How many quarts is the cooler? I think mine is around 75 and with half a pound of 65% beads, holds the humidity constant better than my desktop humidor. Which is why I just put my humidor in my coolidor. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=14 The mesh bag to hold the beads in has been working well for me.

Chris is right, there really isn't much to do to set up a coolidor. If you line it with cedar, wipe the wood down with distilled water and activate the beads, and let it sit closed until the rh levels out near 65.

If you don't have any cedar lining, just add the beads inside the cooler. Like stated before, it won't take long for the rh to settle out, maybe an hour or so.