Freezer for Trips

[Cedarsavage]

I have a smell chest freezer. I’m thinking of getting a utility trailer to haul my gear and enclosing it to keep dust off gear and the freezer. I kinda want the trailer anyway and need more coolers, so I’m thinking it wouldn’t be a whole lot more expensive to get the trailer and haul a freezer to cool off meat. Plug in for the night on the trip to keep frozen. Anyone do this? Is this overkill?

 

[tntrker]

Hauled one in the back of my truck from SC to MT for that very purpose. Had it plugged up a few days before with milk jugs filled with water so they'd freeze and keep cold until headed back. Work great.

 

[Packin_packout]

I run a 5 by 10 utility trailer and have a 15 cubic foot freezer mounted to it. It can be run off of a wall plug and then I have six 100 watt solar panels on it as well. I end up doing some multi-state hunts so this allows me to load everything in here freeze it solid and not worry about it. Make sure the freezer is over the axle due to loading. I currently have a bull and 2 mule deer in it. Going to try and squeeze one more elk in there next week if I get the chance.

I normally hang my stuff overnight if it is cool enough to let it crust up and then put it in the freezer. I am not normally where I have access to power so with the solar panels I can run the freezer all day long and it stays good overnight.

This allows me to have meat frozen solid so that if I have to fly home I have no problem transporting it and if I get called off to a different incident for work I can leave the freezer wherever I am and be sure that when I get back I still have meat that is good. I ended up going this route because it would never fail that two or three times during fall season I would end up having to bounce out overseas for a week leaving my truck and trailer at the nearest airport. This eliminated the nightmare of having to go find Cold Storage every time something came up.

 

[Cedarsavage]

Hauled one in the back of my truck from SC to MT for that very purpose. Had it plugged up a few days before with milk jugs filled with water so they'd freeze and keep cold until headed back. Work great.

Did you have a hard time keeping dust out of everything? I guess that’s why I was thinking of boxing it in.

 

[journeyman713]

The freezer would work but, if it requires bring a trailer, I wouldn’t.

Dry ice in coolers does the trick just fine if you go 3/4 meat 1/4 dry ice.

 

[tntrker]

Did you have a hard time keeping dust out of everything? I guess that’s why I was thinking of boxing it in.

Nope, everything rode fine. That's actually 2 freezers but only needed one...

 

[Packin_packout]

I have mine Boxed In by the solar panel and some expanded Steel because sometimes I end up leaving this on a forest service road in the middle of Wyoming or Montana in Grizzly country.

 

[Cedarsavage]

Nope, everything rode fine. That's actually 2 freezers but only needed one...


View attachment 231180

Where do you put your gear?

 

[Cedarsavage]

I have mine Boxed In by the solar panel and some expanded Steel because sometimes I end up leaving this on a forest service road in the middle of Wyoming or Montana in Grizzly country.

Open utility trailer then?

 

[Packin_packout]

Yep. I have never had anything try to pry it open yet... well let me rephrase that since I put the Box on it. Had a bear at sugarite canyon State Park in Northern New Mexico open up the freezer while I was sleeping in the bed of the truck. That ruined my night. Damn thing got it open and had a leg on the lip and had pushed door all the way over and broke the hinges... ended up having to use ratchet straps to hold the door on the rest of the trip.

 

[Cedarsavage]

Yep. I have never had anything try to pry it open yet... well let me rephrase that since I put the Box on it. Had a bear at sugarite canyon State Park in Northern New Mexico open up the freezer while I was sleeping in the bed of the truck. That ruined my night. Damn thing got it open and had a leg on the lip and had pushed door all the way over and broke the hinges... ended up having to use ratchet straps to hold the door on the rest of the trip.

Thanks for the info. Exactly what I was looking for. Think I’ll go with an open trailer and cover with a tarp. Probably eventually enclose it.

 

[riversidejeep]

I saw guys elk hunting in Colorado from the east coast, they had a small chest freezer and a Honda 1000 purring along all the way home. I would think that would work great!

 

[rayporter]

dry ice is available out there and you will have frozen meat in an evening with a few chunks of it.
i have done that instead of messing with a genny.
and the meat stayed frozen clear to ohier.

 

[keller]

Have done it several times works great.previousely used a small generator this year going to Newfoundland moose hunting. Contingent on border.but am going to buy an inverter mount it in the truck so no messing with generator. And leave it plugged in on the drive. Truck also makes less noise than generator if your at camp.

 

[Fullfan]

We have been doing it for years. Now we have 4 freezers and a 26’ enclosed aluminum R&R trailer. Most years there are between 7-9 of us go. The retired guys 2-3 of us drive from Pa to Idaho. Others who still work fly and rent a vehicle to get to camp. One freezer will contain frozen meals on the way out. Others will just have equipment. A Honda eu2000 run and hour or so a day keeps stuff frozen. Killed 6 bulls and two cows last year. Self butchered and all frozen for the ride home. The generator will run for 2 days to get all the meat frozen. Then once frozen, back to an hour or so a day.

 

[eaglemountainman]

If you're staying at motels on the way, run an extension cord out the window and plug it in for the night.

I fly, so haven't done this myself, but others have suggested it in similar threads.

 

[DirtJones]

For those who bring freezers on hunts - is the meat already cut and wrapped? Or do you thaw after the trip and cut/wrap at home? Is it ok to thaw and refreeze in case of the second option?