hunting Journals

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