Checked Baggage Cooler Recommendation for Flying Meat Home

[Doc Holliday]

So I have a Yeti Tundra 65 that I have taken before, but I would like to have more internal space to bring back more frozen meat, so looking at cheaper coolers that don't have such thick walls. Right now I am in between the Coleman Coastal Extreme 70 qt and Coastal Extreme 120 qt. The 120 will be over the airlines 62" (l + w + h) rule right off the bat, and coming back, either one will be over the 70 lb rule, so I am prepared to pay the fees. As long as it is under 100# they will take it. There will be a processor that I can pay to ship whatever I don't bring back myself, but it will be cheaper for me to pay excess baggage fees than to pay him for overnight shipping.

Any other specific recommendations of a make/model cooler that will be checked as baggage? Not interested in carrying on a soft case. I will be using this as my suitcase on the way out, and will put an empty duffel in it, to bring back clothes on the way back.

I guess a secondary question would be could I even get the 70 qt to weigh just under 100#. No point in getting the 120 qt if I can....

Thanks for any advice

 

[SDHNTR]

Get the lightest cooler you can find. A Yeti or similar takes up too much weight empty. If the meat is hard frozen you won’t need much for a NA flight, unless there’s overnight layovers. The belly of an airplane is cold. I’ve done this a lot and you can’t even fill a 60 qt cheap Wallyworld cooler full of meat and stay under 50lb weight limits. So be mindful that you will either be going overweight or paying for an extra bag. Figure out what is cheaper.

Also, buy an Ice Mule backpack cooler. You can fit a whole boned out frozen deer in one and carry it as a carry on. I’ve done it many times. Brutal on long walks through big airports, but it can help avoid the extra bag fees.

 

[Trial153]

I use all soft coolers now. I bought two Calcutta...worked great however they weren't durable. I like my larger yeti however it was heavy for it size and I sold it. I have since bought Icemule PROs Xl and XXL....best I use. I pack them in my luggage and the fly home with the meat as baggage. Two years and about 6 trips they have held up excellent.
Leave the meat in the game bags, then place it in a trash bag.. load if in the soft cooler and go. Way better then any hard sided cooler..

 

[Runningwater]

I've been using the really cheap wheeled Colemans. The blue ones with the white lid that cost about $25. They are super light and when packed with fish or meat weigh right at 50. You need to tape the handle down or it will disappear. I've got one in AK right now thats on its 3rd trip up here and has been to MX twice.

 

[Blockcaver]

Arctic Red in the NWT sells hunters coolers ($40) in camp, and has a meat processing screen house where you cut and package your own.

The light-weight 48qt Coleman cooler (lid is not hinged, use duct tape) held just under 50#s of packaged caribou steaks and roasts, just as they told me it would. No issues with it on the charter back to Norman Wells from camp or flying down to Edmonton. I did have to pick it up there at air freight. Anyway, for a sheep or caribou this is a great way to go. On a moose or mixed bag, I’d get more of the 50# coolers. Note that a caribou is >50#s of meat if you take 100% of it home. All outfits should be as good on helping you get meat home.

Note that any meat you don’t take is eaten in camp and or donated to the local band in Norman Wells. A lot went out on my return flight to be donated for sure.

 

[MattB]

50 qt, cheap. That is about how much meat you can fit without exceeding the baggage limit. Frozen meat will stay frozen a long time.

 

[Chesapeake173]

Look at “kill bags”. I’ve used one fishing for the last 8 years. Basically a big heavy duty soft side cooler.

18

Our insulated kill bag is designed for all types of Fresh Water at 18 X 36 inches and made with the highest quality materials.

reliablefishing.com

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[Indyal]

FWIW, I used this to bring frozen sheep meat back from Alaska the end of August. The meat was still frozen solid back to home in Indiana. It weighed about 45 lbs. and held 1 bone in shoulder, 1 bone in hindquarter, 1 backstrap, both tenderloins, 1/2 neck, and all the shanks bone in. We ate the ribs and one backstrap in camp. I lost one hindquarter to a critter of some kind. I gave 1/2 neck and 1 front shoulder to my quide.
this is a polar bear 48. I did line with plastic bags and sealed up with duct tape.

 

[JFK]

I’ve brought frozen fish back from Mexico in the cheaper soft sided coolers. As long as it’s got a hard freeze on it you have a lot of time. I’ve packed one mostly full, put crumbled newspaper in any void spaces. We then left the place we were staying, drove over an hour to the airport, bag was checked so probably sat on the hot tarmac for a while. Flew from Mex, with an hour layover plane swap in Phoenix, then another couple hours to our home airport. Opened the cooler when I got it from baggage check and everything was like hockey pucks.....still completely frozen. I’m completely sold on soft sided coolers so long as you can freeze the meat ahead of time and the trip home is a reasonable timeframe.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Another vote for the cheep 48 qt I’ve chest. We send 200 guests a year home with these packed full of fillets. Fill it up it’ll weigh right at 50 pounds.

 

[Downeaster]

Thanks for starting this thread, and for all the information. Got elk and muley tags in Colorado this year. Gonna be real expensive between shipping and taxidermy...I hope

 

[VernAK]

View attachment 219278FWIW, I used this to bring frozen sheep meat back from Alaska the end of August. The meat was still frozen solid back to home in Indiana. It weighed about 45 lbs. and held 1 bone in shoulder, 1 bone in hindquarter, 1 backstrap, both tenderloins, 1/2 neck, and all the shanks bone in. We ate the ribs and one backstrap in camp. I lost one hindquarter to a critter of some kind. I gave 1/2 neck and 1 front shoulder to my quide.
this is a polar bear 48. I did line with plastic bags and sealed up with duct tape.

I've been using the polarbearcooler.com size 48 for years......hauling fish home from Baja and salmon to L48.....A great value. I have a dozen of em and baggage handlers have never ruined one yet.......45 pounds of frozen meat and still meet the baggage weight limits. They usually have a 2 for 1 sale in November.

 

[Trial153]

The thing I like about the soft coolers that lay flat when empty is I can pack them on the bottom on my other luggage for the flights out. I even have put two ice mules in my sitka nomad with my bow and cloths.

 

[Wapiti1]

I’ll throw in for the polarbear cooler as well. Tough and space efficient if you need to take coolers.
Jeremy

 

[Chesapeake173]

You guys just cost me $100.

The 48 is on sale at Gander Outdoor right now.


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[Doc Holliday]

Bought a Igloo IMX 70 qt. I like being able to lock it, like the Yeti. It says it takes 105 12 oz cans, so we'll see. Yeti 65 only takes 39 cans.

IMX 70 Qt Cooler

Lightweight yet heavy-duty! Our top-performance, super durable IMX cooler features Ultratherm® insulation that provides advanced ice retention (the longest-lasting among all our coolers!) and weighs 40% less than coolers with similar performance. Thanks to the built-in features — like a bottle...

www.igloocoolers.com

 

[LostArra]

Polar Bear 48
Be sure to check around Black Friday until Christmas for their 2 for 1 sale.

 

[sniper61]

I have always used the 48 igloo with 2 wheels . Back and forth from Pittsburgh to Alaska but last time I had it full of goat meat and had to use the waxed fish boxes for my 50lbs of frozen salmon. The box worked so well I will have no checked baggage [cooler] leaving the burg this year . I mailed my gun case using all my cloths as cushioning today cost $121 . will sent a small box, fedx with boots and shells tomorrow. My carry on will have the rest. Being a boat base brown bear hunt this year I get to leave the tent ,bag ,stove ,and big pack at home.

 

[GotDraw?]

@Doc Holliday

Seems some folks are confusing Quart Capacity with Can Capacity. A 48 can soft cooler will easily hold 50+ lbs of frozen meat.

Here is some clarification language from West Marine:

What Size Cooler Do I Need?
The size you select should depend upon the intended use, the number in your party and how long you will need to keep items cool. A small soft-sided or hard shell cooler is fine for a day trip but longer outings need something bigger. How big? Cooler capacity is generally stated in quarts or capacity in 12-ounce cans. One quart equals about 0.75 cans, so a 24-quart cooler will hold about three six packs or 18 cans.

Another way to gauge capacity is to divide the capacity in quarts by 30, so a 60-quart cooler equals two cubic feet. When selecting a cooler, remember that about 30-50 percent of its capacity will be taken up with ice. For three people on a day trip, a 40-quart cooler is generally fine. For the same group on a weekend camping trip, a 50- to 60-quart cooler is good. Try not to buy a cooler that is too large, as tightly packed coolers keep food colder and longer. Purchasing a jumbo sized cooler and filling the excess space with ice might seem OK, except for the expense and extra weight you will have to carry.

50 qt, cheap. That is about how much meat you can fit without exceeding the baggage limit. Frozen meat will stay frozen a long time.

 

[Norm555]

I have a Yeti Hopper I've liked to use for flying with meat. It's pretty light and works well. I've used it as a carry on with meat and it works well.