What is your cooler set up for elk?

[colinstewart]

I use a 140qt Orca and a 65 quart yeti. Can usually get a front quarter in the yeti and the rest in the orca.

Precool the coolers a couple days before the hunt and head out with a few frozen gallon water jugs in each cooler.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i have found that a 100 qt cooler is too small for 1 elk unless you debone everything,,with a 7 ft freezer,i debone the back straps and tender loins,,but i dont debone the quarters,,because of the angles and the bones a 7 ft freezer is just about right for 1 full elk,including cutting the ribs off the back bone and deboning the neck meat,,{standard cwd butchering procedures for interstate travel}if you debone everything i think you could get maybe 2 elk in it//i can verify that ive gotten 3 antelope and a deer in it before all at once and it was very full.

 

[Scott85]

With canyon coolers the 55 nests inside the 125, for storage when not in use.

 

[WIbiggame]

Just a PSA for the guys who use chest freezers with generators or anyone consodering this while hunting areas with bear storage requirements. This is what I used to do, but a few seasons ago we had a warden come through camp and the chest freezer is not bear safe. The cooler was chained and padlocks but not good enough. She made us leave the trailhead. Fortunately had a friend who lived a few hours away and left the cooler there to continue our hunt.

 

[Bryerific]

How many de-boned elk does your 7 cu ft freezer hold?

The reliable consensus appears to indicate that one 210 cu inch cooler (two 100's) holds:

one bull elk + ice.

If 7 cu ft = 12,096 cu inches, then: 12,096 cu in/210 = 57.6 bull elk + 0 ice

Please help. A 7 cu ft cooler is starting to sound like it might be a hunter's Tardis or I'm about to flunk another math test.

When people are talking about coolers it is usually in quarts (not cubic inches). Here’s the cheatin’ way of doing the conversion because I’m lazy. A 7 cu ft freezer is comparable to a 200 quart cooler (or two 100 quart coolers). I hope that helps

 

[rwc101]

Two cheap Coleman's stuffed with frozen two liter bottles and a decent rotomolded cooler for the beer.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i keep my freezer inside my enclosed cargo trailer/converted toyhauler/camper////freezer is guarded by smith and wesson lol

 

[JAG]

When people are talking about coolers it is usually in quarts (not cubic inches). Here’s the cheatin’ way of doing the conversion because I’m lazy. A 7 cu ft freezer is comparable to a 200 quart cooler (or two 100 quart coolers). I hope that helps

Bingo! Thank you! I had the wrong measurement. I kept seeing the LWH dimensions in inches and then the final number at 210 or 100 without the 'qt' indicator.

 

[Deleted member 52098]

Reading through all this, it looks like everyone is packing at least 200qts for elk. I know I need to add some capacity, but curious about one thing:

All other variables being held equal (price, empty weight, etc) do people think its best to break that 200 into 2 coolers or would a single be better for the meat?

 

[Dsnow9]

Reading through all this, it looks like everyone is packing at least 200qts for elk. I know I need to add some capacity, but curious about one thing:

All other variables being held equal (price, empty weight, etc) do people think its best to break that 200 into 2 coolers or would a single be better for the meat?

I like breaking into two coolers so I can get more space between chunks of meat. I use arctic ice 5lb blocks for my meat. Provide good spacing and last longer than water. Just have to put them in the deep freezer way before the hunt to make sure they are frozen sold before I leave.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

^^This

I bought a 7 cubic ft chest freezer for $150 and a small generator for $125 and carry it in a pickup bed trailer. Still cheaper than a Yeti. I can keep ice jugs frozen and cool down meat and fish during the trip. When camping an hour or so from town, it's a pain to have to keep running into town for ice. Yes, a good cooler will keep ice for a while, but it won't freeze meat for a long trip home. Usually I freeze the meat and then put it in a cooler with ice jugs and duct tape the cooler shut. I only run the freezer when I need it. I plug it in to temp before I leave home and then it's a quick re-freeze at camp. I shut it down at night. My little generator will run for 8 hours on a gallon of gas to keep the freezer running. Another plus to this set up is extra space for gear and coolers and whatnot with tie down straps or cargo net. I usually keep my coolers in the trailer since they are cumbersome and take up a lot of empty space.

I happened to buy a 7 cu ft chest freezer last night and am considering running it on a generator for my elk trip in CO. I don't know too much about generators and freezers, researching rn, but how many watts are required to run the freezer in the bed of the truck?

 

[2rocky]

With canyon coolers the 55 nests inside the 125, for storage when not in use. View attachment 235669

why don't more companies do this?

 

[JohnCushman]

I happened to buy a 7 cu ft chest freezer last night and am considering running it on a generator for my elk trip in CO. I don't know too much about generators and freezers, researching rn, but how many watts are required to run the freezer in the bed of the truck?

No idea lol I just ran a little generator and it worked. Sorry.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

No idea lol I just ran a little generator and it worked. Sorry.

Haha no worries!

 

[ccc23454]

I happened to buy a 7 cu ft chest freezer last night and am considering running it on a generator for my elk trip in CO. I don't know too much about generators and freezers, researching rn, but how many watts are required to run the freezer in the bed of the truck?

My 7cu runs on cheapy 2200watt peak portable generator. Run it for 3/4 hours a day just pay attention it will occasionally trip CB on compressor start. I like to keep bunch of the 5lb igloo ice in it to rotate thru coolers and helps keep freezer solid. Freezers are great in theory but really on most of my hunts they are just not practical. Two115's are already loaded not the freezer in truck for idaho Thursday.

 

[BirdManMike]

I use yeti coolers. I had yeti make me a cooler that lines the entire interior of my vehicle. Then, I had yeti make an even bigger cooler that my vehicle fits in. Then, I bought a bigger vehicle that can haul my yeti-encapsulated vehicle on a trailer.

So, first I put the meat into yeti coolers. Then, I put the yeti coolers into my yeti cooler fitted vehicle. Then, I drive my vehicle into the vehicle-sized yeti cooler. Then, I tow it home.

I figure with the 3 layers of yeti coolers my meat will be kept fresh until worlds end.

yeti (tm).

 

[Hickory1991]

I use yeti coolers. I had yeti make me a cooler that lines the entire interior of my vehicle. Then, I had yeti make an even bigger cooler that my vehicle fits in. Then, I bought a bigger vehicle that can haul my yeti-encapsulated vehicle on a trailer.

So, first I put the meat into yeti coolers. Then, I put the yeti coolers into my yeti cooler fitted vehicle. Then, I drive my vehicle into the vehicle-sized yeti cooler. Then, I tow it home.

I figure with the 3 layers of yeti coolers my meat will be kept fresh until worlds end.

yeti (tm).

Can’t imagine how much that cost.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i use my inverter and my deep cycle golf cart batterys,,my 7 cu ft pulls a bit on compressor start up but quicky drops when running,,my 1000 watt inverter handles it with ease and my 3 solar panels on my tlr roof, that can pump as much as 15 amps on a good day keep up with it no problem,,can run several days strait even cloudy.i think the freezer maybe pulls 5 amps on start up,but very low wattage after that,,id guess around 100 or so,,and of course it draws nothing once its to cold and it cycles off.

 

[BillDoe708]

I use yeti coolers. I had yeti make me a cooler that lines the entire interior of my vehicle. Then, I had yeti make an even bigger cooler that my vehicle fits in. Then, I bought a bigger vehicle that can haul my yeti-encapsulated vehicle on a trailer.

So, first I put the meat into yeti coolers. Then, I put the yeti coolers into my yeti cooler fitted vehicle. Then, I drive my vehicle into the vehicle-sized yeti cooler. Then, I tow it home.

I figure with the 3 layers of yeti coolers my meat will be kept fresh until worlds end.

yeti (tm).

Should have built an air intake and exhaust port for the vehicle. The you could have used the ac while running down the road.

Colman extreme coolers here since the freezer didn't run last year and we didn't know until time to come home.

 

[Jm84]

i use a 7 cu ft chest freezer,,always have in my trailer for all hunt trips,,out of state long milage multi day excurtions ,,its the way to go//i run solar on my trailer roof and itll run the freezer no problem//have a gas generater if i need it but the solar setup works great so far,,i have dual deep cycle trojan batterys with a 1000 watt inverter,,works great.

Can you share some pics?