TL;DR there is no bag of dog food that is too large for the GUNNER Food Crate.
Prior to the release of the Food Crate, our team tested a number of different food brands that are popular amongst our customers – including Purina, Eukanuba, Victor, Nulo, Orijen and more – to compare kibble sizes to ensure they would conveniently fit in the crate. What we found is that there is currently not a dog food offering on the market that is too large to fit in the Food Crate, and in fact, two bags from some of the niche food brands can fit in the crate at one time.
Tips for Maximizing the Use of Your Gunner Food Storage System:
Pouring the Food
We recommend that you use scissors to cut from the corner of the bag. Make an opening that stops about a third of the way across the top. This will help control both the rate and width of kibble flow as it is poured into the Food Crate.
For bags of food that are larger than ~30lbs, you’ll likely need to pause during your initial pour and lift the front of the Food Crate to shift the kibble into the back. In our testing, we found this was only needed 1-2 times with some of the larger bags. You can reduce the number of times you’ll need to do this by turning the Food Crate on its end prior to pouring.
We noted in this test is that the wide U-Pour mouth on the Food Crate especially shines when pouring brands that have an “easy tear” feature on the front, such as Acana or Orijen, because they have a much wider pour than the other bags.
Storing the Food Crate
Because the Gunner Food Crate has the benefit of being airtight is that it emits no scent, you canstore your companion’s food in the house or pantry and not worry about an unpleasant odor.
The security locking pin that comes with your Food Crate is primarily intended for those who intend to store their crate for extended periods of time outdoors, where it is subject to the elements and the attention of wildlife. For normal use either in the house or in the garage, most users won’t need the security locking pin.
It is worth noting that, while the Food Crate is rotomolded, it is not insulated. Thus, use discretion for storing food in severe temps.
Heads up: repeatedly adding food to your pet food bin without cleaning can make the interior greasy with rancid oil. That could potentially contaminate fresh food. Inspect your Food Crate and make it a habit to wash it with dish soap and water, or distilled white vinegar if it needs a longer soak.
Alternative Uses
The Gunner Food Crate will safely store up to 11.5 gallons of water.
It is good for dry food, deer corn, chicken feed, pet treats, birdseed, horse feed, and more.
Foods We Tested
Large Dog Food Bags: 50lb+
Retriever Choice Chops — 55lb
Victor Hi-Pro Plus — 50lb
Purina Pro Plan Sport Performance 30/20 Formula — 50lb
These bags all fit pretty tightly. You would likely only want to store the dog food and a scoop for these upon first filling the Gunner Food Crate. After a few days of use (depending on your companion’s daily food intake), you’ll likely be able to store their food bowl in the Food Crate as well.
Large Dog Food Bags: ~30lb
Eukanuba Adult Large Breed — 30lb
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Recipe — 28lb
Fromm Family Adult Gold — 33lb
The Blue Buffalo Co. Life Protection Formula Adult — 30lb
These bags all fit comfortably in the Food Crate. There is plenty of space to store your dog’s water bowl, food bowl, and food scoop in the crate along with your companion’s food, should you choose. However, based on our results we believe these bags of food to be just over the mark of being able to store two bags in the Gunner Food Crate.
Mid-Size Dog Food Bags: ~25lb
Acana Free-Run Poultry Formula — 25lb
Orijen Original — 25lb
Nulo Medal Series Grain-Free Large Breed — 24lb
There was plenty of extra space with these bags of dog food. You could easily store your scoop, food bowl, and water bowl in the Gunner Food Crate along with your dog’s food, should you choose to do so. While we have not specifically tested it, based on the volume of the Gunner Food Crate and generally smaller kibble size of these brands, we’d bet you could fit two bags of these brands of dog food.
