Transporting meat to your home after a successful out of state hunt can be a tricky. These solutions will make your trip home easier!
Packing is your first consideration when you are transporting meat home from your hunting destination.
Anyone who flies to hunt locations knows there are hurdles when traveling by air. And the logistics of getting meat home is one of the more difficult to navigate in airline land. Here are 6 Tips that will help you.
1. Pack smart when you leave home: Pack your clothing and a duffel bag inside your Cooler and check the cooler as a bag. You do not want to run around searching for a cooler prior to flying out of your destination. Often, there is limited time to do this. And there may not be a place to purchase a cooler that is large enough or sturdy enough for airline transport. Once at camp, you can offload your gear into your duffel.
2. Duck Tape (of course) and a Sharpie: Be sure to pack duck tape and a sharpie for each and every hunt. This allows you to secure your cooler and ensure you have a return address on your cooler. Also…everyone else in camp benefits! There are always uses for Duck Tape.
3. Regulations for shipping meat: Check your airline’s regulations for shipping meat. Typically, a well sealed cooler is adequate. However, some airlines like Air Canada require your meat container be wrapped in cellophane. This is good to know in advance so you can readily check your cooler.
4. Dry Ice: I check online to see what availability there is to purchase dry ice. Nothing is worse than getting home and finding your meat is room temperature. Finding dry ice is not always easy, so a little investigation prior to your trip allows you to know where to get dry ice without a lot of unnecessary effort spent in hot pursuit of dry ice.
5. Weigh your cooler: Know how much your cooler weight. Airlines charge more for coolers above 50 lbs … and many will not accept them if they weigh 75 lbs or more.
6. Wheels: A cooler with wheels and a handle is a perfect for navigating the airports. Or there are Carts for rent at the airport.
Again, there is nothing more disheartening to have ruined meat or to have to spend a lot of extra money transporting your meat home after an out of state hunt. Pre-planning will really reduce the stress and expense of flying your meat back home.
Written by Kirstie Pike, the CEO for Prois Hunting & Field Apparel for Women. Visit Kristie at www.proishunting.com!
