Say you buy steak, chicken or whatever on sale and need to freeze most of it for a few months, is the freezer paper good enough or is a vacuum wrapper needed?

Vacuum is good but you really don't need one. When we butcher our deer we wrap the meat very tight with plastic wrap making certain that we press all the air out. Then we place that in a zip-lock bag and into the freezer.

I have meat over a year old that's still like the day we packaged it.

Air is your enemy. Get rid if it and your good to go.


EBR

For long term vacuum seal is the best. Recently ate some deer that I killed in 2013, thawed and looked and smelled fresh.

I vote vacuum too. We purchase our meat at the grocery store in bulk when on sale. First thing we do when we get home is take it out of the store package and vacuum seal it in meal size portions, label and date it with a sharpie.

I live alone and always use the FoodSaver.

Vacuum is hard to beat if done correctly and it's easy. I agree if wrapped properly its possible to match the vacuum bag performance.

Tip
freeze meats before vacuum sealing, keeps liquid inside meat when vacuum is applied.

Snip bag to release vacuum before defrosting,. if defrosted while still under vacuum liquid is pulled out of meat as it defrosts.

we just got a cheaper model vac unit...works awesome...wished I gotten it sooner

This has always worked well with me. I've eaten deer meat frozen for well over two years and it was good to go, just needed some trimming.  Like the quote above said, year-plus meat=no issues at all.  It does take a dedication to get all that air out though, which may be in short supply when you're butchering a couple of deer late at night and are a twelve-pack into the process

A Foodsaver is a great tool for freezing meat, homemade spaghetti sauce, etc.

I'm a huge fan of vacuum packing... we raise a lot of our own produce, chicken and other stuff, and I can't imagine being without a vacuum-packer anymore.

That said, you have to take some care with the foods once they're packaged.  They're not particularly chest-freezer-friendly, if you have to go rooting around in there for anything.  Once everything's frozen up tight, it's not too difficult to poke a hole in a bag, and you may not notice it until the contents resemble a baby mammoth excavation.

They're useful for more than food packaging too.  The emergency kits in our cars each have a Foodsaver'ed roll of TP, and another package with extra socks, skivvies and at least a tshirt.  Sucking the air out of that stuff makes a nice compact package that you can tuck in almost anywhere in a vehicle.  Firestarters and other camping gear you want to keep dry, meds packed for long-term storage in the freezer... you can even make serviceable cold-packs by freezing water in one of those small disposable Glad or Rubbermaid kitchen containers, popping it out and vacuum sealing the resulting glacier.  Once it thaws you can refreeze and use again as many times as you can get away with it.

Is there any benefit in vacuum packing ammo?

Especially if you throw in a desiccant it will help prevent brass corrosion. If you already store in good ammo can it just provides another layer of protection.

We love our food saver but feel it is time to step up to something better. Looking at the VacMaster 350 just waiting on them to be back in stock. I have a discount I need to claim.

Zip lock freezer bags for me.  It will keep meat for right at 18 months without burn.  I am doing some Tri-Tip dated 12/2014 tomorrow.  Burn free.  

Those Food Savers don't work very well and the bags get pricey.  I gave mine away, and it was not a cheap unit.

Really depends on how long you want to freeze it for? As someone above mentioned, air is the enemy but so is time.

If you are just wanting to keep something for just a few months, standard ziplock bags are fine (no need for "freezer" bags IMO) just try and remove as much air as possible before sealing it but for long term storage I prefer vacuum wrapping

Not really IMO unless you plan on burying the ammo in the lake. I think even the decedent packs are kind of a waste IMO. Use a standard ammo can with a good seal and fill it to the top (effectively displacing most of the air in the can). Store the can in a dry, cool place that doesn't get any direct sunlight (my basement works well for me) and your ammo will last longer then you will.

You don't do the poor man's vac-pack and just stuck the air out of the ziploc?

 

mmmmmmm salmonella/botulism air...yummy