Odin
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,068
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Post by Odin on Oct 1, 2012 22:28:49 GMT -5
I'm planning on buying a chest freezer soon, but don't really know how big of one to get. We're a family of three (hoping to make it four (crossed fingers)) and the freezer is mainly going to be used for deer and other wild game. I realize everyone is going to want to brag up "how big" his is, but what I really need is to figure out how big of one I need. Searching the net leads me to believe that either a 5 cu.ft. will be more space than I'll ever need, or or that a 24 cu.ft. will barely cut it  Figure the meat from a 200lb. deer, couple rabbits, a turkey, maybe one of those big 5-quart tubs of ice cream plus a bit of room for the stuff the wifey wants to toss in there. What say ye? |
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cubrock
.401 Bobcat
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Post by cubrock on Oct 1, 2012 22:48:27 GMT -5
Get as a big a freezer as you can afford and have space for. You will fill it, regardless of its size. Trust me.
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Post by bushog on Oct 1, 2012 22:51:56 GMT -5
I agree... and that wifey tossing business gets out of hand while you're not watching. "It was on sale"  |
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Post by boxhead on Oct 2, 2012 2:58:39 GMT -5
Yep, freezers are like gun safes.
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mtnbkr
.30 Stingray
Posts: 294
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Post by mtnbkr on Oct 2, 2012 6:22:15 GMT -5
I don't remember exactly, but I think ours is a 7cu.ft model (Kenmore, and 11 years old now). It is usually full, but some of that "fill" are 2liter bottles of ice for camping and such.
Chris
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COR
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,527
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Post by COR on Oct 2, 2012 6:24:46 GMT -5
Go a size bigger than you decide on...you'll fill it.
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Post by zeus on Oct 2, 2012 7:55:49 GMT -5
I will say I much prefer the standing freezer. The chest freezer get full and are a booger to find things in. At least at my house. I'm going to buy another standing one soon for some upcoming hunts. It's just easier to have shelves to use rather than a big cavern of space  |
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cubrock
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TLA fanatic and all around nice guy....
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Post by cubrock on Oct 2, 2012 8:36:09 GMT -5
Agree with Zeus on the practicality of upright freezers, but chest freezers are more energy efficient. We have an upright, but our next one will be a chest freezer.
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Post by 98redline on Oct 2, 2012 8:42:26 GMT -5
Regardless of what you do make darn sure you buy one of those freezer alarms (the ones that go off if the temp gets too high).
4 years ago I lost about 200lb of wild game (caribou, deer, turkey) and sundry other items when my chest freezer stopped running.
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robl
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These were the good ole days!
Posts: 1,415
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Post by robl on Oct 2, 2012 10:25:41 GMT -5
"Buy em Both!" is sound advice an upright to take advantage of bulk buys freeze milk etc. The Chest for bulk meat buy a beef &/OR pork package, moose ...salmon whatever.
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Post by Seasons44 on Oct 2, 2012 11:28:41 GMT -5
Chest freezers are great but if you have the space a vertical freezer can be cheaper, and a little easier to organize.
My big recomendation is make sure you buy frost free, save you the headaches down the road.
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Post by stevemb on Oct 2, 2012 11:34:26 GMT -5
A thought on BIg freezers. Attach a clip board, with contents clearly listed. Otherwise, the same crap will be bought, over and over. You get to pay to keep it frozen. A year later, maybe no savings in reality. There is a point of diminishing returns, and down right stupid. stevemb
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Odin
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,068
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Post by Odin on Oct 2, 2012 21:55:25 GMT -5
Thank you for all the replies gentlemen. I know from all my searching that a 7 cu.ft. will probably fill my needs, but I think I'll try to find a deal on something a little bit bigger. An upright would be mighty nice (and take up less floor space), but those I've seen seem to be a bit more spendy than a good ol' chest model.
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Post by Mark Terry on Oct 3, 2012 10:19:33 GMT -5
Nobody ever had too much freezer space.
You'll need to plan to clean it out and the frequency will depend on how big it is versus what portion of it you actually need. Stuff that's over 10 years old can probably be discarded.
An upright is nice and takes up less space but there is considerably less storage space on the top. Plus you don't have to move all the stuff that accumulates on the top to open it and try to find whatever it was you thought might be in there (buried under the 10 year+ old stuff).
Just my experience.......
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Post by oldschool on Oct 3, 2012 13:20:29 GMT -5
A thought on BIg freezers. Attach a clip board, with contents clearly listed. Otherwise, the same crap will be bought, over and over. You get to pay to keep it frozen. A year later, maybe no savings in reality. There is a point of diminishing returns, and down right stupid. stevemb Great tip! Our freezer always has stuff buried that we forget about. As to size, I have a 10 cu ft and sometimes wish I had bought a bit larger. The extra space comes in handy should you get a wallhanger that needs to be stored for a few weeks until you can get to the taxidermist. |
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