Six Tips For Packing a Better Party Cooler

A lot of people think they're great party hosts, but they have no cooler packing skills.  With that in mind, and since Saturday is the official start of summer, here's a list of six tips to pack a better cooler.

This list is courtesy of Yahoo! Food:

1. Get it started early.  You should pack a cooler about two hours before guests arrive.  That gives plenty of time for beer to get cold, but not enough for all the ice to melt.
2. Use bagged ice.  Don't take ice out of your fridge for the cooler.  You'll need it for cocktails later.  And the bagged ice is a better size for fitting in between cans.
3. Build layers.  Beer cans should go in first, then ice.  You keep it more even that way, and you can pack more in the cooler.  After that, put in bottled beer, and if you have it, put wine on the top because it shouldn't be as cold.
4. Pour cold water over the ice.  A pitcher of cold water will help cool drinks down faster.  For beer the ideal is a slushy mixture.
5. Keep extra drinks on deck in the sink, or in a second fridge.  When the cooler goes empty, you need to have cold drinks ready to go.  No one wants to wait for beer to get cold after they have started drinking.
6. Have a separate ice supply for drinks.  Don't make people grab ice out of the cooler with their bare hands.

Now you are ready for a summer of perfectly packed coolers.