# Upright or chest freezer?



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

What do you prefer? 

Right now Drew and I have a gigantic upright and I LOVE IT. Easy to keep organized, lots of space with out taking up a lot of space. The only thing I don't like is that I'm always afraid things will fall on my head.

We are getting a ton of free meat this weekend and need to find another freezer. I don't know if I want another upright or a chest. I like the idea of having one of each.

What do you prefer and why?


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I like chest, b/c I feel like with an upright, you are letting all the cold air out every time you open it. The chest freezers aren't as easy to organize, but I just put on some gloves (to keep my hands warm) and go freezer digging.....


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I am short so a chest freezer is a pain. I like being able to organize it and it is more accessible for my whole family to get stuff outs of. I hate freezers digging.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I like both, I have 2 uprights and a big chest freezer...I keep all my boxed stuff that I haven't packaged into meals in the uprights along with the tripe and organs in the uprights and because my chest freezer has a organizer and baskets in it I use this for all packaged meals and I know exactly where/what proteins are in each spot.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I've got an upright half fridge/half freezer in the garage. I do like it as I've only got the one 37lb dog and the little cat so we don't need too much space. The fridge part is chocka full of beer (of course). 
If I had more dogs I think I'd be inclined to go for the chest freezer. I'm sure you are able to get more in one of those, without the avalanche every time you open the door.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I have never had an upright, we have 3 chest freezer and I organize them by proteins so it keeps thing simple. One is my chicken/turkey/duck, another holds my beef, lamb and pork and the the third holds all my misc. like rabbit, fish and organs.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I love being able to organize my upright in a way that I never would be able in a chest......with that being said, I can't wait to get my chest for when I get cases that I really don't want to break up yet!!:wink:


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Both, I put the excess/extra stuff in the chest and feed mostly out of the upright, I have the shelves organized by proteins, top is beef/pork, then chicken, turkey and fish at the bottom, whole prey in the door, chest freezer has more turkey/chicken parts, all of the rabbit meat and some other various stuff. I hate digging through the chest freezer but it's nice if you have lots of one item to bury. I wish my chest freezer had a basket or two.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

We had a giant upright that died. Then we got a small chest freezer. When we started raw, we added another giant upright. I REALLY prefer the upright. With the chest freezer, there are things in the bottom that have been there a good long while and I have no idea what they are now and it's a real pain to get to them. The upright is all nice and organized by shelf with our little bit of food on top and bins of dog meat arranged nicely below. 

The only thing the chest freezer is good for is whole turkeys. They are easy to just chunk in there and store until I am ready to do something with them. Also, the chest freezer takes up a lot more floor space in the garage.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I would love to have one of each. For me, the chest freezer would be great for just dumping unorganized meat into to have on standby to fill up my organized upright. 

I feel like an upright is easier to organize because you don't have everything piled into one spot.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

GoingPostal said:


> I wish my chest freezer had a basket or two.



I actually found extra baskets for my chest freezer at a thrift store. Look around at a garage sale or thrift store and you may fine them for yours.


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## Maligatork9 (Feb 8, 2012)

Been using a chest freezer and now wish I bought an upright. It would be much easier to organize.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

We have a large upright for us humans which we got way before dog and going raw of course and for him I bought a small chest freezer which I love. If you have a chest freezer and are short there is always the danger of falling in when you are leaning over!!! or being able to get right to the bottom, as I'm tall I don't have this worry.
Good thing about chest freezer for me is that you can put more bulky things in.
Saying that - everything in America is much bigger than anywhere else in the world - am I right?


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I just remembered why we bought an upright. 

Drews dads little brother died in a chest freezer. They were playing hide and seek. 

We have to get an upright then.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> I just remembered why we bought an upright.
> 
> Drews dads little brother died in a chest freezer. They were playing hide and seek.
> 
> We have to get an upright then.


Oh my goodness. That's horrible. I'm so sorry.

I have a chest and it's not so bad because it has a couple of baskets, but I do have stuff on the bottom I haven't seen for awhile. A couple of times since i bought it I've taken everything out and reorganized and found lost stuff. It's not because I'm efficient, it's because we didn't buy one that defrosts itself. I keep the organs in the baskets.

If i had my druthers I'd have both. I don't have alot of room for another chest freezer but I could probably squeeze an upright in somewhere.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

advantage of a chest freezer --- freezes beter
disadvantage of a chest freezer -- hell if you're short

advantage of an upright freezer -- easier to find things
disadvantage of an upright freezer -- doesn't freeze as well as a chest

we have both. we keep the bulk of our food in the chest freezer....and as the upright runs out of proteins, we transfer chest freezer contents over to the upright.

it would be a great system if i had the chest freezer better organised so i would stop forgetting what's on the bottom...like the simplicity of keeping a list of what's in it.....

and if i would stop buying other things, so that at the end of two years, i'm giving a huge bag of food away


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Sprocket said:


> I just remembered why we bought an upright.
> 
> Drews dads little brother died in a chest freezer. They were playing hide and seek.
> 
> We have to get an upright then.


that's terrible. yes, get an upright. and put a lock on it to keep kids out.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

What about an upright doesn't freeze well? Ours is a frostless freezer and everything is always rock hard frozen.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

magicre said:


> advantage of a chest freezer --- freezes beter
> disadvantage of a chest freezer -- hell if you're short
> 
> advantage of an upright freezer -- easier to find things
> ...


I find that so as* backwards, uprights are meant for storing cases of stuff we get from the co-op like venison, hearts and tripe, easy to pull off the shelves. 

Chests are for throwing in all the proteins that are already packaged...You guys have everything backwards! LMFAO...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> I find that so as* backwards, uprights are meant for storing cases of stuff we get from the co-op like venison, hearts and tripe, easy to pull off the shelves.
> 
> Chests are for throwing in all the proteins that are already packaged...You guys have everything backwards! LMFAO...


i have an extra room. come down here before thursday as niman is coming in. and you can direct, control, boss me around and re organise.

although, having thought about it.....the stuff that's already packaged...there is always something on the bottom covered by a layer of stuf on top.

and i'm short.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Sprocket said:


> What about an upright doesn't freeze well? Ours is a frostless freezer and everything is always rock hard frozen.


Chests are known to be more energy efficient and to not loose as much cold because of how they are made, door lays flat with the gravity holding it down where as the upright is well, upright.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

I have an up right I purchase on crags list cheap three years ago... I had a small chest and it was ok just to small, gave it to my neighbor who started feed fresh food, she cooks hers but I got her off the kibble...


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## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Sprocket said:


> What about an upright doesn't freeze well? Ours is a frostless freezer and everything is always rock hard frozen.


We have an upright on the back verandah that I have taken over for dog food, and everything is MUCH better frozen than the inside freezer that's part of the fridge. It's great! I love being organized. I think a chest freezer probably would be handy, like other people have said, for tossing in whole turkeys, or cases of things, but I'm kind of OCD haha, so I really like having my upright organized by shelf.


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