Duh
, my neighbor who just moved back to Norway was trying to get rid of his small chest freezer and I said no as needed a small fridge for cheese aging. Great idea, your thermostat should work great, and of course here around us cheese nuts we don't think you're crazy . . . mind you $53 and shipping . . . assume the thermostat on the freezer doesn't go warm enough, dumb question . . .
I'm also sure you've already thought of this but how about for easier access, turning it on end and placing it on a 1 inch pedastal so that door swings clear and cutting and wedging plywood or other material shelves in? OK dumb idea as the compressor needs to be horizontal.
As a young man I also used to work up in Yukon in summer camps and at one in the Tintinna Trench valley we dug rectangular 2 x 4 ft x 2 ft deep pits through the muskeg and down into the permafrost for food storage. Worked great until a spring 2 yo bear found it and eat through some 1 liter UHT milk cartons, then we had a bear every 3 days!
PS: My brother is a bit of a grizzy adams and live on a hill near town of Haida Quay in Queen Charlotte Islands BC just below Alaska but I'm off topic . . .