RE: How to Efficiently Use Your Cooler

[ThunderRock]

 
Quoted directly from Coleman s website on correctly using & packing cooler for best results........a good reminder for us " old-timers"  & helpful info for the newbies.
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 To achieve five-day performance in your new Xtreme cooler you must use it properly. Use plenty of ice and pre-chill items before you put them in the cooler. The following guidelines will allow you to achieve extreme performance.
 37.5 lbs. for the 50 qt wheeled ice chest (model 6263-707)
 43.5 lbs. for the 58 qt ice chest (model 6273-707)
 27 lbs. for the 36 qt wheeled ice chest (model 6251-707)
 Coleman recommends using .75 lbs. of ice per rated quart of the coolant. We highly recommend using cubed ice.
 
 For best performance, always pre-chill food and drinks.
 Two six packs or one gallon (3.7L) of liquid will use approximately 2.5 lbs. (1.13kg) of ice just to cool from room temperature. So plan ahead and cool off everything before you head out. You can even empty a few trays of ice into the cooler to pre-chill its interior.
 
 Put the ice in last
 Cold air travels down, so if you want your beverage well chilled, load cans and bottles first, then cover with ice.
 
 Do not store cooler in hot location.
 When storing cooler, avoid hot places such as the garage or the trunk of a car. If this is unavoidable, bring the cooler inside at least 24 hours before use.
 
 Keep cooler out of the sun.
 Ice lasts up to twice as long when the cooler is in the shade.
 
 Choose cube or block ice.
 Use cube ice to quickly cool food and drink, block ice to keep it cold longer.
 
 Don t drain cold water.
 Recently melted ice keeps food and drinks cold. Melted ice water preserves ice better than empty air space.
 
 Close lid quickly after opening.
 Do not leave the lid open longer than necessary.
 
 Use separate coolers.
 Use one for beverages you ll want frequently, another for the bulk of the food. The latter will keep ice longer because it will be open less frequently.
 
 Protect perishable foods.
 Place perishable foods like meat and dairy products directly on ice. Sealed plastic containers will keep food dry.
 
 Use dry ice to keep food frozen.
 Place the dry ice on top of the food. Be sure that the dry ice is wrapped in heavy layers of newspaper. Do not let dry ice come in direct contact with the interior liner or your hands.
 
 Cleaning Your Cooler
 
 Clean the inside and outside
 Clean the inside with a solution of mild soap and warm water, especially before first use. To remove tough stains, use baking soda and water to clean the inside.
 
 Remove odors with a diluted solution of chlorine bleach and water.
 If odor persists, wipe the interior with a cloth saturated with vanilla extract, then leave the cloth in the cooler overnight.
 
 Always air-dry the cooler with the lid open before storing.
 
 
 
 
 
 

[mike4947]

 ThunderRock
I d like to add, Freeze your ice for a day when you buy it before a trip. The ice you get out of the " ice chest"  at the store a lot of times is right at freezing temp. Putting it in your freezer drops the temp another 20 or so degrees and will give you an extra day.
 Like others here we also freeze up gallon jugs of water. Helps keep the baloney from floating and after a couple of days you ve got nice cold drinking water.
 
 
 AS an example, my neighbor never could get his Extreme to last more than two day. On a bet I filled it with 2 cases of COLD beer and 2 bags of ice and duct taped it shut. No precooling. Five days later, he paid off the bet when we opened the cooler and there was still ice left and we had a cold beer.

[AustinBoston]

 ThunderRock
Adding a cover of reflective material such as reflectix or a space blanket will also stretch the life of the ice.
 
 Austin

[don]

 ThunderRock
That is great info, I always thought you should drain the water out.
 
 Also getting double use out of the ice is TWICE as nice! Freezing 2 liter bottles of water or your favorite drink gives you a great block of ice and you get to drink it when it melts. Also, making a large one pot crock pot type meal in advance and freezing it into a block of ice is a great way to have some very efficient ice. Find the biggest plastic storage container that when frozen the contents will fit in your crock pot and you?re all set. Put it in crock pot in morning and when you return that night you have nice warm meal waiting.
 I?m sure most campers know this already but we had never known the crock pot idea until last year when Chris at the Tenn. rally told us about it!