Coolers?

[cornfedkiller]

I need to buy some better coolers, and I've read all the threads about cooler size requirements for different game, but I'm curious which coolers you take a long on trips or what your "system" is. Do you load a big cooler up with ice and only use it for transporting game home, and take a smaller cooler for food, drinks, etc?

I'm already planning on getting a 150qt cooler, but I'm wondering if I should get a 65qt or not.

 

[Dos Perros]

I use big cooler, the one that meat will eventually go in, and I use it to carry gear. Mostly the backup gear, stuff I'm less likely to need or mess with. Then if I kill something, all that gear comes out and the meat goes in and the truck is a mess but I'm headed home. I don't buy large quantities of ice until I kill something. I've killed two bulls on hot early September days and never lost any meat to spoilage, just hustle to town and buy ice then.

I also use a smaller quality cooler with ice for stuff like frozen meals for car camping, milk/creamer for coffee, and beer.

 

[NDGuy]

Personally I would much rather buy the big igloo/coleman over the expensive options. Lighter and worth the ice loss tradeoff IMO.

 

[ThatredneckguyJamie]

Just for deer I have a 150 quart coleman, thing is probably 20 years old and I've replaced the latches and hinges probably a half dozen times, but for holding deer you can't beat it. Keep the water drained and fresh ice regularly and your good to go. If you quarter them you can fit 3 middle GA deer, or 4-5 FL deer. Everything else I use varying sizes of Rtic coolers

 

[svivian]

I use big cooler, the one that meat will eventually go in, and I use it to carry gear. Mostly the backup gear, stuff I'm less likely to need or mess with. Then if I kill something, all that gear comes out and the meat goes in and the truck is a mess but I'm headed home. I don't buy large quantities of ice until I kill something. I've killed two bulls on hot early September days and never lost any meat to spoilage, just hustle to town and buy ice then.

I also use a smaller quality cooler with ice for stuff like frozen meals for car camping, milk/creamer for coffee, and beer.

I do the exact same thing with storing inside the cooler. The only thing I do differently is ill freeze two or three whole cases of water. Either way ill have something cold to drink the whole week or ice to keep meat cold until I get more.

 

[Dos Perros]

I like the nice coolers for the seal, keeps rain off gear inside if I have to take the cooler out of the truck. Less of an issue now that I have a topper, but money is already spent.

I do have a cheap Coleman I use as well. Takes about 300 quarts of cooler capacity to fit a bull (no cape), in my experience.

 

[JGBowman]

Personally I would much rather buy the big igloo/coleman over the expensive options. Lighter and worth the ice loss tradeoff IMO.

I have a 125 qt Coleman and a 125 qt igloo cooler that I used to bring my moose meat home from newfoundland. I also used a 65 qt lerpin cooler, which is similar design to a yeti. The entire trip was about 30 hours. I had all my coolers in my truck bed under the tonneau cover. So they were not getting hit my direct sunlight. Each cooler had about 2-3 in of ice on the top.

I was extremely happy with how the Coleman and igloo cooler performed. Very little ice melted in each cooler, about the same as the lerpin. All I do differently for the Coleman and igloo cooler is put a ratchet strap around the coolers to secure the top.

 

[Superdoo]

I use a 75 quart igloo for deer and a 150 coleman for elk. I have a Grizzly 75 that comes along too. It holds a case and a half of frozen water bottles.

 

[Vrybusy]

For 110qt and larger, I freeze four square one gallon jugs of water and place them in the cooler. The square gallon bottles fit in the corners very well. Can still store gear and food in there without issue. Keeps the cooler chilled as well. RTIC has been a great compromise - realistic storage labeling and performance on par with all the big names.

 

[Fitzwho]

I barely fit my bull elk between a K2 120qt and an Igloo 75. Had to cut the shank off of one of the front shoulders to fit it in the smaller cooler. I'm assuming anybody only using 1 - ~120qt cooler is deboning prior to getting an entire elk into a cooler. I was thinking for future elk endeavors, I would eventually end up with 2 - 145qt Rtic Coolers. I would have gone with another 120 K2, but they seem to have gone out of business.

 

[Exarach]

I have a Coleman Xtreme Marine cooler I use for all my trips.
Its wonderful and will hold ice for multiple days. I think it cost roughly a 3rd of what they wanted for the rotomolded ones and its been great. When I cant fix it anymore I will buy another.

 

[rideold]

I have two 120 quart Coleman Extreme 5 Marine coolers. I can fit two cut, wrapped and frozen mule deer in one with ice packs in a layer on the bottom. My only gripe about them is the lid design allows water to wick inside if they get rained/snowed on. A tarp solves that problem. I bought them in the fall of 2016 on sale for less than $70 each. I think the equivalent new ones go for under $100 still.

 

[RuggedYogi]

Have a 120 qt and 150 qt Coleman. I can fit a whole cow elk in either one. I can’t justify dropping 3-4x as much money on a “nicer” one as I’ve never had an issue with keeping meat cold.

 

[nobody]

Headed out to Colorado this weekend and will be taking a 55 QT Lifetime and a 77 QT Lifetime. The 77 will be chilled with ice for bringing back a boned out buck, and the 55 will have our refrigerated food for 5 days inside. IMO, giant coolers SUCK. They're inefficient, require more thermal mass to regulate temperature, and once they're full they suck to handle and move. For me, more small to medium sized coolers is just the ticket.

 

[mlgc20]

I too prefer to take smaller coolers. For elk hunting, I will take a Yeti 110 (~90 qt) and 2 Yeti 65s (~60 qt). Roughly 210 quarts total capacity. We will use one of the 65s to store our food. For deer, I will just take the 110.

 

[Mtngadabout]

One large Yeti - front "seat" of my raft, lined with frozen 1/2 gallon plastic jugs. Keeps meat out of the water. Smaller cooler for food and drinks. Large cooler holds extra ice jugs for the drink cooler when no ice is available.

 

[5MilesBack]

I take my 200qt IRP Marine cooler filled with frozen gal milk and other jugs, and keep my food in that cooler as well. Then I also take a 120qt Coleman Extreme 6 for extra space and also to put my food in after filling the big cooler with all the meat and whatever jugs will fit. I have no problem getting a boned out bull to fit in the 200qt. Even quartered they will fit. I had over 300lbs of meat from my moose in there two years ago with several frozen jugs.

 

[FLATHEAD]

In need for a cooler or two myself, but will probably
go with a couple smaller ones.
I hunt solo and dont think I could pick up a 150qt full
of ice and meat.

 

[cornfedkiller]

Thanks for the input guys.. there have been several times a I thought to myself that I could really use a good legit 65qt cooler, but then I just wonder if its something I'd really use much and I never pull the trigger.. but RTIC are on sale right now so its got me thinking again..

Follow up question about Igloo coolers.. anyone know the difference between the Marine coolers and the MaxCold coolers? Academy has a "152qt MaxCold", Sam's Club has a "150qt MaxCold" for a bit cheaper but it doesnt have latches, and Walmart has a "150qt Marine 7-day"?

 

[Blandry]

Like others said, the high performance large coolers are extremely heavy and unless you need to cool something for a week or more those yeti types are not worth the pain. I have a pelican 60qt for short trips and drinks/food on long trips and a couple 120qt igloo polar 120's offshore/marine type for meat that's just a regular old cooler design so fairly lightweight even at that size.

I do it just like you asked in the first post, the pelican high performace 60qt for drinks/food and the 120qt with ice for the kill. I can move the 60qt inside the jeep/truck due its value ($400 pelican elite cooler) and theft prevention. I'm not as worried about the $100 120qt.

I'd also opt for the large one with wheels next time something like this. https://www.coleman.com/coolers-dri...rt-marine-cooler-with-wheels/SAP_2156016.html

I'm more worried about that $400 cooler walking off during a pit stop .