Concerning the vac packing....

I would put in an order at our butcher (we are fortunate to have an old-timey butcher in my town) and he would vac pack according to my instructions and deep freeze it for me.

I recently broke down and bought a food saver vac pack machine and I love it.

All that being said, you don't need to have the stuff vac packed. The benefits are leak protection and ease of preparation. I find it easy and quick to thaw meats in the packs in warm water but hat might not be an issue in the tropics.

Well packaged/well wrapped items will do just fine as long as it is frozen solid.