Chest or Stand Up Freezer

[MTLabrador]

If you do your own butchering, I recommend a stand up because you have that air circulation. I bought two stand ups and bought a trashed one cheap to recover the extra shelves. Once the meat is frozen, it can be put in a chest freezer fine. However, if you put fresh butchered meat into a chest freezer the middle will stay warm a long time and actually rot. If you have your meat commercially processed, a chest freezer would do you fine. Get one of the bigger ones if you hunt like I do.

Have you ever seen meat rot before it freezes in a chest freezer? Seems like it would take a very weak freezer and meat that was already spoiling.

 

[2rocky]

I've only owned Chest freezers and I envied the organization that the stand ups have.

I've tried to remedy the organization issues in the chest by stacking milk crates in the freezer to segregate beef, pork wild game and heat and eat stuff from Costco

I tried and failed at creating an inventory of what is where in the freezer.

 

[Jape]

Have had both and prefer the stand up for organization sake.

 

[Nick87]

I wonder how many freezers @staysharp had full of domestic animals he shot.

 

[bmt99]

Stand up freezer as big as you can fit. I have 2 6' in my garage. What I like is multiple racks. Unlike the chest freezer had growing where we had to dig through stuff and then always end up throwing stuff away after years of being buried. Mine have 5 or 6 racks. I have a rack for Elk, deer or other, fish, beef, pork and then have a couple racks for other freezer store bought items. Easy to see old and new and what you have

I am in this boat. I have 2 standup freezers now after growing up with chest freezer. I use the top of one for storing stuff and top of the other for speakers. Have to have music in the garage.

 

[ashersdad]

I have 2 chest and 1 stand up. Both have pros and cons. I have taken one of the chest freezers on a couple hunts and even back from Alaska once. I like the chest because I can get home from a hunt and just throw meat, capes, heads, etc in and deal with them a day or two later. Stand ups are much nicer for organization however as has been mentioned.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I have a newer chest freezer that circulates air just fine. I process my own stuff and write date, cut, and species on the butcher paper or vacuum pack. Newest stuff gets put on the bottom, but it’s a hassle to dig everything out to rotate. I’m planning to add a stand up freezer to increase capacity as right now I can fit 3 deer before I’m out of space.

 

[Hummer]

We run 3 freezers, a 16 and 5 cu ft chest freezers, and a 21 ft upright. I organize using cardboard boxes so I can pull out what I need without much digging. I like the upright much better for convenience, and when using boxes nothing falls off the shelves. I also like the floor space savings with the upright. Lifting boxes or large meat items from a chest freezer is a pain.

I suggest avoiding the frost-free models because foods won't last as long, just as in a refrigerator freezer. I quickly defrost the chest freezers about once a year and use a wet vac to pull out the water and debris. I haven't had to defrost the upright yet but may do so this fall after 3 years of use.

 

[SG25]

You can get little baskets like these to put in your stand up to help with organization, labeling, and prevent things from sliding around.

 

[JEL]

View attachment 150306
You can get little baskets like these to put in your stand up to help with organization, labeling, and prevent things from sliding around.

Chest freezers used to come with hanging baskets. Frequently used items went in those and you just restocked from below when empty. I have an upright and do get frustrated when stuff starts sliding out.

 

[AZbywayofWI]

Lots of good pros and cons from everyone! I appreciate it! I like that a standup has less of a footprint but I also like that I could just dump a head or cape into a chest freezer and not worry about it falling out. You have all given me some good food for thought! Thanks!

 

[shannerdrake]

Blondes or brunettes, Ford or Chevy, 308 or 30/06?

It's really a preference thing. A chest freezer is more efficient in both storage and cooling. However, they are (for me) hard to find things.

I have both in my garage, but put the stuff I care about the stand-up because it is so nice for finding things.

 

[2rocky]

Chest freezers are more energy-efficient than upright freezers. Generally, they cost a little more than $4 a month to run when divided. Upright freezers cost around $14 a month to run.

 

[Nick87]

Blondes or brunettes, Ford or Chevy, 308 or 30/06?

It's really a preference thing. A chest freezer is more efficient in both storage and cooling. However, they are (for me) hard to find things.

I have both in my garage, but put the stuff I care about the stand-up because it is so nice for finding things.

Brunette, Chevy, and 30/06. Just sayin

 

[shannerdrake]

Brunette, Chevy, and 30/06. Just sayin

Blonde, Ford, 300 Win, Stand-up Freezer.

See what I mean?

 

[Nick87]

Yeah but only one if is right.

 

[88man]

get one of each>

 

[WildWill]

get one of each>

Been trying to talk my blonde into it for years probably not gonna happen.

 

[Pahoundsman]

Cardboard boxes make a chest freezer easy to keep organized. The upright is more convenient. You can also buy an upright that has a refrigerator mode on it so when you don’t have it full of meat you can load it up with adult beverages!

 

[diamond hitch]

I have 2 uprights and 3 chest freezes. An empty chest freezer is very handy for elk quarters when you are still hunting and its too warm to hang meat. It gives you choices.