Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Suggestions for ice coolers for hauling game

Otis,

In what form do you want to haul those hogs - field dressed whole carcasses, quartered with bones still in, deboned pieces, or fully processed? How you carry will determine what size cooler you need. You obviously want "large enough," but if you get one that is grossly oversized for what you need, you are going to buy more ice than you would for a smaller cooler. That said, two hogs of that size quartered are going to require a big cooler (I'm thinking 100+ quart), so even a 150 quart cooler might not be grossly oversized, especially if you might leave one as a whole carcass.

I agree with the others that an expensive "premium" priced cooler is not required.

If it's hot and away from somewhere to buy ice I'll start with blocks of ice in a 100-120qt cooler with a drain. Then when time comes put the game in or on top. Can leave open then cover the works with sleeping bags. Have easily put two quartered, not deboned elk in/on two coolers front to front with bags over the top. Much prefer to debone at home when feasible. All depends. In 2015 loaded up a big cooler crossways in the SUV. Took out the rear seat cushions blocked it up and strapped it all secure and cruised (bounced) around for week- pretty much overkill but when it came time to throw the antelope in there and head home it was ready.

My old man always had a 12V freezer so we could freeze more ice, keep frozen foods, and could be on the road for weeks never having to go around no dammed people or buy chit. Freezing your own blocks in the desert is pretty slick - gotta give him that.

I like to freeze gallon milk jugs full of water for my ice, if available. They will last longer than loose ice and if needed, can be used for drinking water once they have thawed.

I freeze up a bunch of these for fishing and dump the blocks of ice in the cooler.
You can bust up the blocks with a hammer if desired (1.5 gallon).
After use, I just toss the ice, no jugs to wash up for reuse for the next load of fish.



https://www.walmart.com/search/?page=2&query=rubber+aid+lid+food+storage#searchProductResult

My understanding from the 'industry insiders' that I know is that the high end coolers ( yeti etc.) have as their main calling card durability. Yes they do keep stuff colder longer, but the thing is if you are young and never want to buy another cooler, they are the way to go.....if you don't mind lugging them around with their thick walls , and they hold less because of it. But conventional coolers and the new 'extreme' models last me about 15 years, so they'll do!

i freeze half gallon flat juice jugs,i just throw them back in the freezer when i gat home.i bet i've hauled a few thousand pounds of catfish fillets home home in my old 101quart igloo.

On last years Hog Hunt I killed average size hogs. They all fit in my 120 qt Igloo cooler. We put the quartered up hogs in my cooler overnight in the freezer. I loaded up the next morning and headed back to Missouri. I threw a couple of bags of ice on top off the pigs on the way back. It was all still frozen when I got home the next day.

I brought my Moose back from British Columbia the same way except it took 3 coolers and I bought some dry ice about half way home. No need to buy A Yeti unless you just want one.

Ill see you at the Hog Hunt

2-3 day drive....Cheap Coleman marine style cooler, 10-15 lbs dry ice in the cavity, duct tape lid.

We use an old chest freezer. Put a Johnson control on it to turn it into a cooler. Where we pig hunt we can just plug it in. Then pack it with ice for the drive home. About 11 hrs.When we get home we plug it back in until we can process. If you put the word out you can get one free or cheap and the control is about $50

Could you explain the "Johnson control" feature? Are you talking about a generator?

It's a modified thermostat system that keeps things from freezing

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Johnso...mp;cvid=216E60C6833F47A5BD5F4CCA93C70EFD

No it plugs into 110 A/C outlet then the Freezer plugs into it. You can set the temp and it kicks the freezer on or off to maintain temp. Works great. I keep beer in it in the shop.You have to play with the adjustment a little bit.The temp settings on the dial are not exact. Have one set up in my shop for early season deer i just quarter them out. Then put it on a raised rack in the freezer with the plug out so the blood just runs to the floor drain.