"Freeze a couple of your water bottles or anything else you can get cold before you pack your cooler; this helps keeps the cooler cold throughout the weekend. You can even freeze all your water in place of ice altogether. Place your water bottles and other upright items in first. Don't be tempted to lie them flat, because fishing them out of the ice can get difficult. Place other items that need to stay very cool between the water bottles. Pack the ice around the water bottles until the cooler is nearly full. This should create a 'shelf' in your cooler for your more fragile items - dairy, fruits, vegetables and condiments. The more tightly packed your cooler, the better you'll retain ice. Learn to shop for your groceries to fit the cooler as perfectly as possible. Pack food in leak-proof containers. Avoid packing raw meat in the same cooler as the rest of your food. Avoid packing paper and carboard packaging." - Todd Hoff