OP here. Thanks all!

Upright works much better for us. They may have made design improvements since out last one, but things kept getting buried in the chest freezer and it's harder on the back.

We have underground wires so our power rarely goes out. Knock wood! I think we've had our freezer since 2007 or 8 and we only had to throw stuff out once, & that was due to user error. Google it, but I think a chest freezer will keep cold a day or two if you don't open it. Our chest freezer holds our 1/4 cow plus, and we access it about every week or two for more meat. Anything more than a chest freezer would for sure be overkill for us.

We have an upright and LOVe it. I access it almost daily and it is much easier than digging in a chest. When we were deciding what to get I wanted an upright (that is what we had growing up) DH wanted a chest (that is what he had growing up). I suggested he ask his mom and she agreed that the upright was a better choice if you will use it often. A chest freezer is great for long term storage.

That being said we have a generator mainly for the freezer. Due to the amout of storms last year we are now researching options for a generator that will kick in automatically if the power goes out so we won't lose the food if we are out of town during a power outage.

Craiglist. And we love our chest. Will hold stuff frozen for several days even with then power out.

When I first moved to a house with a basement my mom's housewarming gift to me was an extra freezer. We did research and heard that upright was better than chest if you plan to access it regularly. I'm so glad we made the choice for the upright--I use it all the time. My regular freezer in the kitchen is vertical so I can't even fit a frozen pizza in there. We buy a lot of frozen fruit and veg and I access them almost daily. In the 3 years since I've had it, I've only lost my food twice due to power outrages (mont. co) and no generator.

Anonymous wrote:We're considering buying a quarter of a cow. I understand that would take up about 3 cubic feet. And I might like to bake many loaves of extra bread during the colder months that I could save for summer, when its too hot to bake. And may also want to pick peaches or apples and freeze them.

If you have a chest freezer, how do you use it? What size do you recommend? Upright or chest? Any other considerations?

Thanks!

Other considerations - a generator?

I've often thought about buying a bigger freezer to freeze cooked chickpeas/beans etc, but every time I fill my current freezer, we have a microburst or hurricane or derecho or a squirrel sneezing on the power line, and I lose lots of food to the power outage. Do you have underground wires?

We're considering buying a quarter of a cow. I understand that would take up about 3 cubic feet. And I might like to bake many loaves of extra bread during the colder months that I could save for summer, when its too hot to bake. And may also want to pick peaches or apples and freeze them.

If you have a chest freezer, how do you use it? What size do you recommend? Upright or chest? Any other considerations?

Thanks!