Home made cooler?
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: LINK
15-May-19
Anyone made a home made cooler for elk meat? I have some scrap ZIP green board and I’m considering making a 300qt size cooler. Maybe insulating it. It would be heavy but as a game cooler I wouldn’t be hauling it to the beach or ball games. Anyone have any home made alternatives to a $1500 yeti? Post up pictures if you do.
From: elkmtngear
15-May-19
I still just tarp everything into a big burrito, with a double sleeping bag around the outside.
Good for two days travel with dry ice on top of the tarp. Been doing this for 20+ years...I'm cheap. ;^)
From: Rock
15-May-19
Just put packing blankets or sleeping bags over your cooler, it keeps them cooler and ice will last as long as a Yeti or other high end coolers.
From: Coyote 65
15-May-19
Made one out of 2" insulation board I had left over from insulating the roof of my cabin. Built it in the trunk of a Volvo sedan so I could get the enough space for a cow elk that I was going to put in there. Used good quality duct tape on the outside and then filled the corner cracks with expanding foam. The cow fit fine, filled with about 15 lbs of dry ice and 3 days later deposited it in the freezer in Houston. Still had about half the dry ice left.
Have often thought of making a big ice box out of aluminum (have the skills and the tools to do that) and then a Plastic tub for an interior and then using a two part foam kit for insulation. Hardest part is making a lid that seals really good.
Terry
From: Hancock West
15-May-19
$70 - 120quart Coleman 6day extreme cooler. It probably wont last 6days but itll definitely 3. A yeti is probably better but the coleman will work fine, its light weight and much more affordable
From: Kevin Paul
15-May-19
Kevin Paul's Link
Check out the 400 quart cooler from Grizzly. Made in the USA and great quality.
From: Kevin Paul
15-May-19
Kevin Paul's Link
On sale for $629 here:
From: Cheesehead Mike
15-May-19
Somebody has posted on here before that they made a cooler out of 2" thick pink styro insulation. They take it apart and lay the sheets flat in their truck and then put it together when they get an elk and add ice.
From: Teeton
15-May-19
Years back my dad and his buddy's made pretty big one out of I think 1x1's and 1/4 ply wood. The frame was on the out side of the box.. It was screwed and glued together. It had 2 inch foam on the inside. The lid had foam attached to it and it lifted off. They silicone the inside corners so blood would not get between the foam,, But they would lay a sheet of heavy plastic in it to keep the blood from getting on the foam. The lid was made from 1/4 ply wood, foam (I think only 1 inch) and then another piece of 1/4 ply wood with the foam sandwiched between the wood.. Inside wood was cut the same side as the inside foam. They had some kind of soft foam for a gasket and some way to hold the lid tight. I think the bottom had a outside frame but they put another piece of foam and them plywood to make the bottom better insulated.
From: EmbryOklahoma
15-May-19
EmbryOklahoma's Link
Buddy of mine had a box made by Bonar and similar to the one in the link. We put it on the front of our trailer and hauled supplies in it going out West. Once we got elk down, it became our meat box. We put two cow elk in it before we left. One kept cool on Day 1 through Day 5 and added a second. Took the meat to a local processor and on the return trip, we wrapped dry ice in a blanket and it kept the processed meat frozen until we got home. Could be an option... maybe even look for a used one?
From: midwest
15-May-19
Think that was Z Barebow, Mike. Maybe he'll chime in.
From: IdyllwildArcher
15-May-19
Coolers are cheap. Coleman/Igloo coolers from Costco work good. I just bring an extra one on every hunt so I never run out of room. Stuff stacks in/on them well so it's not like they're taking up too much space so long as you have a truck. And you can keep stuff inside them that you want to keep dry.
From: kota-man
15-May-19
I made an oversize "Redneck Yeti" for a couple bison and elk hunts. I'll try to post a pic later tonight.
From: Treefarm
15-May-19
I designed and built one that fits up and over the top of the wheel wells and against cab of my 8’ pickup bed. When camping and need a bed, I extend the top of the cooler using a 2x4 spanner truss and sheet of plywood from where the cooler lid ends to about 1.5’ from tailgate. Anyway, the inside of the cooler is huge. It has hauled up to 4 quartered caribou at one time. It holds a moose easily. It has held 3 quartered elk. It held 2 quartered bears. All these with plenty of room.
Very durable with plywood exterior with metal quarter bead along edges. 2” closed cell Styrofoam. The Styrofoam is covered with shower stall plastic.
That cooler has seen Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf to Alaska and several State/Provinces. It was well worth building if you want to haul meat home.
From: Buskill
15-May-19
I made one once to haul a quartered moose and cape a couple days . Used osb, 2x4’s and some 1” foam sheats. Worked well . I eventually bought a couple really large Coleman Marine coolers and that seems better and easier .
From: Jaquomo
15-May-19
Couple big Coleman coolers and a couple Goodwill sleeping bags. May not look as sexy as a Yeti and may not attract Yeti chicks, but works every bit as good for meat storage in camp and transportation. And the price was right.
From: timex
15-May-19
I don't know how handy yal are but I just put a new gas tank in my boat which freed up a 5'x4' by 20"s area & I've researched building insulated boxes & polyisocyanurate roof insulation can be fiberglassed over to make an awesome box for penny's compared to high end coolers. at my local ABC roof supply store 4x8x1.5" sheets of (polyiso) is 26$
From: Dollar
15-May-19
I made several years ago with high density foam and just pinned the walls and floor together.Had the whole thing shot with fiberglass.Then made the top coffin door with a deep lip.Drains out the back of truck and keeps ice for weeks.I made the last one large enough to fit in the fullsize bed of f350. I'll get some pictures in a few days.Very easy to make just need a fiberglass shop close by make it real simple.
From: LBshooter
15-May-19
I just can't get my head around a 1500 dollar cooler, wow. Lol
From: Franklin
15-May-19
LB....I think one`s head would have to be empty to blow $1500 on a cooler....for another $1500 you could have a 8'x8' walk-in freezer at your home.
From: WapitiBob
16-May-19
Two $60 120-150qt from Walmart. Haven’t had an elk complain yet.
From: timex
16-May-19
go to the hulltruth boating forum & go down to boating how too's. & there's a thread. building a cooler on the cheap. this is a step by step on how to build a custom cooler. I'm not doubting dollers postabout blue foam but acrylic fiberglass resin melts regular foam & epoxy resin is over $100 a gallon.
From: joehunter
16-May-19
Another option -Buy a freezer off Craig list. Hook up an inverter in your truck or a small generator.
From: skipmaster1
16-May-19
I built a walk in 8x8x8 cooler for less that $1500! That’s including the controller and AC. I’ve thought about building a plywood box. Mining it with 4” rigid insulation and maybe coating it with spray in bed liner. It would be big but it would be incredibly insulated
From: Z Barebow
16-May-19
Note I pre labeled panels. I pre fit the panels at home.
Note I pre labeled panels. I pre fit the panels at home.
Cutting and wrapping elk.
Cutting and wrapping elk.
When I opened cooler at home. I should have put dry ice inside the bag (With a couple of layers of cardboard to separate meat from dry ice to prevent freezer burn vs on top of sleeping bag) ~ 1/2 of the dry ice was left when I opened lid.
When I opened cooler at home. I should have put dry ice inside the bag (With a couple of layers of cardboard to separate meat from dry ice to prevent freezer burn vs on top of sleeping bag) ~ 1/2 of the dry ice was left when I opened lid.
Even with dry ice on top of bag, the top meat was frozen. The bottom packages were not froze, but cold.) Seal all seams very well and minimize the amount of dead air space and it works very well.
Even with dry ice on top of bag, the top meat was frozen. The bottom packages were not froze, but cold.) Seal all seams very well and minimize the amount of dead air space and it works very well.
Yes I have done the 2" pink foam panels. I like it because I leave it broken down until I need it. I cut the panels to pressure fit ahead of the wheel wells in pickup box. Throw in a roll of duct tape to seal the seams when you assemble. I also have an old sleeping bag that I put inside the cooler. (IE An insulated liner)
I will post pics.
From: Tom
16-May-19
2 70 quart coleman extreme coolers fit ahead of the wheels in my 6 1/2 foot f150. I put some pink Styrofoam around both of them and then put some moving blankets around all this. Both these coolers are full of ice on the way out hunting. I also have a 2 150 quart and 2 more 70 quart Coleman extremes. This is for 3 elk. I debone all my meat for transport. I also put all the ice into ziplock 2 gallon baggies. I put a row of ice on the bottom, then some meat in ziplocks on top, another layer of ice on top. No leaky water in the cooler and no bloody mess. This ice looks like the day I put it in there when you open after 5-6 days. Oh forgot, I put 2 of the big yeti or similar gel blocks that you freeze into each cooler. I have a topper on my truck and stack the 4 70 quart coolers on top of each other. And the 2 150's hold gear. All this cost less than a big yeti. Plus I can man handle the 70 quarts full of meat and ice by myself, the 150's you need some help. This is 580 quarts of cooler room. You do NOT need to spend huge money on a expensive cooler. A Coleman extreme will do wonders with a little help like a blanket around it
From: txhunter58
16-May-19
From: txhunter58
16-May-19
From: Bob H in NH
16-May-19
buy coolers, don't need the Yeti style/price. I have two 120Q coleman ones. Put 3 mule deer and 4 antelope in the all butchered and frozen. One totally full, one we tossed some clothes in to fill air space. Wrapped them in blanket and drove from WY to NH, 3 days, all meat 100% frozen when we got home
From: txhunter58
17-May-19
I made a cooler out of SIPs (structural insulated panels). 4 ft x 3 x 3. Holds up to 3 elk but heavy and bulky
From: DONK
18-May-19
DONK's Link
You might be able to find a used military Hardigg container and line it. They have some that are 50x32x30. You can find them online or maybe a surplus store if you have one near by.
