The Unexpected Hack That Will Keep Your Ice Cream Cold On The Road

If ice cream is among your essential summer road trip snacks, you'll naturally need an effective method to prevent the sweet treat from melting. In this case, bubble wrap can be your saving grace, as the material offers some impressive insulating qualities. Protecting pints and cartons with bubble wrap stops ice cream from melting because the material is quite effective at deterring warm air before it can reach your creamy snack.

While insulated coolers are also great for keeping food and beverages at the right temperature, your ice cream will still be exposed to the elements every time it's removed from cold storage. Covering it in bubble wrap offers an added layer of protection, whether you're on a picnic, hitting the beach, or traveling to a vacation destination in your vehicle. Additionally, bubble wrap is available at most stores and relatively inexpensive, so you can always have it on-hand at your home. If you're wondering where bubble wrap gets its neat insulating abilities, it's all in the design.

Any person who's come within arm's length of a sheet of bubble wrap knows how much fun it is to pop the bubbles. However, it's important that these bubbles remain intact if you want to keep your favorite ice cream frosty cold while it's outside of your freezer. That's because they're vital to the insulating abilities of this material.

The primary function of bubble wrap is to create protective cushioning around delicate items, which is why it's an essential material when shipping goods or packing belongings. Its cushioning ability results from each bubble being filled with air, creating a nice protective layer. These air-filled bubbles are also quite resistant to temperature fluctuations, which prevents the transfer of air from one place to another. Wrapping ice cream cartons in bubble wrap helps retain the cold and effectively keeps out any warmth, ensuring it stays perfectly chilled. You can also combine this ingenious hack with other methods to keep cool all summer long.

Along with insulating ice cream packages with bubble wrap, you must also be careful with cooler placement when spending time outdoors. If possible, place your cooler under a tree, umbrella, or in some other shaded area. Proper cooler placement can double the time it takes for ice to melt, which is essential to keeping your insulated ice cream as cool as it can be.

The way you pack your cooler can also impact how long your ice — and your ice cream — lasts. Open space inside the cooler means more air circulation, which can melt the ice at an accelerated rate. Accordingly, it's best to keep the cooler full of food, drinks, and treats, as a tightly packed storage space doesn't leave much room for air to flow. Along with ice cream and other goodies, don't be shy about taking along extra sodas, water, and other items to ensure you have ample refreshment when having fun this summer.