120 Qt Cooler big enough

[Wiscohunter]

I have a 120 Qt Coleman Xtreme Cooler and was planning to take Elk hunting. If I am fortunate enough to get one, will it be a big enough cooler to transport one home? Also, I will be hunting in early September, so how do you prepare the cooler for when you pack an elk out? Do you just fill with Ice and leave it until you pack out the meat and put the elk meat on the ice until you get to town? It could be a full week between getting ice and getting an elk on ice, so I doubt there will be much ice left after day 5 or so. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but with Whitetails and bears, I just hang them and cut them up, or drop at a processor, so I've never had to worry about storing meat for a long time in hot weather. Thank you.

 

[Brendan]

I have a 120 Qt Coleman Xtreme Cooler and was planning to take Elk hunting. If I am fortunate enough to get one, will it be a big enough cooler to transport one home? Also, I will be hunting in early September, so how do you prepare the cooler for when you pack an elk out? Do you just fill with Ice and leave it until you pack out the meat and put the elk meat on the ice until you get to town? It could be a full week between getting ice and getting an elk on ice, so I doubt there will be much ice left after day 5 or so. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but with Whitetails and bears, I just hang them and cut them up, or drop at a processor, so I've never had to worry about storing meat for a long time in hot weather. Thank you.

Not enough unless you're talking completely processed and frozen solid.

I brought a Yeti 150 my first year, and it was barely enough for the meat. Bought a second 65-85 size Coleman to split up and have enough space for a medium sized boned out 5-pt.

I put game bags into contractor bags and submerge in ice. Ice will last if it's a good cooler, keep it out of the sun, and don't open it.

 

[Trial153]

No. Not If you need any kind of space for ice.
Two 100 quart coolers is the ticket on a good size bull.

 

[trophyhill]

I do 2 150 qt icechests. One is a Coleman and the other an Igloo. Just an FYI, those expensive Yetis don't keep ice any longer than the "cheapies" and in fact I've found them to be less effective. I used to have a Yeti. Heck I think it weighed 50# empty.....

 

[cbrown2x]

No, 100qt wit ice will do a big mule but not an elk. 2 or a bigger one is your best bet

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[LongWayAround]

A deboned cow will fit in a 120 with no room for ice.

 

[Wiscohunter]

Thanks for the replies. Guess I need to order another cooler!

 

[cnelk]

Why not wait until you kill an elk and then buy one on your way outta town?

 

[NHRedleg]

I run two 120qt Igloo Polar coolers. I made "cozies" for them with Reflectix material that entirely covered them, and added a layer of it inside the lid as well. In 2017 when I last went to CO I filled them each w/ cubed ice (couldn't find block) at the Walmart in Frisco; can't remember exactly how much ice that was but I filled them completely. They stayed in the back of the truck, never opened, shaded the entire time. Daytime temps most of the time in the 70's. After nine days when I opened those coolers to empty them for the trip home (no elk were harmed during my 2017 hunt) there was every bit of 80%+ of the ice left in each of those coolers. I spent $69 on each cooler, $24 on the roll of Reflectix, and another $5 or so for the aluminum tape.

 

[Wiscohunter]

Why not wait until you kill an elk and then buy one on your way outta town?

My concern is I'll be about an hour drive from town and if I don't have ice in a cooler and it's warm the meat could spoil.

 

[Wiscohunter]

The cooler cozie seems to have worked. I took mine bear hunting and ice lasted about 4 days. It was in the 70s and 80s with me going in and out twice a day to grab food. Was hoping not opening will give me a few more days.

 

[cnelk]

^^^ It will be fine. Its not ice cream.

The meat will be cooled down by night time temps. Wrap it up in your sleeping bag and you will have several hours.

 

[realunlucky]

^^^ It will be fine. Its not ice cream.

The meat will be cooled down by night time temps. Wrap it up in your sleeping bag and you will have several hours.

"It's not ice cream" lol should be a sig line.

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[LostArra]

Why not wait until you kill an elk and then buy one on your way outta town?

Have you priced a large cooler in elk country after Sept 1?? That assumes you can even find one. It's like blue tarps in Florida after a hurricane. A cooler purchased before the hunt can be used for a lot of things. Especially keeping beer cold.

 

[Morrid7]

I put a few blocks of dry ice in the bottom of my coolers and lay the regular ice on top. A little dry ice kept everything frozen in my coolers for 10 days in NM last September.


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[Brendan]

Have you priced a large cooler in elk country after Sept 1?? That assumes you can even find one. It's like blue tarps in Florida after a hurricane. A cooler purchased before the hunt can be used for a lot of things. Especially keeping beer cold.

My spare cooler is currently packed completely to the lid with all my backpacking food and snacks for two weeks. Have to pack it somehow, and itll either be gone by the end and ready for meat, or dump stuff out in the truck if I need it earlier.

 

[Catahoula]

I do the dry ice thing well. Then pile bags of ice on top. I generally use a 125 cooler in this fashion. Usually last 10-15 days depending on temperatures.

 

[longspeak74]

I freeze gallons jugs and run those along with dry ice. Also put dry goods/foods in another cooler. We're not that far from a town, so typically replenishing ice on the way home isn't a problem.

 

[SWOHTR]

I have a 125 and it’s good for a deer and ice.

Can do either multiple coolers or one big-ass one; multiple is probably the way to go.

 

[Hpchacrx]

Honestly for you if it’s going to be hot being a small chest freezer and generator. Or that meat will go bad