By Steve Glass,
Inventor of the Trophy Bag Kooler
"Pass it on"
The story of how the Trophy Bag Kooler came to be...

Story by Steven Glass

One fall day many years ago I was introduced to hunting, but the excitement of hunting a whitetail deer
is an experience that is hard to put into words. There’s nothing more exhilarating than hunting a big
whitetail deer in the fall or the sound of a turkey gobbling in the spring.  It’s enough to make your heart
pound out of your chest. Imagine sitting in a tree stand on a cool crisp fall morning watching the
sunrise, the dawn of a new day is such a beautiful sight and we should all cherish and embrace it
each and every day.  It is a true gift from God.

Nature and the outdoors can instill a certain type of peace and tranquility that can help teach us all
how important it is to enjoy the abundant wildlife that’s been provided for us. We owe it to our
children.  We must teach them the importance of conservation. If we don’t show them the importance
of protecting the land and the right to hunt the land, we will never succeed in our conservation efforts.  

I know some parts of the country, especially in the southern region of the United States, seems to
experience unseasonably warm weather in the early fall deer hunting season.  Temperatures can
range from the low 40’s to the high 80’s. I’m sure that out of the millions of people that hunt each year,
there are countless numbers of deer that are discarded from spoilage due to the unseasonably warm
weather and it’s a problem that won’t go away.

That’s why I came up with the idea of a bag that would keep the deer cold and help keep the insects
off the carcass.  I know some hunters drive for hours to reach their hunting areas and this would
eliminate having to leave a successful hunt early and make a mad dash to the processor or the
taxidermist to try and preserve the animal they’ve harvested. I knew it had to be very durable material,
but what would work?  The cotton or cheesecloth bags that are on the market are designed to keep
the insects off but they have no insulating factor and when you’re done you throw the bag away.  I tried
to come up with a product that would allow me to keep hunting after harvesting an animal.

So my long journey began. What do I use?  Paper?  Cloth?  Some form of plastic?  Insulation or
canvas?  The choice of material was overwhelming but I knew whatever my final decision was it had
to be a durable and pliable material and it also needed to have a better than average insulating factor
to handle the warm temperatures of the southern region.  I sketched my idea on paper and even made
some designs on my computer but I didn’t have the proper software to make a pattern. I was driving
all over town buying material but still didn’t really understand what was needed.  I spent countless
hours on the Internet looking for all sorts of material.  I never realized there are so many types of
fabrics.  Also, if I could find a small sewing shop that could help me put a pattern together, I’d be on my
way.  I was getting extremely frustrated. I felt like I was on the path of self-destruction, long hours at
work and then home to my project.  I worked until two a.m. most days and it was beginning to wear
me down.  I started asking myself was it really worth it?  I took a couple of days off and decided to
regroup.

The next leg of my journey began with what would work best.  How big do I make it and how could it
best enclose the animal to eliminate being exposed to the heat and insects. I cut different patterns out
of paper, heavy vinyl and cloth.  I know how to darn a sock but nothing about putting something so
complicated together.  

Then one day I remembered the guy that had repaired my boat seats.  I called to ask him if he would
be interested in helping me work on this project.  He agreed, so we met to discuss my options.  Once
we came up with a plan I knew it was off to the races!  I knew he had the right kind of machines to
sew heavy-duty material so the next step was to get some material. We started by making a small
cooler bag that would hold several cans of soda and ice.  We tested it by placing some ice in the bag
and leaving out in the heat.  When we opened the bag 12 hours later hardly any of the ice had melted,
so I knew we were on the right track.  The next step was to make a bag the size and shape of a deer.  
Then I needed to test the dimensions so I purchased a large deer decoy.  I needed several other
components like zippers, buckles and straps and I found them at Gipson Trim Supply in downtown
OKC. But the inner liner material still had me puzzled.  I started looking at ice chests and soft-sided
cooler bags like we used at the lake.  I needed a liner that would keep something cold so I started
researching Thermal Radiant Barrier materials.  This type material is designed to keep cold items
cold and warm items warm.  That’s when I came up with the idea of a built in survival blanket.  If you
were hunting in a region where the weather can change suddenly, like Colorado, it would give you a
dual-purpose product.  I’ve read several articles in hunting magazines about hunters getting lost in
snowstorms and I thought to myself, now you’re getting somewhere.  If we could save just one life it
would all be worth it.

Now what was I going to use for the exterior of the bag?  I knew I needed a durable material.  I found a
600D polyester fabric.  This fabric is extremely tough.  At this point I felt I was on the right track.  I
searched the Internet and looked for companies that created hunting pattern fabrics.  There were
numerous companies available and I started calling one after the other and left message after
message.  To my surprise the only call back I received was from a very nice lady from Mossy Oak.  
They are one of the pioneers in the camouflage pattern industry.  I’ve always liked and used their
camouflage hunting apparel.  I explained to her my idea on the “Trophy Bag Kooler™” (as I was now
calling it).  She loved the idea and wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help.  I
explained to her I was working on the prototype and needed some material.  She really surprised me
when she said let me see what I can do.  A week or so later some material arrived.

After several trial bags, we finally hit upon the right combination of material and design. The final
product used in conjunction with bagged ice helps to maintain temperatures of 36 to 40 degrees of a
harvested animal, which is IDEAL! We were also fortunate to find a company right here in OKLAHOMA
to manufacture the bags: Covercraft Industries, Inc. in Pauls Valley, OK. And you Mossy Oak fans will
be glad to know that our featured outer shell material is the new Mossy Oak Break-Up® pattern. The
Thermal Radiant Energy Shield inside has antimicrobial properties that help protect against mold,
mildew, and bacteria growth. I must tell you, the Trophy Bag Kooler is definitely a must own product no
matter where you hunt. When hunting in any region of the United States, you can experience warm
weather, so DON’T SPOIL YOUR HUNT KEEP IT KOOL WITH A TROPHY BAG KOOLER!

Happy Hunting from Steve Glass, Trophy Bag Kooler, LLC
Trophy Bag Kooler, LLC
P. O. Box 1159
Bethany, OK 73008
405-789-6940
866-789-6941
www.TrophyBagKooler.com
trophybagkooler@yahoo.com
Mossy Oak is a trademark used
under license from Haas
Outdoors, Inc., by Trophy Bag
Kooler, LLC.
© 2008 Trophy Bag Kooler, LLC
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