Maybe you guys have an idea?

Dry ice in an insulated container. Dry ice has a temp of negative 110 degrees F

Almont and the rest, thanks for the great info.

I hunt about an 1 1/2 hours one way to the closest locker and about 1 hour from a place that sells ice so I try not to go unless I have to. It seems every other year we get a warm spell that causes trouble.

I don't gut anything anymore, as soon as it hits the ground it gets skinned and quartered then the back straps and other loose meat is removed. After everything is off I open up the diaphragm to release a little pressure so I can cut along the spine into the cavity and retrieve the tenderloins (its now called the gutless method by the cool kids). All meat is put in game bags and if the weather permits hung from a meat pole in the shade. I have a tarp if I need to roof the meat pole to keep water off the meat. There is a decent Black Bear population in the area so I need to keep the meat up. Sometimes shade can be a problem as the area has heavy bark beetle kill so its hard to find a place that's in constant shade.

Sounds like my best option is a cheap chest freezer and I just run the genny when needed, like I say some years we bring home frozen blocks of meat and some years we catch a tan.

byronlj wrote:
Ask around some of the businesses where you hunt nearby. We found a guy that butchered and froze our elk within an hour of our camp.
Dave

This, or only hunt during cold spells, camp during the warm spells?

Low tech as long as the temps at night are at least mid to low 40F’s, same as a refrigerator:

Gut, skin and bag the beast ASAP. Whole or in pieces is fine.
Get it to a local cooler if possible. Otherwise…

Hang to let cool and dry.

Protect it from sun, rain and/or heavy fog with an overhead & side tarp/very loose water proof bag.

Let the bag(s) be exposed to the open air in the late evening and night.

In the early morning, insulate the carcass with a sleeping bag/heavy blanket as much as possible.

Remove sleeping bag/blanket and let it re-cool the next evening & night. Repeat the last 2 steps as needed.

I’ve used this method with deer and elk for as long as 10 days. It works even if the meat freezes at lower overnight temps.

Ditto on finding a locker that can at least hang the meat for you. No need to have it cut up and if it hangs for a week then even better. It will be more tender.

About "truckload of batteries" - this is something that some people here know more than me ;) but, me thinks that with 120 AH draw you can still get away with a common pair of 2*6V golf cart batteries. Though they will work hard, dropping down to 50% every day if you only run your genny once a day. If you run genny in the morning and in the evening, they won't drop to 50%.

This is - without any solar. If you throw in 300-400W solar and at least "try" to conserve energy, you won't need to run a genny more than once a day for an hour or so. On a sunny day you might not need to run it at all. The more solar - the better.

One more thing - if you are gone hunting in winter, and compressor fridge is left in unheated trailer, it will not work if temperature in trailer drops too low. 50F is the critical point - fridge thermostat doesn't sense the difference between 50 outside and 40 inside, and therefore doesn't start the compressor.

Great stuff Almot!

Ask around some of the businesses where you hunt nearby. We found a guy that butchered and froze our elk within an hour of our camp.
Dave

Muddydogs wrote:
I need a way to keep meat cool while in boon dock hunting camp. I have been thinking about a 7 cubic foot chest freezer that I could haul in the toy hauler then set outside plugged into the trailer where I would run the trailer genny when needed. With solar I don't really need to run the genny all that much but what ever it takes. I have also been looking at 12 volt frig's and freezers but from what I can tell it would take a truck load of battery's and solar panels to keep them running. Something propane would be cool but it looks like it takes a truck load of cash to procure one.

This subject comes up once in a while. Big residential fridge or freezer = daily generator.

10 or 11 cu.ft unit that includes 2cf freezer, would draw from 60 to 90 AH per 24 hours, including inverter draw. 7 cu.ft will draw a little less - hard to tell how much less, efficiency varies wildly from model to model. Some 7cf draw more than 10cf models. Plus, you have other loads - say, 30 AH for a conservative user. 90-120 AH total. Without solar you need to run a genny every day.

"With solar" - yes, you will need to run a genny "less". How much less, depends on how big solar. You will still need to run it every day if your fridge is bigger than 5cf and solar is smaller than 500W in winter, or the weather is particularly nasty.

I think you are confused about 12V fridges. There are 12V thermoelectric models, they need a lot more energy than 12V compressor fridges. Also, 12V compressor models are more efficient than 120V compressor models because they don't need inverter. But you have to add a few inches block foam around the box if this is a built-in model. Standalone models usually have enough insulation.

Standalone chest fridges and freezers are THE most efficient cooling machines out there, and 12V compressor chest will be more efficient than 120V compressor chest. Look into 12V 6cf chests by Sundanzer or Steka Solar if you can fit them in. Steka can be used as fridge or freezer depending how cool you want it. Sundanzer you have to decide whether you want fridge or freezer - identical models, different thermostates. Not cheap, about $1,000. You will still need 50 AH a day, or more, for 6 cf Steka or Sundanzer in all-freezer mode.

If you're going to run genny every day anyway, it makes sense getting a 120V chest or an upright 120V fridge/freezer, and big enough inverter, this will be cheaper than 12V model.

Small portable 12V compressor chest models are not too efficient due to thin lid and too little volume inside. Though 2cf chest still takes less energy than 6cf chest or upright model, because cooling a few pounds of food takes less energy than cooling half a cow - think 10-20 AH a day for a 2cf 12V chest.