I love hunting, but I am on the same boat. I can't see myself spending that much for a hunt.
I would get more out of spending the money going on a very nice hiking trip and trying to spot Elk without having to worry about all the logistics; getting all the stuff to the destination, finding the animal, killing it, field dressing it, bringing it back to camp - is it a warm day? How will you deal with that? When is the flight home? ... - then getting the meat back home and the expense associated with that.
One year my buddy in Wyoming had to buy bags of ice and put them inside the deer because temps rose to 50. Another year he was freezing his balls off. This is something to consider if going on a multi day hike.
When I go to Michigan I have to plan for mild weather and cold AF. That means a lot of heavy clothing.
Preparing for these things, if you want to do them right, takes time and a lot of thought when you are going somewhere far.
That being said, ICE MULE coolers work great. I used them 3 times already, each time they got my meat back frozen solid without the need for ice. Last time was December 2024. Frozen hogs spent almost 11 hours in the coolers, 3 of those hours in Florida. Arrived frozen solid.
I also use the ICE MULE at the beach. I put some ice and water bottles, kept it in the Aruba sun from 8am to 3pm. Held ice fine until 1pm (filled the cooler less than 1/4 with ice, enough to keep drinks cold for a few). If the cooler is full of ice it will last all day per several YouTube videos I found when doing research on the coolers.
ICE MULE is worth the expense and makes flying back with meat a lot easier.
