This Game-Changing Pool Noodle Hack Lets Your Cooler Lazily Float With You While Camping
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Camping is a great way to get out in nature, and it's so much better right next to a lake. Cooling off with a swim or a leisurely float can be incredibly relaxing. If this mental picture calls forth an inflatable lounge chair and a frosty drink in hand, there is a clever pool noodle hack from @arino101 on TikTok that will allow a cooler to float alongside you. The hack creates a box-shaped cooler holder that floats, and it's something I've made myself. All that's needed is a cooler, a few pool noodles, a serrated knife, a piece of thin rope, and a hot glue gun.
@arino101 He made this cute floaty for our Yeti cooler out of pool noodles 🥺 #diy #summerdiy #yeti
To create this floating cooler holder, measure each side of the cooler, then cut four pool noodle pieces that are a bit longer than each of the sides. When trying this hack, I left myself around 3 inches on each side, and you might want to use more or fewer noodle pieces, depending on the height of your cooler. Stack the pieces up to resemble the four sides of a box, and hot glue them together. Cut a few more noodle pieces to make a base for the box, and glue them on, as well. Additionally, you can attach a piece of thin rope to one side of the box, so it can be attached to a lounge chair arm or around a wrist (I actually glued an old waterproof dog leash to mine). While there are great pool noodle hacks for camping that will keep you from tripping over your tent and create an easy camping toilet, one that keeps drinks close by is a game-changer.
More about making a pool noodle float for your cooler
Having extra space on each side of the cooler leaves room for other things that might be useful while floating, like a bag of chips, a water bottle, or some sunscreen. When I made mine, I even lined the holder with one of the large blue bags you get at Ikea. This helped keep water out, as I like to keep a book with me. Plus, it's easier to lift everything out at once when the floating is over for the day. To stock up on supplies, Dollar Tree has 47-inch pool noodles for around $1.50, and Amazon has a pack of six Hollowfly 40-inch noodles in different colors.
When cutting the noodles, the ends can be sliced straight across, as seen in the TikTok from @arino101, or you can cut them at a 45-degree angle so they fit together like the corners of a picture frame. Using a few colors on the same box can make it festive, or different-colored boxes can be used for each person in your camping party. A simpler version of this hack simply uses one noodle piece on each side, tied together with rope to form a rectangle, and extra rope tied to act as a net along the bottom. If you have extra supplies left over, check out five unexpected pool noodle hacks that can up your RV-camping game.