6 Best Durable Brining Bins For Predator Protection Old Farmers Swear By

There’s nothing quite like walking out to the porch on a cool fall morning to find your turkey, which was peacefully brining for Thanksgiving dinner, has been violated. The lid is askew, the brine is everywhere, and a set of muddy raccoon tracks tells the whole story. Predators are smart, persistent, and they love an easy, salty meal as much as we do. Protecting your brining meat isn’t just about saving dinner; it’s about not feeding the wildlife that can become a bigger problem later.

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Behrens Galvanized Steel Can: The Classic Choice

You’ve seen these cans on farms for a hundred years for a reason. They just work. The Behrens galvanized steel can is the original predator-proof container, long before fancy coolers came along. Its strength is its simplicity: it’s a metal bucket with a tight-fitting metal lid.

The key advantage here is the material itself. Raccoons, opossums, and even coyotes can’t chew through steel. Their teeth will scrape and skid, but they won’t gain purchase. The lid fits snugly enough that smaller paws have a tough time prying it open, especially if you place a heavy rock or cinder block on top. It’s a straightforward, physical barrier that most common homestead predators simply can’t defeat.

Of course, it’s not perfect. The biggest drawback is the lack of insulation. On a warm day, you’ll be fighting to keep your brine temperature in the safe zone, which means constantly adding ice. Over time, if the galvanized coating gets scratched, they can also rust. But for pure, brute-force chew protection on a cold night, the Behrens is an affordable and reliable classic.

Rubbermaid Brute Tote: Indestructible Plastic

The Rubbermaid Brute is the modern workhorse that has largely replaced the old steel can for general farm tasks. Its name isn’t an exaggeration. Made from thick, commercial-grade plastic, these totes are designed to be abused on construction sites, making them more than tough enough for homestead duty.

Unlike steel, the Brute will never rust, and it’s significantly lighter, making it easier to haul a heavy, brine-filled container from the porch to the shed. The plastic is incredibly durable and resistant to cracking, even in the cold. While a very determined animal could theoretically chew on it, the plastic is so thick that most raccoons and foxes will give up before they make any real progress. The snap-on lids provide a good initial seal, but they are the weak point.

This is where reinforcement is key. A Brute tote combined with a couple of heavy-duty bungee cords becomes a formidable fortress against mid-sized predators. It strikes an excellent balance between durability, weight, and cost. It’s not bear-proof, but for the common nocturnal thieves, it’s an outstanding choice.

Tarter Galvanized Feed Bin for Ultimate Security

If you’re tired of messing with rocks and bungee cords, upgrading to a dedicated galvanized feed bin is the next logical step. These containers, made by companies like Tarter, are designed from the ground up with one goal: keeping critters out of animal feed. That mission translates perfectly to protecting a brining turkey.

The single biggest advantage of a feed bin is its built-in locking mechanism. The lid is typically hinged and features a latch that can be secured with a simple carabiner or a padlock. This completely neutralizes a raccoon’s greatest strength—its clever, dexterous paws. They can’t unclip a carabiner. This simple feature elevates the security far beyond a simple can with a loose lid.

These bins are an investment. They cost more than a basic trash can, but you’re paying for a purpose-built solution. They are chew-proof, weather-resistant, and the secure latch offers peace of mind that a rock on a lid never quite can. For anyone dealing with particularly clever families of raccoons, this is often the most effective and permanent solution.

Yeti Tundra Cooler: The Bear-Proof Option

Let’s be direct: if you have bears, you don’t have many options. This is one of them. A Yeti Tundra cooler (when properly locked) is certified bear-resistant, and that’s not just a marketing gimmick. It means it has been physically tested against actual grizzly bears.

The rotomolded construction is virtually indestructible, and the interlocking lid design leaves no edge for a predator to pry. The heavy-duty rubber T-Rex latches are designed to be too difficult for an animal to pull open. When you add padlocks through the integrated slots, nothing is getting in. This is the nuclear option for predator protection.

The obvious tradeoff is the astronomical price. However, the investment comes with a huge secondary benefit: unmatched insulation. You can maintain a perfect, food-safe brine temperature for days with minimal ice, giving you a much wider margin of safety. If you already need a high-performance cooler for other activities, its use as an impenetrable brining vessel makes the cost a little easier to swallow.

Suncast Deck Box: High-Capacity Protection

Sometimes the problem isn’t a single turkey, but multiple birds or a whole hog shoulder. When you need sheer volume, a common resin deck box can be a surprisingly effective solution. They offer massive capacity for a reasonable price and are a common sight on patios and decks already.

The primary advantages are size and convenience. You can easily fit two or three large turkeys in a standard deck box. Most models also have a lid that is designed to be padlocked, which immediately solves the problem of prying paws. The resin material is weather-proof and won’t rust or rot.

The vulnerability lies in the material’s thickness. The resin walls of a deck box are much thinner than a Rubbermaid Brute or a Yeti cooler. A very motivated predator, like a large dog or a bear, could potentially chew or claw through a corner. It’s a solution that relies heavily on the lock and is best placed in a relatively secure area, but for high-volume brining against common raccoons, it’s a practical and affordable option.

Eagle 1610MB Drum: The Impenetrable Barrel

For those who value absolute, unquestionable security above all else, look to the industrial world. The Eagle 1610MB (or similar open-head poly drums) is a 14-gallon barrel made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It’s designed to safely transport materials, and its security features are second to none.

Its secret weapon is the lid and locking ring. The lid fits over the top, and a steel lever-lock ring clamps it down with immense force. There is physically no way for an animal to manipulate this mechanism. The HDPE material is also incredibly thick and durable, far beyond what any raccoon or coyote could ever hope to chew through.

This is not the most elegant solution. It looks like what it is: an industrial drum. It can be a bit unwieldy to move when full. But if you have a persistent predator problem that has defeated other methods, or you’re brining something extremely valuable like a heritage breed hog, the absolute security of a poly drum is unmatched.

Gorilla Grip Bungee Cords: Securing Any Lid

A container is only as strong as its lid. Even the toughest bin can be defeated if the lid can be pried off. That’s why a set of truly heavy-duty bungee cords is one of the most important tools in your predator-proofing arsenal.

Don’t use the cheap, thin cords from the checkout aisle. Invest in bungees with thick, rubberized cords and strong steel hooks. Brands like Gorilla Grip or other "super duty" options provide significantly more tension and are less likely to stretch out or snap in cold weather. Crisscrossing two of these over the top of a Rubbermaid Brute or a steel can applies constant downward pressure, preventing a raccoon from getting its paws under the lip to start prying.

This simple addition can elevate a decent container into a great one. It’s the most cost-effective security upgrade you can make. For just a few dollars, you can add a layer of security that foils the most common method of attack.

Behrens Steel vs. Rubbermaid Brute Comparison

For most hobby farmers, the choice often boils down to these two titans: the classic galvanized steel can or the modern heavy-duty plastic tote. Each has a distinct philosophy and clear tradeoffs, and the right choice depends entirely on your specific situation.

Here’s the breakdown in its simplest form:

• Behrens Galvanized Steel: The primary advantage is being 100% chew-proof. If your main problem is animals that gnaw, steel is the definitive answer. The main disadvantages are its weight, its potential to rust, and its complete lack of insulation.
• Rubbermaid Brute: The primary advantages are being rust-proof, lighter, and more versatile. It’s easier to handle and clean. Its main disadvantage is that the plastic, while incredibly tough, is not technically chew-proof against the most extreme and determined predators. The lid also absolutely requires extra security.

The decision framework is simple. If you have a known problem with animals chewing through plastic and you can manage the bin in a cool, shaded location, the Behrens steel can is a reliable choice. If you value portability, rust resistance, and are primarily defending against raccoons trying to pry lids, the Rubbermaid Brute, secured with good bungee cords, is arguably the more practical and modern solution for most situations.

Ultimately, the best brining bin is the one that matches the predator you’re facing and the budget you have. Whether it’s a simple steel can secured with a brick or a bear-proof cooler with padlocks, the principle is the same. You have to be more determined than they are, because a hungry animal has all night to work on a problem.