12V Cooler

[alan0614]

Thanks guys, guess it’s time to start shopping.

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[Bob902]

Thanks guys, guess it’s time to start shopping.

Been wanting on for a while, too. Love that GT350!

 

[AzScorpion]

Been wanting on for a while, too. Love that GT350!

Even if you're not camping these are great just for hanging around the backyard or pool or for parties. Not having to buy ice and having soggy food is worth the cost itself. Besides they made the ice bags even smaller now. Noticed this the other day at the checkout they're now only 7 lbs instead of 10 lbs and of course the price is still the same.

 

[bentroia]

ARB are excellent. Low draw, runs 120 or 12 v, garage or truck fridge.. bought one in 1999 it is still perfect.

 

[alan0614]

Been wanting on for a while, too. Love that GT350!

@Bob902 Thank you, it's an incredible car for sure.

 

[Bob902]

@Bob902 Thank you, it's an incredible car for sure.

I'm currently taking donations for one to be my retirement gift?

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm currently taking donations for one to be my retirement gift?

Bob just start a Go Fund Me campaign. Might as well try it everyone else does. ?

 

[GearHd6]

Funny, I was just looking at 12 volt fridges. I'm wondering what the best way to power it is? I can't imagine the truck battery would last long powering it over night.

 

[AzScorpion]

Funny, I was just looking at 12 volt fridges. I'm wondering what the best way to power it is? I can't imagine the truck battery would last long powering it over night.

I bought a power station so when we're parked it'll run off of it. As long as you're driving it'll run off the dc/ac outlets. I bought the Bluetti EB55 and there's still a $100 off coupon on Amazon now for it. I tried buying direct from Bluetti but they were more there so I had to give in and buy through Amazon.

With mine I can get over 30 hours of run time in freezer mode in a 74 degree house. Of course the hotter is it the fridge will run longer and diminish the battery run time. This unit has the LifePO4 batteries so they last way longer (and safer) than lithium ion ones.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098LSKJHH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[halligan1201]

Funny, I was just looking at 12 volt fridges. I'm wondering what the best way to power it is? I can't imagine the truck battery would last long powering it over night.

Run it through a power station that has pass through charging. When truck is running, it charges power station and power station passes through to fridge. When truck is off, power station supplies the juice. Get one with at least 500 amp hours and you can run most of the fridges for 15-24 hours off the power station directly.

 

[lazynorse]

After countless research hours I went with a JP-50 Iceco this year. Good efficient draw, reputable compressor, mid priced. Almost went with one of the super cheap brands, which would be a fine experiment but current draw and efficiency will be paramount. I’m going for week long use with power station and briefcase solar panel.

Not hot desert use, but I pre chilled my Iceco with multiple water bottles, then switched to a Jackery 1500. Got 6 full days before the battery read 15%, opening the cooler a couple times a day in a 70 degree interior space. Hoping to get that time and more with vehicle 12v charge times and some daily solar charging. Possible to go indefinitely if sun and travel time hit the sweet spots. We pre freeze our entrees so that will help, too.

With Iceco’s reputation I don’t know why folks spend twice as much on Dometic, ARB, Snowmaster, etc.

 

[Wes Siler]

Like someone else said, all the major brands are good these days. ARB, Engel, National Luna, etc. But there are also a lot of Chinese knockoffs out there, so be cautious of stuff that appears surprisingly cheap.

What you pay for from the good brands is longevity. I had a 15yo ARB-branded Engel in an old Land Rover that still worked as good as new.

These days, Dometic is top of the game. Their is the only controller/monitor app I've ever gotten to work, and the quality is top notch. I keep a CFX95DZ running 24/7 in the back of my truck. It's 3 years old now and good as new.

One thing to vote with fridges is you can get away with a smaller one than the cooler you'd typically use. The formula w/coolers is to devote 1/3 the volume to ice. Obviously you don't need that in a fridge. For most people, the CFX55IM is going to be the perfect size.

You'll also need to power it. A battery-in-a-box like goal zero, Jackery et al, charging off 12v, is the easiest way to do that. I've got solar panels running mine, but my needs are weird.

Using a fridge also requires some best practices. Pre chill them on 110v at home before setting out. Make sure battery is fully charged too. Work out what temps use least juice (app helps there).

Definitely a learning curve and an expense, but very worth it if you're camping a lot.

 

[mtbikernate]

Even if you're not camping these are great just for hanging around the backyard or pool or for parties. Not having to buy ice and having soggy food is worth the cost itself.

I've definitely used mine for this purpose since I bought it. It's really great for this.

Funny, I was just looking at 12 volt fridges. I'm wondering what the best way to power it is? I can't imagine the truck battery would last long powering it over night.

You can power it directly from the truck, but ONLY when you're actually running the engine. Otherwise, nope. You need a dedicated battery. either the separate goal zero/bluetti/ecoflow/etc batteries that you can charge from solar, from the truck's alternator, pre-charge at home, etc or a built-in dual battery system in the bed (same basic concept).

My Dometic lives in my squaredrop camper. I've got a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery powering it, and the camper is plugged into an outlet in my garage for tending the battery. I could run the fridge all the time if I wanted, but nah. I've had the fridge drain that battery in a touch over 24hrs when I didn't have the cooler full enough. But I've also had it last for many days on the same 100Ah battery when I pre-cooled it at home properly and filled it up with food and frozen water bottles and such. I also have solar on the camper. a 40w Zamp suitcase panel, but also just recently got 200w worth of fixed panels that I'll be mounting on the roof so it can charge down the road. I built a drawer slide for it, because nobody really made what I needed commercially (orientation and size).

I bought the Dometic I did (when I did) because I got a killer deal on it. It was in the garage sale at my local REI for something like 60% off. As already mentioned, the app to monitor temps and power usage is really useful. You can access battery safety systems on it (say, if you're powering it on a SLA or AGM battery and need to pay close attention to that), and so you don't have to pull the fridge out and fiddle with its onboard screen and buttons to access those features. If I didn't get the deal that I did, I probably would have waited a little longer and bought one of the midpriced fridge models. But I also do recognize the value of spending a little more for more durable products.

One nice thing about ARB fridges is that they have models rated to keep outdoors all the time (the Elements series). So they can get rained on and whatever and they're fine. Could be worth a look depending on where you intend to put it.

 

[jim noon]

Looking for recommendations on a 12V cooler,fridge. Any help on a good unit would be greatly appreciated.

https://engelcoolers.com/collections/powered-fridge-freezers

Simply the best unit out there. Fridge/freezer combo. Low power consumption. Had mine for over 10 years.

 

[Danager]

We're going on a long road trip and I needed something for food and drinks. I bought the one below, it's from Setpower which is the sister company of Iceco. I looked at these for a while and for the money these have great reviews and are very quiet. They have many different sizes and while this one is a little larger than I need it'll work as a back up for the house too. There are 2 baskets that come with it but I took them out for more room. I've been using it as a freezer for the past 2 months and it's been working great. It's only using 32 W in eco mode which is crazy low for its size. They have great sales right around every holiday and should be having one soon with Easter coming up. Even if they don't just call them (they're a small company) and ask to talk with Lu and he'll set you up with a great deal.

https://www.setpowerusa.com

https://www.setpowerusa.com/collections/rv-series/products/rv45-47qt-metal-fridge-freezer

How do you find it for size? I’ve got a Yeti Tundra 105 and prefer to go to a fridge/freezer. Although you have to deduct for the space ice requires, this is still quite a bit smaller. I want something that fits under my tonneau cover. I like the RV45D. I like the 60 better, but it is 1” too tall.
I would want something that could hold food for three for a weekend, or food for two for a week. Not worried about drinks.

Glad I stumbled upon this thread. Lots of good info.

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