HOGG Cooler Cooling Tips For Ice Retention

Get the Most Out of Your Hogg Cooler: Ice Retention Tips

At Hogg, we’re all about helping you make the good times last—whether that’s keeping drinks cold on a weekend getaway, preserving your catch on a fishing trip, or powering through tailgates season after season. To maximize your cooler’s ice retention, follow these tried-and-true tips.

What Is Ice Retention?

Ice retention is your cooler’s ability to lock in the cold, measured in hours or days. With the right prep, your Hogg Cooler can deliver peak performance and keep everything inside chilled for longer.

Pre-Chill Your Cooler

Always pre-chill your cooler before loading it up. The best method is to fill it with ice the night before, or even better, for a full 24 hours. Close the lid and let the ice do its work to condition the inside walls. Keeping that ice and melt water in there for a full day sets your cooler up for long-term cold performance.

Pro Tip: If your cooler has been sitting in a hot garage, shed, or truck bed all summer, you may need to refresh the ice after just a few hours before loading it up for your trip.

Pre-Chill Your Provisions

Never put warm items into your cooler. Everything, food, drinks, even water bottles, should come straight from the fridge or freezer. Loading in warm items will raise the internal temperature and force the ice to work overtime.

Follow the 2:1 Rule

Pack your cooler with twice as much ice as food and drinks. More ice means a more stable, colder environment.

  • Large ice blocks or frozen water bottles = long-lasting cooling power
  • Small ice cubes = perfect for filling in gaps and reducing warm air pockets

Pro Tip: A mix of both block ice and cubed ice gives you the best of both worlds.

Layer It Up

How you pack matters:

  1. Start with a base layer of ice.
  2. Add pre-chilled food and drinks.
  3. Top it all off with more ice.

This layering helps maintain an even chill throughout the cooler.

Lock the Cold In

  • Keep the lid closed tight and only open when necessary.
  • Don’t drain the cold melt water until absolutely needed, it helps insulate.
  • Store your cooler in the shade and out of direct sunlight whenever possible.

Pro Tip: Avoid placing your cooler directly on hot surfaces. Instead, set it on a towel, mat, or even a Hogg Anywhere Blanket to reduce heat transfer.