freezer Idea

[dgc1963]

Ok I have an Idea for our next elk hunt I have a small chest freezer and a generator with a 22 gal extra fuel tank . So I was thinking of filling the freezer with 1 gal jugs freezing them and packing it all in the trailer for the drive out we do it in 3 days Pa to Idaho, hiking in like usual and if, scratch that WHEN we fill a tag not only do we have lots of frozen jugs extra coolers plus the ability to fire up the freezer back at the truck to cool down or freeze meat
Im thinking this is gona be better than coolers alone its a good 45 min drive to the town to get our meat frozen am I over thinking this ?

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Towing a Freezer

Hi Hunt Talk, Last year was my first year attempting pronghorn and I drove out from Florida, where I was stationed with the Navy. I got a doe in Wyoming. My wife and I really liked the meat so we are going to go for more tags this year. We have a small trailer and 7 cubic foot chest freezer. We...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[brockel]

Bumpy roads are hard on freezer parts so drive careful

 

[dgc1963]

Bumpy roads are hard on freezer parts so drive careful

I did not think of that but thats why things are boxed and wedged in when shipping so the compressor cant bounce around most are mounted on rubber gromits will have to think about that

 

[ntodwild]

Been doing this for years for our Sept. camp in the Cascades. My buddy has an enclosed cargo trailer that in itself is a refrigerated unit (He's a refer guy and we have hung plenty of Elk and deer quarters in it over the years). For those early archery hunts in Sept. it's a great thing to have. Aside from that it has a chest freezer in the trailer as well. Having a chest freezer in camp is as good as it gets. 10 bags of ice on hand all the time, plenty of frozen goods and not much need to go into town. Our camp is typically setup starting the last week of Aug. and doesn't get broken down till last week of Sept. Works amazingly well and keeps us spoiled for sure. You won't need to run the generator much if you pack the chest freezer with bags of ice. It will easily keep ice for several days without needing to be started depending on temps. We typically start generators every evening anyhow in camp as our camp is comprised of 3 travel trailers so the chest freezer typically gets powered for a few hours a day and we have never had problems in 70-90deg weather.

As far as bumpy roads I wouldn't stress that much over it. Just make sure it's strapped down. The Chest freezer we use is a cheap Costco unit that has lasted many a nasty dirt roads in the back of an enclosed cargo trailer that doesn't have that great of suspension.

It is definitely a great perk to have. You won't want to go for a long hunt again without it.

 

[mtmuley]

Saw some guys bring one out to the Breaks in Montana last year. They just ran the generator off and on. Noisy bastard. Seemed to work though. mtmuley

 

[WyoDoug]

My thoughts is the bouncing on the roads would damage the compressor motor. But I bet you could make it work though. What I would suggest is getting hold of one of them refrigeration units used in cooler rooms and build yourself a refrigerated trailer. I think you can find a unit for 2-300 used in good condition. Or maybe hard foam covering over the trailer bed and using a deep freezer unit which I think would be more stable than an upright freezer. I used to deliver upright freezers when I worked for Home Depot years ago and we had a number damaged when the people loading them laid them on the sides or back which is bad as the coolant almost always leaked that way. But worse is we had a lot of compressor motors damaged simply from bouncing in the trailer or truck beds.

 

[brockel]

My thoughts is the bouncing on the roads would damage the compressor motor. But I bet you could make it work though. What I would suggest is getting hold of one of them refrigeration units used in cooler rooms and build yourself a refrigerated trailer. I think you can find a unit for 2-300 used in good condition. Or maybe hard foam covering over the trailer bed and using a deep freezer unit which I think would be more stable than an upright freezer. I used to deliver upright freezers when I worked for Home Depot years ago and we had a number damaged when the people loading them laid them on the sides or back which is bad as the coolant almost always leaked that way. But worse is we had a lot of compressor motors damaged simply from bouncing in the trailer or truck beds.

There’s actually a way to make a window air conditioner do that. I think the part you need is called a “cool bot” maybe?

 

[WyoDoug]

There’s actually a way to make a window air conditioner do that. I think the part you need is called a “cool bot” maybe?

You want temp down below 40 for it to really work to keep meat cool and safe to eat.

 

[brockel]

You want temp down below 40 for it to really work to keep meat cool and safe to eat.

Will drop it down to 34 degrees

CoolBot Walk-In Cooler Controller

The CoolBot Walk-In Cooler Controller allows you to transform your room into a walk-in cooler.

www.storeitcold.com

 

[WyoDoug]

@brockel: I like this idea which is kind of what I was thinking of doing. Now I understand what you were talking about. Yes this would work.

 

[jnd1959]

I was thinking of building a smaller unit using the same technology as those portable ice chests but this may make more sense. I already have a trailer. I want the meat to hang below 40 but above freezing on the ride home. I just need to figure out how to secure quarters so they don't sway too much while driving. An extra battery or two tied to the alternator could run a dc unit or convert and run it on ac. If anyone comes up with a workable plan that is sans generator I'm in for testing.

 

[WyoDoug]

I would like to see something like this sold on the open market. You could maybe come up with something that connects to a deep cycle battery. It would likely draw too much on a standard automotive battery.

 

[F250]

I had a Sears chest freezer that survived travel from Vermont to Saskatchewan 9 times, Idaho once, Colorado once, Utah once, and western Ontario three times. It finally gave up. I found another one just like it on Craig's List for $100.00. It has traveled to Utah once, Saskatchewan twice, Kansas twice, and Wyoming once. It rides in a cargo trailer strapped down tight.

 

[jake23]

I have always brought a chest freezer as well. I usually try to do antelope and mule deer in the same trip, so I am typically gone for more than one week. Sometimes two. A chest freezer is a must. I have one that will run off of a Honda 1000. I recently outfitted my trailer with deep cycle batteries, solar, and an inverter. I can run that freezer constantly and only have to top off the batteries every other day.

I also bring a stainless table for processing meat, as well as my grinder, vacuum sealer and all other stuff necessary to fully process at camp. When I leave camp all of my meat is cut and sealed or ground up in 1 lb bags. I can fit 6 antelope and 1 mule deer in the freezer.

Taking a freezer may not be necessary, but it sure makes it easier in my opinion. And I don’t have to worry about meat spoiling.

 

[Rzrbck918]

I have always brought a chest freezer as well. I usually try to do antelope and mule deer in the same trip, so I am typically gone for more than one week. Sometimes two. A chest freezer is a must. I have one that will run off of a Honda 1000. I recently outfitted my trailer with deep cycle batteries, solar, and an inverter. I can run that freezer constantly and only have to top off the batteries every other day.

I also bring a stainless table for processing meat, as well as my grinder, vacuum sealer and all other stuff necessary to fully process at camp. When I leave camp all of my meat is cut and sealed or ground up in 1 lb bags. I can fit 6 antelope and 1 mule deer in the freezer.

Taking a freezer may not be necessary, but it sure makes it easier in my opinion. And I don’t have to worry about meat spoiling.

Are you processing in the back-country or do you have a permanent camp?

 

[jake23]

Are you processing in the back-country or do you have a permanent camp?

Permanent camp

 

[Rzrbck918]

Gotcha, Ive tried to do some processing where we camp but not enough water for everything to be clean enough for my wife's tastes.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

ive got a 7 cu ft chest freezer from home depot and its the only way to go on a long multi animal trip,,its lasted 7 yrs so far and still going,,this year will be a real test,,3 deer tags and 2 elk tags,,not very sure if I can get it all to fit in a 7 cu ft freezer if I'm successful on all tags,,ive gotten 4 antelope and a deer in it before and it was full,full,,,but elk are big..5 in 1 big trip over a months time is gonna be my biggest trip ive ever done .thinkin I might need a cooler or 2 more for space,,but space is limited

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

what I try to do is take 1 gallon ziplock freezer bags,,{a few boxes} with me,,debone and fit to 1 gallon bags,,ziplock and freeze till I get home then,thaw and clean and process the meat a bag at a time as it unthaws at home where I can clean and trim and grind it better,,mark the bags with a sharpie as you go,,if you only have 1 or 2 critters you might get by with just quarter bags.