Fridge - How small is too small?

[Yuccahead]

For eggs, whether you need to refrigerate depends on if it was refrigerated before you bought it.

For more:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt

 

[mires]

For eggs, whether you need to refrigerate depends on if it was refrigerated before you bought it.

For more:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt

True. My girlfriend's father was in the navy and he said their eggs were kept down below in a barrel full of salt unrefrigerated.

 

[SoCal Tom]

To some extent I think it plans on how you plan to use it. I have a waeco 35. I'm primarily a weekend camper, so this works really well. I can fit my cold food for the weekend, as well as a 6 pack. I just pull the condiments out of my home fridge and use them for the weekend. I think for a longer trip I would use smaller bottles of mayo etc, and I would be more cautious about what cold food I brought along, so smaller might actually work better for a long expedition. But the 35 holds about the same food as a 50 qt ice chest, minus the ice. The one you mention above seems a bit small for my type of camping, but could be a nice freezer for a long trip.
Tom

 

[STREGA]

Fridges are like storage sheds I can always use a larger one. Of all the mods I've done on the FJ Cruiser the fridge is hands down the most useful. The ARB 50L has been a good compromise between capacity and space it takes. I could use more capacity when I go to Flagstaff for groceries, right now I can go about 3 weeks but would like to be able to go 4 or 5 weeks.

 

[coolfeet]

I hope this thread is still active. I just bought the 60 liter ARB fridge freezer for van/car camping. We go on a 3-4 week trip every year. My wife does not like empty spaces-(she fills every nook and cranny). I am trying to sell her on the bennies of the 60 liter ARB as opposed to the larger 80 liter fridge. While both have the same foot print, the extra weight and height of the larger is going to be a little more of a challenge. We camp in a large E150 Ford van. Space is still a concern as we sleep in the van.

We stopped refrigerating eggs a few years back-what a space saver!

I need ideas as how to scale down. We often go 1 week without buying groceries. This is hard on my wife-not me as I am a back country camper.

We like cheese, butter, beef, lamb, chicken, etc. Additionally, we consume large amounts of fresh veggies.

I want to travel with only 1 fridge and no cooler. I am done with ice. However, I think wifey will insist on a second cooler for fruits and veggies.

 

[iluv83vettes]

I hope this thread is still active. I just bought the 60 liter ARB fridge freezer for van/car camping. We go on a 3-4 week trip every year. My wife does not like empty spaces-(she fills every nook and cranny). I am trying to sell her on the bennies of the 60 liter ARB as opposed to the larger 80 liter fridge. While both have the same foot print, the extra weight and height of the larger is going to be a little more of a challenge. We camp in a large E150 Ford van. Space is still a concern as we sleep in the van.

We stopped refrigerating eggs a few years back-what a space saver!

I need ideas as how to scale down. We often go 1 week without buying groceries. This is hard on my wife-not me as I am a back country camper.

We like cheese, butter, beef, lamb, chicken, etc. Additionally, we consume large amounts of fresh veggies.

I want to travel with only 1 fridge and no cooler. I am done with ice. However, I think wifey will insist on a second cooler for fruits and veggies.

If you use real butter, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Neither do most veggies.

 

[hoser]

Coolfeet, just something to consider…. the total volume of the Dometic CF80 (79 liter) is nearly the same as the ARB 63 (60 Liter) yet it has about 30% more capacity (based on manufacturers specs).

 

[coolfeet]

If you use real butter, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Neither do most veggies.

We accidentally left butter out a few times and it does not do well in a hot vehicle. It was good for drizzling over pop corn. Our fresh lettuce also wilted. Our (my problem) is that wifey likes a little of this and little of that. My kids and I purposely load up the van with large (empty) boxes before she has a chance to pack. This forces her to pack smaller. However, she usually comes bounding out of the house with canvass bags filled with this and that. One bag contained about a dozen hard back books on foraging in the wild. We do most of our foraging at Costco, Walmart, etc.

 

[coolfeet]

I have read great reviews on this forum for the Dometic. The price is really good. I can buy the 80 quart unit for about the same price as my ARB 60 quart. With the same foot print, I will meet the needs of my wife and family.

Anyone have anything to say about Dometic vs ARB? I know that ARB has about the customer service in the industry. I have spent a lot of time on the phone with the folks at ARB USA in Washington.

 

[CSG]

I've looked at a small fridge for the Landcruiser but I use the Traverse so much more often (giving up 4x4 for comfort and a built in kitchen) that the littler sizes appeal to me. Now, my trips rarely are longer than 4-6 nights and the 2.7 cu size of the Norcold in the van seems huge. I always take too much and have to empty the fridge after the trip. Of course, I don't do any cooking to speak of as it's a nuisance. I mostly live on chicken salad sandwiches (on pitia), string cheese, food bars, coffee (I do like it with cream so I carry a small half and half in the fridge), wine, and the occasional meal out while in transit.

One of the problems I've had in trying to decide about a small fridge is actually seeing one in person. If I were the average Expo member, I'd take the advice of the guys who've done this for awhile. Seems like the 35 quart size is a good compromise for a couple of people for a few days. I think of the smaller ones more like picnic coolers and why not just use the cooler for 1-2 days?

 

[Martinjmpr]

I have read great reviews on this forum for the Dometic. The price is really good. I can buy the 80 quart unit for about the same price as my ARB 60 quart. With the same foot print, I will meet the needs of my wife and family.

Anyone have anything to say about Dometic vs ARB? I know that ARB has about the customer service in the industry. I have spent a lot of time on the phone with the folks at ARB USA in Washington.

.
I had a Dometic 19qt as my first fridge. Very well made, no complaints. Make sure you are aware of the 'cut off voltage' on the fridge. First few times I used mine I made the mistake of selecting "high" cut off when I meant to select "low" cut off and as a result my fridge stopped cooling very quickly after shutting off the engine.
.
I think Dometic has been making RV fridges for a long time, their build quality seems to be good. I would say they are equivalent in value to the similarly-priced Indel B AKA Truckfridge, if that helps.

 

[coolfeet]

For the past 2 years we traveled with a 30 liter and 70 liter Coleman xtreme. Carried 30 pounds of ice in the 70 and 15 in the 30. Seems like a 60 liter with no ice will work. We have platform beds in the van and all gear goes under. The ARB has a removable lid that is ideal for tight fitting areas.


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[TXLX]

60L fridge should work well. It's all in how you plan and pack it. My 63 qt isn't full when it's me and a buddy for 4-5 days. Weekend trip with wife, it's packed to the gills and she forgets half the stuff I normally like. When I'm planning it, I try to substitute for cold things.... Olive oil instead of butter, dry milk instead of fresh milk, more mustard or Dijon instead of mayo, etc. I could cram 60lbs of meat in my fridge and that's the only thing that really needs to be cold.

Don't forget to cool down the beer though!