A DIY in truck meat cooler

[roymunson]

I have a trip to Wyoming coming up and I'll be transporting my own elk (fingers crosses) as well as up to 2 other guy's meat and antlers. I have a long bed F-150 with an ARE style cap on the back I'll be driving. Just me driving (The other guys are flying), so I'll have the back of the cab open as well. Would like to set myself up with something I can keep deboned meat frozen on the way home. Exterior temps will be cold (Late october), and i'll run dry ice in the cooler, but I'd like to build myself something out of blue board that custom fits the bed of the truck.

I'm guessing I'll have to plywood the sides for structure?

Or am I further ahead getting 3 or 4 of these and just going that route? I already have 1 for fish. I know they're not a YETI, but I don't think I need that. I transported my elk in one of the Igloos last year with dry ice and it was frozen when I got home. I just don't have a lot of feel for how much actual meat it'll be.

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[swat1018]

There are lots of places that will bone your meat and freeze it for you. I usually do all of my own, but that's the route I'm going if I kill. Throw solid frozen meat in a cooler and it will make the 2-3 day trek home, easy.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Will a chest freezer slide into your topper. Most guys I know just take an old chest freezer. Some still run some don't but large bodies of frozen material stay frozen better than smaller coolers. I shot my elk when it was 90 degrees. Packed bags of ice around it and zipped it into old sleeping bags, that did pretty well for 6 hr trip home at the time.

 

[roymunson]

There are lots of places that will bone your meat and freeze it for you. I usually do all of my own, but that's the route I'm going if I kill. Throw solid frozen meat in a cooler and it will make the 2-3 day trek home, easy.

That's what I'm asking. Do I build a box to fit in my pickup, or do i buy coolers. I don't think a freezer will get in under the cap.

It'll be deboned, but do I put it in a 150 qt igloo or build myself one? It seemed like building one would be kinda nice, but not sure it's worth the hassle.

 

[T-Max]

Biggest problem I see with building one is it seems it would be kind of single use. Almost too custom? Coolers would be easy to use in other scenarios. When you say ARE cap, do you mean a topper? Or a tonneau cover? I had a topper on my Tundra back in the day. I hauled my elk home from New Mexico in a chest freezer in the back. Best part was I loaded it the night before and ran an extension cord to the freezer. Next morning I pulled the cord and hit the road. When I got home the first thing I did was plug it back in and left it til the following day. Worked really well.


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[swat1018]

I would just take a few big igloos.

 

[roymunson]

Biggest problem I see with building one is it seems it would be kind of single use. Almost too custom? Coolers would be easy to use in other scenarios. When you say ARE cap, do you mean a topper? Or a tonneau cover? I had a topper on my Tundra back in the day. I hauled my elk home from New Mexico in a chest freezer in the back. Best part was I loaded it the night before and ran an extension cord to the freezer. Next morning I pulled the cord and hit the road. When I got home the first thing I did was plug it back in and left it til the following day. Worked really well.


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maybe i can get a chest unit under the topper. Not a tarp, a fiberglass old man truck cover is what I'll have.

 

[Bill]

We use kill bags on the boat when we get fish that are too big for the box. There are some big insulated fish bags out there and they hold ice pretty well. The nice part is they fold up for storage.

Just thought I’d grow out another option.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

There are lots of places that will bone your meat and freeze it for you. I usually do all of my own, but that's the route I'm going if I kill. Throw solid frozen meat in a cooler and it will make the 2-3 day trek home, easy.

100% don’t waste money trying do more

 

[buckdeer1]

We usually pack food etc in the coolers on way out and if we get lucky meat in them on way back.If we have to take somewhere to freeze due to temps then it's just easier to put frozen in coolers.If freezer will fit which it might but probably can't get lid open. I would rather pull a enclosed trailer than have a topper in most cases.Are you parking at trailhead and packing in or leaving truck at secure location?Where are you going to put those 6x6 racks on way home with a topper?

 

[Smelly buck]

A chest freezer and a portable generator. You can rent a portable generator but you would have to check the wattage and make sure it could handle the freezer. The little 2000-3000 watt generators arn't too loud.

 

[swat1018]

I haul frozen meat in coolers all the time. After 2 days in a cooler, you can hardly tell it's starting to thaw. If you have to travel more than 3 days, I might think of a generator. Buddy uses a small chest freezer in a truck with shell hauling fish back from FL. When he stops at a motel, he runs an extension cord in, but I wouldn't bother for just a day.

 

[roymunson]

After the hunt I'll be home in 2 days or so. The bagged freezer idea is intriguing. I just don't have a good feel for how much meat I'm gonna have with 3 elk.

 

[swat1018]

A guy I know had 3 elk. He got them all in 4 and a half big Igloo coolers. I think they were 120 Qt.

 

[bigboreblr]

sams club has those big igloos for $90 or so. Just cover it with a blanket and some of that mylar bubble swrap insulation at home depot.

I do frozen fish all the time fron north carolina to NY.

Ice packs alot better than ice itself. Ice melts and makes a wet mess of things. A single nrgy star chest freezer might survive fine on a 12v inverter. Might be able to plug in at night if using a hotel room on the way home.

Many fridges / freezers use the outside surface for a condensor. If leaving off for awhile cover with a balanket. I do the blanket and foil insulation all the time at camp for severla days in the summer. Way better than w/o any covering.

 

[bigboreblr]

Keep in mind some of those energy star appliances are efficient because the refrigeration equipment is a bit smaller in size. Fridges n freezer compressors can easily see 12-16 hours of compressor run time a day. Garage ready freezers mean it can run well in low temps without hydro-locking the compressor with liquid refrigerant.