The Cooling Products I Use All Summer - and Into Fall

I got tired of buying bags of ice at the marina store every single time we went to get on the boat.

Without fail, we'd stop on the way, wrestle dripping bags of ice into the cooler, throw everything together, and by lunchtime half the cooler was cold water.

I finally realized the problem wasn't the cooler.

I didn't have a system.

I didn't build it all at once, either. One summer I found a tumbler that actually kept water cold. The next season I upgraded the cooler. Eventually I realized good ice packs mattered just as much as the cooler itself.

Little by little, the whole routine came together.

Now, when we're heading out for a boat day, loading up the golf cart, or meeting friends on the patio, everything is already ready to go.

And honestly...

That's made summer feel a lot easier.

The Cups & Reusable Ice Cubes I Reach For

The first thing I figured out was that I was using the wrong cups.

Water would get warm faster than I wanted. Wine ended up watered down. I'd constantly be looking for more ice instead of actually enjoying the afternoon.

Now every drink has a job.

The BrüMate Era Flip comes everywhere with me. It lives in the golf cart, comes on road trips, sits beside me while I'm working outside, and somehow still has cold water waiting for me hours later.

When I want super-cold drinks, I add these reusable ice cubes to my drinks. These keep my drinks cold without watering them down.

For wine, champagne, or a cocktail on the patio, I switch to my HOST frozen tumblers. They keep drinks cold without watering them down, which means I'm never rushing through a glass before the ice melts.

It sounds like a small change.

It isn't.

The Ice Packs That Actually Last

The least exciting part of my summer system is probably the one that made the biggest difference.

For snack bags, lunch-sized coolers, or shorter outings, I use the slim Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh. They slide into places where bulky ice packs never fit and keep everything cold without taking over the cooler.

When we're spending the day on the boat, I swap them for the Kona XXL ice packs.

They stay cold longer, fill the larger spaces inside my backpack cooler, and keep everything chilled well into the afternoon.

I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a bag of ice at the marina.

The Coolers That Earn Their Spot

I spent way too long looking for one cooler that could do everything.

Eventually I realized there isn't one.

There are just different coolers for different days.

The smaller BrüMate cooler is the one I grab most often. It's perfect for golf cart rides, drinks for two, or quick afternoons where bringing the larger cooler would be overkill.

When we're heading out for an all-day boat trip, the backpack cooler comes instead. It carries more, keeps both hands free walking down the dock, and is much easier to haul around than a bulky hard-sided cooler.

The best cooler isn't the biggest one.

It's the one that's right for the day you're actually having.

My Boat-Day Favorites

Boat days are where the whole system comes together.

The backpack cooler.

The larger ice packs.

The slim can cooler.

The Era Flip.

Nothing in the cooler is there by accident anymore.

Each piece has a job, which means once we're on the water, I don't have to think about any of it.

That's exactly how I want it.

The System That Makes Hot Days Easier