Illking
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Jason
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2021
- Threads
- 37
- Messages
- 274
- Reaction score
- 1,081
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Ford Ranger XL
- Thread starter
- #1
We’ve been vehicle-based camping for close to 20 years now. We started in a 1977 International Scout, then a 4x4 1976 Chevy G30, followed by a 4x4 2001 E250 Sportsmobile, and now we’re in a 2022 Ford Ranger. One thing has always stayed the same—we need to keep food and drinks cold. What’s changed over the years is how we’ve done it.
We’ve run the full spectrum, from a cheap plastic cooler that smells like mold, all the way to a built-in fridge/freezer. Our setup evolved along with our needs budgets and our expectations for comfort.
When we were younger, most trips were quick weekends in the Scout. The cooler was filled mostly with beer, and we lived on sandwiches or fast food. For that, the cheap plastic cooler worked fine. When we got the the Chevy G30, it had an icebox! yep a ice box and thick pile shag carpeting. Finding block ice was always a pain, but it worked reasonably well, and we still carried a separate cooler on longer road trips since the block of ice took up so much space in the box.
The Sportsmobile changed everything. It had a built-in fridge and freezer, a luxury I didn’t know I needed. Ice cream after a long day of hiking or dirt biking is life changing. We had a kid, camping slowed down temporarily, and eventually it was time to let the Sportsmobile go. We got our Ranger and haven’t looked back… well, maybe just a few times.
Going back to ground tent camping has actually been really great with the right gear. I knew I’d been spoiled by the fridge, but I figured, how bad could it be? I bought a quality modern roto-molded cooler. Ice retention was good and durability was excellent, but melting ice still meant soggy food or running out of ice entirely on longer trips without a resupply stop. This can be mitigated but honestly i don't want to be the cooler police when ziplocks go unsealed and lids get left open.
I resisted an electric fridge for a long time but eventually I chose the ICECO APL35 after reading a lot of reviews and comparing capacity to my current cooler minus ice volume. Weight was another big factor—it’s super light for an electric fridge, and fully loaded it’s no heavier than my packed cooler.
Before our first trip, I spent about a week testing the fridge with my Jackery/solar setup to set realistic expectations. Nothing super scientific, but I’m confident I can get a week with our 100w solar panel and sunny days. With pass-through charging in the truck bed, it’s a non-issue as long as we’re driving an hour or two to top things off.
My goal with the Ranger setup was a very capable, flexible, and simple rig. I’ve got some L-track on my decked drawer to secure the fridge while driving, but once we set up camp it usually lives at camp unless we head out for a day trip. So no fridge slider for now and with a kid and a dog a rear seat delete is out of the question.
Capacity-wise, it’s perfect for our family of three. I keep a few ice creams in the small zone, and once those are gone I dial that zone back to fridge temps and cycle warm drinks in to cool them down. It also looks great—kind of like a Zarges or AluBox case. The interior light is handy, and both the control panel and the app work smoothly. The lid has a nice stay put hinge, so you wont need to add a dampner
I really only have one complaint: the DC plug. It’s VERY spring-loaded and has pushed itself out of the Jackery’s DC socket after sitting overnight. I’ve temporarily fixed it by stuffing a zip tie in there for extra friction and that worked fine all the way to Baja and back, but I’ll probably buy or make a replacement cable. Well, two complaints actually - its REALLY pretty and im very scared of scratching it, something i never worried about with my ice chests. Other than that, no complaints at all. It’s been super handy around the house for parties. It currently serves as a beer fridge under my tool bench in the garage between camp trips. Im really happy i chose to get an electric fridge its proved to be useful in many different scenarios.
For what it’s worth, I bought this fridge myself and had been using it for months before I then applied and was accepted to teamICECO as an ambassador. If your at all interested in ICECO see the discount code in my signature. And I’m happy to get more specific if ya have any questions.
Stay chill! #ICECO7Years @ICECOFreezer
We’ve run the full spectrum, from a cheap plastic cooler that smells like mold, all the way to a built-in fridge/freezer. Our setup evolved along with our needs budgets and our expectations for comfort.
When we were younger, most trips were quick weekends in the Scout. The cooler was filled mostly with beer, and we lived on sandwiches or fast food. For that, the cheap plastic cooler worked fine. When we got the the Chevy G30, it had an icebox! yep a ice box and thick pile shag carpeting. Finding block ice was always a pain, but it worked reasonably well, and we still carried a separate cooler on longer road trips since the block of ice took up so much space in the box.
The Sportsmobile changed everything. It had a built-in fridge and freezer, a luxury I didn’t know I needed. Ice cream after a long day of hiking or dirt biking is life changing. We had a kid, camping slowed down temporarily, and eventually it was time to let the Sportsmobile go. We got our Ranger and haven’t looked back… well, maybe just a few times.
Going back to ground tent camping has actually been really great with the right gear. I knew I’d been spoiled by the fridge, but I figured, how bad could it be? I bought a quality modern roto-molded cooler. Ice retention was good and durability was excellent, but melting ice still meant soggy food or running out of ice entirely on longer trips without a resupply stop. This can be mitigated but honestly i don't want to be the cooler police when ziplocks go unsealed and lids get left open.
I resisted an electric fridge for a long time but eventually I chose the ICECO APL35 after reading a lot of reviews and comparing capacity to my current cooler minus ice volume. Weight was another big factor—it’s super light for an electric fridge, and fully loaded it’s no heavier than my packed cooler.
Before our first trip, I spent about a week testing the fridge with my Jackery/solar setup to set realistic expectations. Nothing super scientific, but I’m confident I can get a week with our 100w solar panel and sunny days. With pass-through charging in the truck bed, it’s a non-issue as long as we’re driving an hour or two to top things off.
My goal with the Ranger setup was a very capable, flexible, and simple rig. I’ve got some L-track on my decked drawer to secure the fridge while driving, but once we set up camp it usually lives at camp unless we head out for a day trip. So no fridge slider for now and with a kid and a dog a rear seat delete is out of the question.
Capacity-wise, it’s perfect for our family of three. I keep a few ice creams in the small zone, and once those are gone I dial that zone back to fridge temps and cycle warm drinks in to cool them down. It also looks great—kind of like a Zarges or AluBox case. The interior light is handy, and both the control panel and the app work smoothly. The lid has a nice stay put hinge, so you wont need to add a dampner
I really only have one complaint: the DC plug. It’s VERY spring-loaded and has pushed itself out of the Jackery’s DC socket after sitting overnight. I’ve temporarily fixed it by stuffing a zip tie in there for extra friction and that worked fine all the way to Baja and back, but I’ll probably buy or make a replacement cable. Well, two complaints actually - its REALLY pretty and im very scared of scratching it, something i never worried about with my ice chests. Other than that, no complaints at all. It’s been super handy around the house for parties. It currently serves as a beer fridge under my tool bench in the garage between camp trips. Im really happy i chose to get an electric fridge its proved to be useful in many different scenarios.
For what it’s worth, I bought this fridge myself and had been using it for months before I then applied and was accepted to teamICECO as an ambassador. If your at all interested in ICECO see the discount code in my signature. And I’m happy to get more specific if ya have any questions.
Stay chill! #ICECO7Years @ICECOFreezer
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. Its actually really nice, i cant tell you how many times ive been trying to get something out of a cooler and using one arm or my belly to hold the lid while I grab stuff or a cooler lid smashing little kids fingers.
