Is a vacuum sealer the solution to this problem?

[cannotWAIT]

I had a "dumb" chest freezer, i.e., not self-defrosting, that worked great but was a never-ending source of frustration to me because I'm too short to be able to reach more than halfway down it and would get high centered trying to reach the bottom while being assaulted by sliding chuck roasts. I replaced it with a standing freezer that is self-defrosting. I knew this would create a bit of an issue with freezer burn but I didn't realize how much. I'm reluctant to invest in more than a couple of months' worth of food for the freezer because of it. Would a FoodSaver type of vacuum sealer be enough of an improvement that I could safely buy food intending to use it over 9-12 months? I really don't want another gadget in my kitchen but if it would solve this problem I guess it would be worth it.

[SunnyDays]

I have an upright freezer too and don't have a problem with freezer burn.  Perhaps you have it set to too low a temperature?  Mine is at a 4 out of the 7 on the dial and things stay well frozen.  You also may not be wrapping well enough.  That said, I used to have a Food Saver and found it worked very well.  Food stayed fresh for a very long time, well over a year.  I stopped using it simply because it was a lot of hassle and I didn't actually need food to last that long.

[ChickenStash]

I do have a cheap vacu-sealer but most of what it can do can be replaced with just using a straw to suck the air out of a freezer bag or sealing it while dunking in water to force the air out.

I'd suggest starting with double-checking the freezer temp to make sure it's cold enough (<0F/-18C) and also make sure there's enough mass in it so the temps don't swing too wildly with door openings and defrost cycles.

[geekette]

I love my FoodSaver. It does keep things very well (although the bags can get holes in them).

There are fairly small ones that don't hold a roll that will fit in a drawer.

You don't mention this, but they're also good for storing pantry items (in reusable zip bags or in mason jars).  We even keep a couple rarely used tools vacuum sealed to keep them from rusting.

[sonofsven]

I won't buy a self defrost freezer for this reason. I vacuum pack a lot of salmon and it's well known that the self defrost freezers don't stay frozen.
I would recommend a vacuum sealer, but it probably won't completely solve the problem on it's own.

[GilesMM]

You didn't really say how bad the freezer burn issue is, but frost-free freezers are to be avoided.  I don't think any type of sealing will help as it is the temperature fluctuations which ruin your food.  The fuller your freezer is, the less things will heat up during the defrost cycle.  If there is any empty space, use leftover milk jugs with water to fill it up.  Take a couple out when you need to plop in another chuck roast.

[Bartlebooth]

An upright non-self-defrosting freezer is the solution to your problem.

[Alternatepriorities]

Depending on how much food you will be vacuum sealing it might be worth getting a chamber vac. We harvest most of our meat and nearly all of our fish ourselves. The bags for a chamber vacuum sealer are less than 1/10 the price of the food saver style bags last I looked. I ran the numbers a couple summers ago and bought one, it’s already paid for itself. It’s also faster. I’ve never had an auto defrost freezer, but a well sealed bag lasts two years or more in my chest freezers.