Polar Bear or Yeti for flying meat home

[Adam Gibbs]

Going to AK on a deer hunt. Would like to fly the meat back as either a checked bag or as even a carry on. Maybe have to do both depending on the amount of meat. I see some guys like the Polar Bear 48 because it can be considered a carry on. Others like the Yeti Hopper 30. What are your experiences with either? They just absolutely need to be waterproof and secure. I see people mention Polar Bear has a two for one sale from time to time. Anyone know when that is?

 

[LostArra]

Polar Bear sale is usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas but occasionally other times.

To get a Polar Bear waterproof you would have to go with the upgraded zipper.
If the meat is packaged and frozen, it's probably not necessary. Frozen fish from AK makes it fine in a regular zip Polar Bear. A PB 48 fully loaded is pushing the 50# luggage limit and can be a handful to lug around especially as a carry-on stowed overhead.

Without knowing your flight schedule and lay overs (like Phoenix?) either would work.

 

[Loebs]

I use a yeti 40. It will just bearly fit on the overhead bin when full. I brought back just over 50 pounds of meat back in it. I hang the meat for the week then debone wrap and freeze it. Drove from Gillette to Denver and then flew to Orlando. The meat was still rock solid and took 2days to thaw for final processing and vacuum bagging. Check out Rtic bags as well. I would have never paid full price for the yeti, but I found it on closeout for $180 when they changed the zipper style. I really want to buy one of the backpack style ones, carrying a full soft side through a huge airport sucks.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[Dschmoll]

Saw a lot of fish flown out in an insulated fish box would work great just check it and fly

 

[Steve O]

I brought 55# of Musk Ox back in my Hopper 30. Love that bag. For checked baggage you don’t really need an insulated cooler. Dry sack in the middle of your clothes or sleeping bag will save you a lot of weight and keep meet frozen or cold.

 

[Salmonchaser]

As others have pointed out lots of frozen fish makes it home every year. I use cheap igloo 48 quart ice chests. Full of vacuum sealed fillets weighs 50 pounds. I have guests from Florida and Massachusetts get their fish home every year.

 

[n816kc]

I've been using the Polar Bear 48 for the last 5 years to haul deer home from Mississippi and Massachusetts. It'll hold one average whitetail easily with room for a puffy jacket. I usually have the deer processed and frozen first, but I have just deboned and chilled with no issues using the big Ziploc bags and some ice (also bagged). 40-45#s of meat keeps you under the 50# airline weight for checked baggage. Works great.

 

[grossklw]

Frozen fish boxes would work well I would think. We flew back with 275# of salmon and halibut last year on 5 checked bags between the two of us. AK airlines is your friend. If there's a fish processing place close to where you're flying out from I'd go see what they have. We always just buy new ones every year and it ends up being 125 bucks or so for the coolers. Never had a problem getting from Homer all the way back to Minneapolis, fish still frozen solid.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Freddie's (Fred Meyer's) has fish boxes that you can put your frozen meat into. They stack them up on pallets in the fishing department, along with insulated bags and such.