Game Bag Comparison

     

Be sure to read the complete page for a better understanding of the use and need for a quality game bag,
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Why does my game meat taste gamey?

This is heard by many each year, in truth the answer is easy, meat care and handling.

I hear many hunters say; "I don't use game bags, because I leave the hide on..

In truth, yes the meat is clean but is likely to taste gamey, because the meat wasn't allowed to cool properly, the faster the game is allowed to cool the better the taste.   

We don't use game bags:
many hunters, outfitters, guides, don't use game bags because...They say...

It's cold when I hunt.
I'm not eating it.
The meats donated.
I never shoot anything.  
I put the meat in a cooler  
I just drop it in the panniers (storage bag or box on the horse).
We say the panniers are dirty from the last hunt last year...
Unless you carry a cooler on your back you can't get the meat in the cooler fast enough, that is unless you gave the flies notice first.
You never shoot anything?  OK, what if you do, are you prepared!

Remember birds don't hibernate!

Whether your a guide, outfitter, self-guided hunter, you ethically owe it to yourself, the family or recipient of  the donated game meat.  And by law to properly care for your hard earned harvest, regardless if you eat the meat or not.
So the next time you go out and buy that 4,000 - 15,000 dollar guided hunt, four hundred dollar matching camo set, rifle or bow... think about how you intend to care for your game meat.   

We at Caribou Gear sincerely care how you care for your game meat,
We say!
Use a game bag! Of any make or model, by any manufacture.

Guided Hunters
You are still obligated in proper care of your game meat.  Be prepared.

Guides
When your successful hunter is back home eating his harvest he'll appreciate the extra effort spent by you in the proper meat care.
Think of next years tip!

Outfitters
Your hunters just spent 4,000 - 15,000
for that hunt, don't hold back when it comes to proper meat care. They will appreciate the added touch in your service.

You can request your hunters bring game bags or add the additional cost to the price of the hunt, then give them the bags, they'll remember you each time they use the game bags.  Good for future business.

Self-Guided
When loading that pack for the days hunt think how the weight in your pack effects your enthusiasm and ultimate success when your tired mid-day.  Or whats happening to the exposed meat you were unable to cover because you didn't have enough game bags for all the meat parts.

Game Bag Product Comparison
Today's Game Bag Market - Game Bag Review

This is the most comprehensive information available in a fair market assessment and should answer all your questions from one product comparison to the next covering all imaginable game bags on the market.  Below is the answer to your questions.

We will not and do not name brands.  We are simply giving you, the hunter the information and options that best suit your meat care needs, if you're like us we live to hunt and enjoy eating the bounty of our harvest and want to enlighten you as to the options available so that you take home more meat from your hunting efforts, guaranteed.  

This assessment of the game bags in today's market is based on field experience and use of all game bags types and styles, based on the general consumer, from tradeshows, customers, consumer & magazine reviews, calls, emails, photos, testimonials and pre-production recommendations, and you the hunter.

Definition
*Form Fitting Game Bags: Fits to the contour of the game meat or meat quarter. stretch compression, conforming characteristic.

*Loose Fitting Game Bags: Square bag, containment non-compression or form fitting. aloud to move freely without restraint (read loose fit vs form fit comparison below).

CHEESE CLOTH    ROLL FORM FITTING    CANVAS   TODAY'S MARKET FABRIC: NYLON - COTTON  - CG FABRIC    LOOSE FIT VS FORM FIT    TIPS    FISH BAGS

Game Bag Type
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Cheese Cloth Game Bags - Form Fit  

Type: Form Fitting, Cotton
Meat Protection: Poor - none
Reusable: Poor
Dry time: ?
Breathability: Good
Fabric Features: None
Odor Retention: ?
Safety Features: None
Security Features: None
Overall Value: Poor - none
Hunter Type: This product is for the weekend warrior going through the motion of meat care, but in truth
                       there's no meat protection. Extreme budget minded, a dollars worth of illusion
                       and protection.
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Roll/Pull Over - Form Fit  

Fabric: Cotton and others
Meat Protection: Fair - Poor 
Reusable: Fair - Poor (easy tear)
Dry Time: Hours - (pending moisture)
Breathability: Good
Fabric Features: Stretch, Pending make Semi-Durable
Odor Retention: High If Reused
Safety Features: None
Security Feature: None
Overall Value: Poor "based on meat protection, stretch, reusable is questionable.
Hunter Type: Serious, Semi Serious to weekend hunter.
Cons: Can be bulky for carrying in daypack, usually too small or one size fits all giving more material then
          needed to carry and or not enough pending species hunted.  Delicate handling and care, Extreme
          stretching exposing meat to insects and dirt. Can be limited in sizes pending species or as
          full carcass bags. Quality protection can be limited on extended hunts.

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Canvas - Loose Fit   

Fabric; Cotton Weight and density may very pending quality and make.
            Natural cotton properties remain.
Meat Protection: *Good - Poor
Reusable: Good (pending use)
Dry Time: Hours - (pending moisture) days
BreathabilitY: Good Dry - Poor Wet (wet fabric swells closing the pores)
Fabric Features: Strong, Durable
Odor Retention: High
Safety Features: None
Security Feature: None
Overall Value: Good to Poor pending use
Shrinkage: High
Special Features: ?
Hunter Type: Strong Hunter, Horseback Hunter.
Cons: Heavy, bulky for carrying in daypack, *usually too small leaving exposed meat. One size fits all
          with this comes unnecessary added weight. After being used once, to reuse in areas of high bear
          danger is not recommended due to odor retention from the bags last use. Selective to limited use.
          Can be purchased in heavy duty to light canvas, properties remain the same, shrinkage
          limits adequate coverage and insect protection. 
          Canvas requires conditioning (pre-wash) before use.
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Caribou Gear Bags - Loose Fit   

Fabric: Synthetic, nylon base W/custom blends, feels, breathes like cotton. (Not a True Nylon)
             Read additional information below.
Meat Protection: Good
Reusable: Good
Dry Time: Minutes (30-60 min. depending on weather conditions)
Breathability: Good (wet or dry)
Fabric Features: Does not shrink, does not retain odor, *loose fit, non bulk,
                            lightweight and does not swell when wet, snag and stain resistant.
Safety Features: Light reflective attachments (view from a 100+ yards)
Light Reflective benefits: Easy to locate when your pack out time gets dark.
                                          Bear country; easy viewing from a safe distance. 
Security Feature: Lock Loops
Special Features: Light reflective, lock loops, Unique packaging, varying sizes product variety, extended
                              fabric, over sized (covers complete quarter), Full carcass bags.  All packages come
                              with ID Tags (w/exclusion of the Camp Meat Bag)
Overall Value: Good (long term investment)
Shrink: Slight to Immeasurable

Hunter Type: Serious hunter, remote hunter, horseback hunter, backpacker, archery/rifle hunter.
                      The hunter that cares for the complete protection of game meat for consumption.

Cons: Price? Buying quality and life of a product is important; to receive the same protection using some of
                     our competitors a person would have to purchase two packages to cover all the parts of the
                     animal, buying one of our Game Bag Packs and you have complete coverage, including a bag
                     for your trophy cape, a small camp meat bag for camp dinner (for easy and clean transporting
                     of raw game meat includes plastic bag & twist tie) ID Tags, zip locks, storage bag,
                     quarter bags, meat parts, field tips and storage bags, all this to last you for years to
                     come, not just one or two seasons, in the long run how much are you truly saving! 
                     And consider the innovations on every game bag!

Pro's: Easy carry packaging lightweight. Meat protection very-good. Game bag products come with
           Big Game ID Tags, suited for all species or hunt methods around the world.  Caribou Gear's
           advanced game bag products greatly compare to canvas thus replacing the need for canvas
           game bags, eliminating weight and bulk when packing in or flying into remote hunt locations.     
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Today's Market - Fabric  

Nylon
Although nylon is the base content of our fabric, nylon alone is not what makes for the best choice
for a breathable game bag.
Nylon has a tendency to create moisture faster than can be dissipated regardless of density its
natural solar properties cannot be controlled easily without making major refinements with a
mixture of compounds. As many of us can attest to wearing a windbreaker jacket and soon finding
a muggy, moist feeling.  Pure nylon alone can be a strong durable material but is found to have
limitations when used as a meat container, due to these natural solar characteristic, this could
have severe limitations on a prolonged hunt .   

Cotton
We would not settle for cotton this natural product fiber is not durable, absorbs moisture from the
surrounding ambient conditions, shrinks, stretches, stains, and swells.
Cotton and polyester blends have the same inherent negative properties of both compounds,
cotton being the failure of the two.  
A fabric that shrinks may fit specific game hunted today.
A fabric that stretches will expose game meat allowing dirt, insect access, and stressing the fabrics
natural shape for quality repeated use.
A fabric that stains is a porous fabric but is found to retain micro particle's of the last harvest thus
retaining odors, requiring a hunter to repurchase game bags when hunting in bear country.
A fabric that swells when wet greatly effects the density of the fabric, closing the pores thus greatly
effecting the venting properties, reducing the needed breathability for proper meat care,
when hunting in moist conditions cotton naturally absorbs from the ambient conditions, even in non
direct contact, rain or morning dew.      Google; Cotton kills?    

Caribou Gear Game Bag Fabric
Innovative design and formulation, the fabric is specifically made for the Caribou Gear Game bag product,
with years of research, field testing and not settling until the fabric suited what we felt was the very
best possible attribute of a lightweight, none stretching, stain resistant, snag resistance, durable game bag.

We at Caribou Gear Outdoor Equipment Company excluding cotton in the manufacturing, and
incorporating the most advanced, innovative raw material available, maintaining the strength and durable
properties of nylon adding advanced synthetic raw material creating a fabric with all the best properties
of a durable, breathable, stain resistant, shrink resistant, snag resistant, none stretching, with a feel
of cotton, nylon, silky to the touch game bag.

With this quality innovative fabric and the controlled density (porosity) in addition to the innovative
amenities such as the lock loops, light reflective attachments, strong durable cord and cord lock.
With this patent pending product we truly feel that we have the most innovative game bag ever made.
With our diverse product packaging and game bag sizes, we have the product that suits all hunters
needs regardless of the hunting situation, style, geographic location.
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LOOSE FIT VS FORM FIT GAME BAGS  
Form Fit
A form fit game bag has the inherent compression properties. This design rolls over the game meat or game quarter (meat on bone) compressing the fabric along the contour of the meat being bagged. This compression is constant and sustained throughout transporting to processing. During this time the meat is glazing (skinning over) or drying, this process solidifies the air exposed meat creating a crust.  During the solidification dirt, leaves, hair, weeds, including the fabric and other debris is being incorporated (embedded) into the crust. Thus during processing this skin needs to be rehydrated to remove the debris from the meat or worse yet be trimmed off and discarded, this loss of game meat can be costly given the time and money to acquire your harvest.

Caribou Gear (Loose Fit Game Bags)
Caribou Gear loose fit game bags are designed to allow best in air circulation around game quarters during the glazing of the meat (drying process) the non-compression of the fabric giving room for the best air circulation, breathing room and allows the dirt, hair, leaves and other debris to fall to the bottom of the game bag. During processing back home there will be little trimming if any, giving you more meat for your efforts. (Read other helpful tips below)

Note: 
Caribou Gear Game Bags species intended product is designed to give approximately 6 inches of room at the top of the leg quarter of the largest animal of the species giving ample breathing room and for ease of transporting.

Tip:
After your harvest and you have transported bagged game meat back to camp: When hanging game quarters on meat pole - hang quarters by the shank (upper bone of the leg) if you haven't already completely removed the game bags do so now, then Spray meat thoroughly with Game Bag Spray (citric acid will retard bacteria growth).
Before re-bagging game meat, invert game bag to remove  debris from within the bag then wash or rinse game bags, allow approximately 1/2 hour to dry, then replace.
Close the game bag over the quarter, just above the shank, pull cord tight, close with cord lock then wrap cord around the fabric creating a simple knot, this will create a bug free, tight seal at the top of the game bag.
Tip:
When cleaning or rinsing meat during processing use cold water and vinegar mix to wipe down the meat rinse and process. Water Vinegar mix; approximately one 1/2 cup to 1 gallon of water this simply gives a slight acidic cleansing.
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Fish Bags
All of our game bags are manufactured with all of the same custom innovative features, the only difference is the incorporated weep holes at the bottom of the bags to allow water to drain during transport.
As with our Big Game Bag line the fish bags are designed to protect fish from insects, birds, and debris while fishing from shore, boat, or river.
They are also good for transporting from fishing hole to fishing hole, home, processor and taxidermists.  Taxidermist's like the fact that the bags won't stick to the frozen fish and or discolor the fish scales. 

When Ice Fishing; bag your catch tie the string to your fish bucket and drop it down a hole,  this keeps the fish from freezing.  For transporting: the fish bags help in containing fish slim to the bag and not on everything it touches.
Archers; bowfishing can be complicated when walking the shore's, the bags make life easy by simply attaching your catch to your belt.

Gigging: Again makes for easy transport.  

Bait: Eels, frog, salamanders are easy handling when bagged in the fish bags.  Drop the bagged bait in a bucket or in the water, when your ready to re-bait its within easy reach.
 
When Fishing in Bear Country; a person can simply pick-up and go without having to donate their catch to the bear.
For more information and pictures please go to our Fish Bags Page