Cooler Hack - No More Soggy Sandwiches!

[Amy@Team RDP]

If you know me you know I loath Facebook. But today FB had a great cooler hack that is so damn simple and solves a huge pet peeve of mine. Thought I would share since boating season is in full swing now. Buy a small trash can that fits in your cooler, put frozen water bottles in the bottom of the can, and add the stuff you want to stay cold but not get wet on top!!! I get so ticked off at sealed containers that allow water in from melted ice and Ziploc bags aren’t any better! Such a simple idea for avoiding soggy cooler food! Totally stealing this idea! Happy summer and here’s to dry sandwiches!

P.S. Don't worry the adult bevies are hiding under the ice!

 

[Bpracing1127]

Where would I put my beer? Lmao

I use a seperate food cooler with ice packs. Seems to work ok and doesn’t get beat up by the cans in the cooler too

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Where would I put my beer? Lmao

I use a seperate food cooler with ice packs. Seems to work ok and doesn’t get beat up by the cans in the cooler too

Definitely need a separate beer cooler in Havasu. Gotta stay hydrated in that heat!

 

[Tank]

We use the frozen water bottle trick for smaller coolers and car coolers. Works well and as they melt you can drink them.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

We use the frozen water bottle trick for smaller coolers and car coolers. Works well and as they melt you can drink them.

Agreed. About the only way to have cold water in the Havasu summer is to freeze your water bottles before heading outside!

 

[Mrs. Riley1]

We use Stasher bags. They are waterproof and come in multiple sizes. They’re awesome!

 

[Boatymcboatface]

Freeze bottles of water and use as ice. The little 8oz Kirkland ones work the best.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Freeze bottles of water and use as ice. The little 8oz Kirkland ones work the best.

I use the frozen bottles in the bottom of my cooler in the RZR. Works awesome.

 

[pronstar]

Ice sucks, freeze packs and frozen water bottles FTW

Dry ice is also great but not good for indoors.

 

[Aces & Eights]

 

[Wicky]

If you know me you know I loath Facebook. But today FB had a great cooler hack that is so damn simple and solves a huge pet peeve of mine. Thought I would share since boating season is in full swing now. Buy a small trash can that fits in your cooler, put frozen water bottles in the bottom of the can, and add the stuff you want to stay cold but not get wet on top!!! I get so ticked off at sealed containers that allow water in from melted ice and Ziploc bags aren’t any better! Such a simple idea for avoiding soggy cooler food! Totally stealing this idea! Happy summer and here’s to dry sandwiches!

P.S. Don't worry the adult bevies are hiding under the ice!

Back in the good old days, Igloo would include a shelf tray that would keep your sambis high and dry.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

We use Stasher bags. They are waterproof and come in multiple sizes. They’re awesome!
View attachment 1226201

I will have to look up the Stasher bags - thanks!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Ice sucks, freeze packs and frozen water bottles FTW

Dry ice is also great but not good for indoors.

Yes, it just makes a mess and that's if you can find a bag. On the hot Havasu weekends, they run out and you end up going store to store looking.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Awesome flashback! I totally forgot about that part! HAHA!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Back in the good old days, Igloo would include a shelf tray that would keep your sambis high and dry.

That's right! I remember those trays. I wonder why they stopped including them...

 

[Desert Whaler]

If you still prefer actual ice …. Try this.

Add 1/4 cup of salt to a 1/2 gallon of water.
Let the salt dissolve… shake, stir, whatever.
Now pour saltwater into water bottles.
(Mark ‘S’ w/ a sharpie, so you don’t drink).
Freeze them. (Will take longer than freshwater ice).
Pre-chill your cooler a day in advance.
Line the bottom of cooler w/ frozen saltwater bottles.
Add ice on top that.
Then fill cooler as normal.

The saltwater bottles will melt sooner, lowering the temp. of your ice making it last significantly longer.

Example…. I did this w/ a Yeti soft cooler on Friday morning . I put a frozen cryo-vac’d T-bone steak on top of the bottles & added a layer of ice around 8:00 am. The Yeti stayed inside my truck at well over 100 degrees while I was fishing the lower River. Took the steak out Sunday night around 6:00 pm & it was still frozen solid almost 60 hours later.

 

[rickym20]

My sister sent this to me last week, my kids call Havasu “subway season “ since we always are eating subs out in the water. I like some of the ideas above too but going to try this out this year .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079SHJ5HL?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_VZ5F0KZVD4Z91C4Q6Q0D

 

[Instigator]

Sissy's.
Just drink more beer. In Germany, beer is a food group. There is a pork chop's worth of calories in every can of beer.
Lol

 

[Happy Smitty]

Pretty simple for me. I don't allow food on the Hallett. Okay maybe chips for the kids, but no cheetos.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

I use the frozen bottles in the bottom of my cooler in the RZR. Works awesome.

Another added benefit to the frozen water bottles is no more holes in beer/soda cans from sloshing around in the ice! Always hated getting a leaking beer in the cooler and getting all over everything!

 

[Chili Palmer]

I just double bag my sandwiches and sandwich accoutrements (accessories). We learned the hard way not to use Tupperware in the cooler - soggy sandwiches suck.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Where would I put my beer? Lmao

I use a seperate food cooler with ice packs. Seems to work ok and doesn’t get beat up by the cans in the cooler too

That's what we do too. Flat top A/O cooler with ice packs and all the sandwiches, fruit, veggies, etc go in it.

 

[bocco]

Back in the good old days, Igloo would include a shelf tray that would keep your sambis high and dry.

Coleman coolers did also. Mine has the lip but no tray. There is even a lip in AMY's picture.

 

[bocco]

It looks like you can buy the coleman trays on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Personal-Coolers/dp/B00C4ZFY1Y

Also found this gadget that looks lnteresting.

https://www.amazon.com/Organization-Compatible-Accessory-Trimmable-Equipment/dp/B08ZXKCBTS/ref=d_pb_allspark_purchase_sims_desktop_vft_high_sccl_3_2/137-1484056-0255906?pd_rd_w=6xpEe&content-id=amzn1.sym.cdcffa71-e0b6-4359-8695-8b1b65851e69&pf_rd_p=cdcffa71-e0b6-4359-8695-8b1b65851e69&pf_rd_r=K5ZP1ZBAW1VTZKJB53CY&pd_rd_wg=9tMWQ&pd_rd_r=df2eeb42-85e9-4559-b929-1a9d6dc2b8e6&pd_rd_i=B08ZXKCBTS&psc=1

 

[QC22]

I just double bag my sandwiches

This plus an added tip. Don't "burp" the second baggie. This keeps the sandwich floating above everything. I figured this out a couple of years ago. Only been 45 years on the river before the light went on

 

[DLC]

We just bring a large tupper wear type of container for those items that shouldn’t get wet.

Also food only cooler helps !

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Back in the good old days, Igloo would include a shelf tray that would keep your sambis high and dry.

2 boat coolers later I still use the plastic tray that came with the cooler in my boat. Love that tray. I think they are wire trays today.

 

[DaveC]

Where would I put my beer? Lmao

I use a seperate food cooler with ice packs. Seems to work ok and doesn’t get beat up by the cans in the cooler too

Damn rookies….. I mean who puts food in the beer cooler? They call it beer cooler for a reason

 

[GreenEnergy28]

We keep a beer cooler, NA drink cooler, and a food/snack cooler in our boat... Food cooler gets freezer packs and minimal ice, if any at all.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Another added benefit to the frozen water bottles is no more holes in beer/soda cans from sloshing around in the ice! Always hated getting a leaking beer in the cooler and getting all over everything!

Yep. You have to clean it out well too.. or you’ll have a surprise next time you go to use the cooler lol.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

If you still prefer actual ice …. Try this.

Add 1/4 cup of salt to a 1/2 gallon of water.
Let the salt dissolve… shake, stir, whatever.
Now pour saltwater into water bottles.
(Mark ‘S’ w/ a sharpie, so you don’t drink).
Freeze them. (Will take longer than freshwater ice).
Pre-chill your cooler a day in advance.
Line the bottom of cooler w/ frozen saltwater bottles.
Add ice on top that.
Then fill cooler as normal.

The saltwater bottles will melt sooner, lowering the temp. of your ice making it last significantly longer.

Example…. I did this w/ a Yeti soft cooler on Friday morning . I put a frozen cryo-vac’d T-bone steak on top of the bottles & added a layer of ice around 8:00 am. The Yeti stayed inside my truck at well over 100 degrees while I was fishing the lower River. Took the steak out Sunday night around 6:00 pm & it was still frozen solid almost 60 hours later.

That's some good secret ice intel there! Thanks for the idea!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

My sister sent this to me last week, my kids call Havasu “subway season “ since we always are eating subs out in the water. I like some of the ideas above too but going to try this out this year .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079SHJ5HL?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_VZ5F0KZVD4Z91C4Q6Q0D

View attachment 1226274

Cool! Million dollar idea right there! Love it!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Sissy's.
Just drink more beer. In Germany, beer is a food group. There is a pork chop's worth of calories in every can of beer.
Lol

LOL! True but we don't want any hangry pirates causing mutiny!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Pretty simple for me. I don't allow food on the Hallett. Okay maybe chips for the kids, but no cheetos.

Cheetos are the worst! Sticky orange fingers! Those and anything chocolate-coated snacks that just melt the second they are out of the cooler.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Another added benefit to the frozen water bottles is no more holes in beer/soda cans from sloshing around in the ice! Always hated getting a leaking beer in the cooler and getting all over everything!

That just happened to me at Super CAT Fest. Definitely makes your cooler ice look suspect when the surrounding water is yellow...haha!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

I just double bag my sandwiches and sandwich accoutrements (accessories). We learned the hard way not to use Tupperware in the cooler - soggy sandwiches suck.

Totally. Definitely a pet peeve of mine. Yuck!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Coleman coolers did also. Mine has the lip but no tray. There is even a lip in AMY's picture.

You are right! I didn't even notice the lip! So unfair they don't include the tray anymore with the cooler. They did that to me with my new refrigerator too. There is a bracket for a meat/cheese drawer but none was included. I called to report it missing and the manufacturer said it does not come with one and they did not even have one I could buy separately. What a racket!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

It looks like you can buy the coleman trays on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Personal-Coolers/dp/B00C4ZFY1Y

Also found this gadget that looks lnteresting.

https://www.amazon.com/Organization-Compatible-Accessory-Trimmable-Equipment/dp/B08ZXKCBTS/ref=d_pb_allspark_purchase_sims_desktop_vft_high_sccl_3_2/137-1484056-0255906?pd_rd_w=6xpEe&content-id=amzn1.sym.cdcffa71-e0b6-4359-8695-8b1b65851e69&pf_rd_p=cdcffa71-e0b6-4359-8695-8b1b65851e69&pf_rd_r=K5ZP1ZBAW1VTZKJB53CY&pd_rd_wg=9tMWQ&pd_rd_r=df2eeb42-85e9-4559-b929-1a9d6dc2b8e6&pd_rd_i=B08ZXKCBTS&psc=1

Oh, cool links! Thanks for the info. That net looks really interesting. And I guess why include the tray when you can sell it for $30 more separately?

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

This plus an added tip. Don't "burp" the second baggie. This keeps the sandwich floating above everything. I figured this out a couple of years ago. Only been 45 years on the river before the light went on

Brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing your light bulb! Funny how some things just make sense after years of nonsense!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

We just bring a large tupper wear type of container for those items that shouldn’t get wet.

Also food only cooler helps !

Definitely. For all-day trips, 2 coolers work best cause no one wants to run out of adult beverages!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

2 boat coolers later I still use the plastic tray that came with the cooler in my boat. Love that tray. I think they are wire trays today.

That was a smart idea to hold on to your original tray. Way to think ahead!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Damn rookies….. I mean who puts food in the beer cooler? They call it beer cooler for a reason

Hilarious! You are so right!

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

We keep a beer cooler, NA drink cooler, and a food/snack cooler in our boat... Food cooler gets freezer packs and minimal ice, if any at all.

Nice! Your boat sounds very organized and you must have teens with the separate NA drink cooler. Smart idea, those teens can be so sneaky.

 

[Amy@Team RDP]

Yep. You have to clean it out well too.. or you’ll have a surprise next time you go to use the cooler lol.

Ugh. There is nothing worse than a dirty or smelly cooler in 100-degree heat. Ewww.