Gear Review: FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo

Gear Review: FoodServer GameSaver

I’ve been seeing vacuum sealing devices in Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops and other catalogs for awhile now, but I’ve never gotten around to buying one. They seemed like good ideas, but why spend the money if I could just use freezer paper and tape on any deer meat or fish I managed to get.

Well, that changed recently when FoodSaver sent me a unit to try. Called the “FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus Vacuum Sealer” (nothing like a short name, eh?), this neat little unit has all the bells and whistles. It’s digital, has a wide sealing strip, can do multiple seals, etc., etc. Okay, all that’s fine, but does it work?

I’ve got some venison in the freezer, but deer season isn’t exactly around the corner, so I tried the GameSaver Turbo on some ground chuck. At first, I was surprised to learn that you have to freeze meat ahead of time, before vacuum sealing it, but you have to do this to freezer all the juices; otherwise, the unit will just suck them all out.

So, I’m happy to report that this thing really works….and works well, much better than any seal you’d get with tape and paper, that’s for sure. And after I finished sealing all my hamburger meat, I got to thinking of other uses. You could vacuum seal, let’s say, a bottle of doe in estrous, so you don’t have to worry about it leaking in your hunting pack. Or you could seal matches, tinder, and other survival gear. Or, how about some of your favorite cigars?

The uses are many, which is why this is worth getting. I just wish I had gotten one a long time ago.

The Turbo Plus unit has a suggested retail price of $299.99–not bad, especially if you add up the value of all the game meat that you might throw away each year because it has freezer burn. Foodsaver.com – or yes, it’s available from Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops. – Jay Cassell