Lower 48 to Fairbanks Gear / Camp / Food Logistics Question

[Slugz]

Airline flights with just a long gun case and a bag or two sure is nice and easy. My research has gotten me down to two options to get things up there before the hunt starts in order to minimize baggage fees.

1) Alaska Air Cargo. Seems to be the most affordable if you live in a AA hub city and pretty easy. Storage fees could be an issue if planned wrong or you get delays.
2) US Mail. Depending on weight and size of the box.

I'm looking to get camp, food, and misc items to Fairbanks a week or more before the trip and use the same method to return items to Casper Wy post hunt maybe.

Any ideas or thoughts on the subject please pass along.

Thanks

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

I did a 10 day DIY moose hunt last year and took all my hunting gear, camping gear, & food with only 2 checked bags and a carry on. I hunted with a takedown recurve that fit in one of my checked bags so a rifle would have added a third checked bag and an additional $150 each way. I priced out shipping it all up ahead of time and it was significantly more expensive and, in the end just seemed like more hassle than checking it (I was flying to a smaller village).

This is what my packing looked like:

Checked #1 - Rubbermaid Action Packer (48 gal) - Camp Gear and Food - 50 lbs - Cost $35
Checked #2 - Yeti Panga 100 Duffle - Hunting gear & clothes - 50 lbs - Cost $45
Carry On - Stone Glacier 6400 - compressed down with optics / electronics - 45 lbs - Cost $0

Total $80 each way on Alaska Air.

Interested to see what others are doing.

 

[Geewhiz]

Check them. When I flew up I had 3 check bags, one of which was oversize/overweight. Cost me like $110 bucks. When I flew back with a caribou I had my same 3 and an additional 3 (2 coolers of meat and a rack) totaling 6 checked bags (one of which was oversize/overweight) and 1 carry on. On the way back with 6 checked bags and a carry on they charged me $650 from fairbanks to montana. I thought that was pretty reasonable considering the number of bags and shear volume and the best part is they were on my same flight and they went home with me in my pickup so I didn't have to worry about my meat sitting somewhere for days thawing and spoiling.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

Check them. When I flew up I had 3 check bags, one of which was oversize/overweight. Cost me like $110 bucks. When I flew back with a caribou I had my same 3 and an additional 3 (2 coolers of meat and a rack) totaling 6 checked bags (one of which was oversize/overweight) and 1 carry on. On the way back with 6 checked bags and a carry on they charged me $650 from fairbanks to montana. I thought that was pretty reasonable considering the number of bags and shear volume and the best part is they were on my same flight and they went home with me in my pickup so I didn't have to worry about my meat sitting somewhere for days thawing and spoiling.

I agree, checking the meat is the way to go too. I went a different route with my moose and it ended up being just as expensive as if I'd have just boxed the meat up and checked it, and I would have had my meat when I landed instead of having to wait then make a several hour-long trip to pick it up. Next time I'll check meat as well as gear.

 

[Bluumoon]

You can fit an entire boned out and frozen (small) caribou in a soft cooler strapped to your pack frame and carry it on.

Personal item with heavy optics, wear your heavy boots. Check gun case (pull out foam and stuff with gear), and one additional checked large duffle bag for the way there.

Keeps bagage fees reasonable