I'm looking for a cooler that will be able to handle a couple hogs should average 150-200 lbs on the hoof! I know YETI, was wondering if maybe there is something of equal quality, for less money! Also, what size?

See the thread on here about RTIC.

I've been pleased with Igloo Marine Coolers

If you get much above 100 Qts you will need help to lift it.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Igloo+Marine+Cooler&go=Submit&qs=ds&form=QBLH&scope=web

paladin cooleres.com He is a vet. Has posted on this site. Coolers are made in USA. His have wheels,which should help with the heavy loads.

Freezer and generator?

Bought 2 - Igloo 120 qt coolers (IIRC) almost 15 years ago for our move from Nebraska to Arkansas. Loaded them from our freezer on a Thursday and put the contents back into the freezer on Sunday - after it cooled down. It was over 90* all 4 days and lost NOTHING, frozen veggies and such were loaded last and they didn't even hint at thawing. Did fill any gap on the top of each cooler with newspapers and sealed any potential air infiltration cracks and seams with packing tape. These can still be had for well under $100 ea. They fit sideways in the bed of my S10 PU with no problem.

I have since transported field dressed, but otherwise whole (including head and legs), antlerless deer in them with no problem.

HINT - load them in the vehicle before filling them . . .

BTW - NO extra ice was added.

Any cooler will work....just add ice

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS


I bought a big ass Igloo " 5 day" cooler which holds 4 boned out hogs and ice from Texas to montana. Gotta add more ice every couple days in hot weather. Cooler was well under $100..ice is $2 bag...

Rather pay that than $500 on a Yeti to save $5 on ice...

I've been using Coleman Marine coolers for many years in my boat.
If something does break, parts are very easy to get, and their made in USA.


http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cole...Tz7-1i9ICFYePswod7HAD_A&gclsrc=aw.ds

As stated, 100qt is very heavy when full.
There's more than one model of the marine coolers. I think the "Pros" are the best, but I've had the regular Coleman Marines last for many years of rough service.

Absolutely! ^^^^^ All we ever use to haul elk back to Texas from Colorado every year! Never an issue.

Ice cooler

Yes I was thinking the same kaywoodie

Taken in 2011 I've since started using a bed cover to hide my gear during a road trip.

This was the leaving day picture on a two week hunt that culminated in 5 deer....just quarter and add ice

https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/coolers/roto-molded/RTIC-45-White

Yup. That's what a lot of folks use who have to travel long distances for subsistence fishing.

Get a 10cf or so freezer, a small generator and proceed to fill with fish or animal parts.

Once full and frozen, it should last for a couple days travel.

I have a Coleman 150 qt. Extreme that stays locked down in the bed of my truck from September through January 15th and the end of our deer seasons. The cooler has some channels molded into the interior and on the one closest to the drain plug I made a partition with that 1/2" blue foam insulation board cut to fit tightly. A lid was made from the same material and I now have a cooler within a cooler. Inside the small partioned off section I keep iced down drinks and lunches. The big open portion stays dry until we kill a deer. We gutless debone and pack our deer out and once we have a deer in there we add ice to cover and chill it. That's nice on those warm mid-September early October bow hunts. That takes the urgency out of making a kill in warm temperatures. The rest of the cooler is plenty big enough for a couple deboned whitetails and enough ice to keep it deep chilled for days. If there is a deer in there I pull the cooler out and set it on a slope and pull the drain plug to let any bloody water drain out. Add ice if and when necessary. When I get ready after letting it age, I pull the meat out and process it, wash the cooler out with a water/bleach solution and back in the truck it goes ready for the next one. It's a good system for my family and our hunting.

I own this cooler....it is small cooler best suited for cold beer

Probably any of the biggest cheap igloo or coleman ice coolers you could buy at walmart would work. A trick I use is leave the ice in the plastic bag it came in, or even better, put the ice in freezer bags like ziplocs. It will last way longer in the bags inside the cooler versus just pouring it into the cooler...

RTCI has signed a consent order with Yeti to cease selling coolers until they redesign them. Igloo roto-molded ones test the same as Yeti and RTCI for about 1/2 Yeti price.

Igloo's work well for the price. They get beat up going back and forth to deer lease.

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.