# Freezer... Upright or chest? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634 "2014-12-08T04:12:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/21 "2014-12-08T18:24:11Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I’m splitting a cow with my mom, I actually don’t know how much meat I will get, but I think it will dress out to about 600lbs, of which I get half. I don’t think I’ll be getting it until early next year though. > > She’s done this before and has a chest freezer, but doesn’t like it. She complains that everything she wants is always on the bottom, so she suggested I get an upright. > > I’m looking for other opinions… Buy an upright and swap with her. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/22 "2014-12-08T18:40:46Z")
Also, when you load it, stack up columns of the same kind of thing rather than layers, so you have one corner that’s all ground beef, another one that’s a stack of t-bones, and that way, what you want is always on top. Until you get about halfway through the year and everything falls over and gets covered over by frozen peas and ice cream, but maybe that’s just my problem… ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/23 "2014-12-08T21:37:58Z")
I have a small chest freezer, and it’s true things get to the bottom and are a pain to retrieve. I solved that by sorting the different kinds of meats into canvas grocery bags. All the chicken in one, all the pork in another - you get the idea. So I only have to grab the handles and pull out the bags, it’s much less strain on my back. It also has a shelf, and a basket for smaller things. I put a layer of ice packs to raise the level of the food, too. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/24 "2014-12-08T21:55:31Z")
We recently switched from an upright to a chest freezer. What was nearly a full load for the upright barely fills half of the chest freezer (same footprint), to the point where I really should put some ice packs or something on the bottom to lift things up to a more manageable level. Rummaging is a bit of a pain, but a more logical packing strategy will help no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/25 "2014-12-08T22:37:24Z")
Are uprights with pull-out trays/bins on every shelf? For access, that would be my first choice. If I am stuck with a box and pawing through the stuff to get what I want, it would be a chest - with color-coded markings for easy ID - picking up each piece and reading a label - nope, not that one - how about this, it loooks about the right size/shape? No - damn! I KNOW it’s in here. If that sounds like an inventory sheet would be a good addition, with a pencil on a string to mark the DATE it was removed, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/26 "2014-12-08T23:13:49Z")
Mine has shelves, but they don’t pull out. I wish I had a bigger model, but this one works for now and my house will only get emptier as the kids grow. My former clients have a chest freezer that I swear you could hide a stolen Volkswagon in. It’s awesome but I seriously can’t even reach the bottom of it. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/27 "2014-12-09T01:38:46Z")
Upright, for the same reason others have mentioned: accessibility. I’ve had both types BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/28 "2014-12-09T07:27:53Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > I voted chest freezer for all the reasons others noted above, and also b/c if you lose power a chest freezer will keep up to three days (probably even longer if you throw a heavy blanket over top) but an upright only makes it one day. > Plus it’s hard to accidentally leave the door open at all w/ a chest freezer. Ditto. Nothing worse than seeing the freezers door ajar from when your kids didnt close it right and everything in its melted. Only problem with the chest type is eventually things get to be a mess and you have to dig thru them. They are also harder to defrost. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/29 "2014-12-09T07:46:19Z")
for 15 years or so we’ve put 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 steers in our freezer(s). Daughter gets a whole Angus in her chest. My upright (access,access)holds a small one, and a half easily (26 cf) I raise Angus crosses, and apparently this year one Limousin (skinny little shit, I thought was half Jersey). They are slaughtered relatively young, so dress out 500-800lb. I am very pleased that the usual percentage for my cattle are 60-75% return- meaning a side hanging weight 300#will give you back 180-225# meat. Dairy you’re lucky to get 45-50% and a LOT of dog bones. I keep tails, liver, hearts, cheeks and sometimes other offal- I am feeding dogs as well as people. Um we eat the tail, and one heart. Dog gets the liver minced, dried, seared, bones raw. The upright lets me see what I’m getting at better, though when we had the big chest freezer that died, it had baskets that lifted out easily enough. My daughter buys a whole cow, has two good sized chest freezers. A 300# side should be nice . Happy eating! ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634/30 "2014-12-11T15:38:19Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > In Alaska chest freezers are better for big chunks of meat If you have mahoosive chunks they may not fit into the drawers of an upright. Chest freezers are generally slightly cheaper. People around the 1.5m/5ft mark may find reaching into a chest freezer difficult. Other than that, it’s purely personal preference IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-upright-or-chest/706634.md?page=1)