Does pre-chilling a cooler actually help keep ice longer?

Yes, it’s not a gimmick. A hot cooler’s plastic walls absorb some of the ice’s cold energy just to cool themselves down, making ice melt faster. Pre-chill by storing the empty cooler in a cool place or tossing a bag of ice in it for 30 minutes and dumping the melt water. It’s a simple, free habit that buys you a few extra hours of ice life on a hot day.