My Waeco CF50 (52 qts) is 40lbs. An equivalent sized ice cooler is probably about 70qt if you factor in the ice. Cooler is 10-15lbs and ice is probably 20-25lbs? So the difference isn't that great.
Camping Fridges - Pros and Cons
- Thread starter MarcFJ60
- Start date
Pre-chilling
A couple of frozen milk jugs will pre-chill your refer in 30 minutes or less. Our ARB is one of the best investments we have made for trips. My wife has medicine that must be refrigerated. It was a real pain to maintain a constant temperature with ice plus having to look for ice when traveling.
A couple of frozen milk jugs will pre-chill your refer in 30 minutes or less. Our ARB is one of the best investments we have made for trips. My wife has medicine that must be refrigerated. It was a real pain to maintain a constant temperature with ice plus having to look for ice when traveling.
Mike S
Sponsor - AutoHomeUSA
I bought an Engel MT45 years ago. It has travelled with me in my Landcruiser and F350 from Canada to Mexico. The only times I use a cooler now is in my boat or on the patio to chill beer and pop. This is one of the two BEST pieces of camping equipment I have ever had/bought/seen/heard of...
SOFME
Observer
This is a good thread. I was on the fence about getting a fridge, but right now it not worth it as I live on a small island. But if/when I get back out west it will be worth it for weeklong trips.
Concerning soggy food: easy problem, easy solution. Make ice packs using water-soaked sponges in ziplock bags.
Concerning soggy food: easy problem, easy solution. Make ice packs using water-soaked sponges in ziplock bags.
Boatmonkey
Observer
Best place to buy...
I'm going to bite the bullet and buy either an ARB or Engel. Any suggestions on where the cheapest place to buy would be? Where did anyone get great deals? Thanks.
I'm going to bite the bullet and buy either an ARB or Engel. Any suggestions on where the cheapest place to buy would be? Where did anyone get great deals? Thanks.
Ramjet
Explorer
I've never really seen a "good deal" but pick a reputable dealer and everything should go smoothly. I know Engels usually ship direct from FL. I don't know about ARB. Wil at Sierra is an awesome guy to work with as mentioned above, you could also talk to Jacque at TRDparts4u as well. A few times I've seen Engels a little cheaper than list price on some of the deep sea fishing websites.
dsy
Adventurer
Thats where I found my Engel years ago. Quite a bit less than everywhere else I looked. I could not imagine running without a fridge now. I do get strange looks sometimes when people see, and ask what that is, and I tell them its my refrigerator :Wow1:
Doug
You couldn't pry my ARB from my cold dead hands. If I ever get married again or have kids, a fridge will go in the mommy mobile for sure.
Pros:
Cold food and drink 24/7 keeps me from eating fast food
Can do my shopping and hit farmers markets without worrying about stuff spoiling in the summer heat.
Ice Cream everywhere I go.
Cons:
Power draw
Need to drive vehicle some distance every few days to maintain charge
Takes up space in bed
Pros:
Cold food and drink 24/7 keeps me from eating fast food
Can do my shopping and hit farmers markets without worrying about stuff spoiling in the summer heat.
Ice Cream everywhere I go.
Cons:
Power draw
Need to drive vehicle some distance every few days to maintain charge
Takes up space in bed
stioc
Expedition Leader
I've been on the fence for a while wanting the ARB but will most likely buy the Edgestar due to half the cost. The biggest con for me having a refrigerator is the weight. So far we're getting by OK with the 5-day Coleman Xtreme cooler. We've never had any issues with soggy food because we don't use ice. We freeze or semi-freeze some drinking water, gatorade, milk etc along with a couple of ice-packs. We try to eat the lunch meats, eggs and most of the milk etc by the first or 2nd day.
However I just came across a 12v Coleman PowerChill cooler (not a fridge) for sale by one of the members here who upgraded to an Edgestar. I was skeptical at first so I did some research and turns out they're very popular with the truckers. It definitely has its limitations but for the price I had to try it. It's 40qts (perfect size for 2 adults and a kid IMHO), weighs about 15lbs, not much more than our 36qt Xtreme. So far I've only tried it in my garage and surprisingly it actually does cool - especially with our way of using a cooler (pre-chilling) it should work great. It can only cool the inside to 35-40degs of whatever the outside air is, therefore maintaining proper outside temps (using a/c in the warm months) is key. In an SUV this shouldn't be an issue, for e.g. if the interior temp of the car is 75F the inside temp of the cooler would be approx 35F. The other drawback is that it draws approx 5A constantly so you can't leave it running with the engine off for a long time. I have a single battery (though a big one) and I don't intend to run it for more than an hr (like when we stop for lunch) with the car off. At night it'll be unplugged relying on the insulation to keep things cold.
However I just came across a 12v Coleman PowerChill cooler (not a fridge) for sale by one of the members here who upgraded to an Edgestar. I was skeptical at first so I did some research and turns out they're very popular with the truckers. It definitely has its limitations but for the price I had to try it. It's 40qts (perfect size for 2 adults and a kid IMHO), weighs about 15lbs, not much more than our 36qt Xtreme. So far I've only tried it in my garage and surprisingly it actually does cool - especially with our way of using a cooler (pre-chilling) it should work great. It can only cool the inside to 35-40degs of whatever the outside air is, therefore maintaining proper outside temps (using a/c in the warm months) is key. In an SUV this shouldn't be an issue, for e.g. if the interior temp of the car is 75F the inside temp of the cooler would be approx 35F. The other drawback is that it draws approx 5A constantly so you can't leave it running with the engine off for a long time. I have a single battery (though a big one) and I don't intend to run it for more than an hr (like when we stop for lunch) with the car off. At night it'll be unplugged relying on the insulation to keep things cold.
Yuman Desert Rat
Expedition Leader
I need to get some, too!
spikemd
Explorer
My ARB is the single best upgrade for camping, period. Yes, it is pricey but well worth it. I've had mine more 3+ years and it stays on 120v keelinv beers cold everyday when it isn't in the rover.
I bought mine fromTRDparts4U and got a nice deal shipped.
I would not rely on the 'thermal cooler' for any backcountry travel. When we are in Death Valley and its 90+ outside then the cooler can only get to 55 deg. Not very cool in my book and it draws a lot power.
I bought mine fromTRDparts4U and got a nice deal shipped.
I would not rely on the 'thermal cooler' for any backcountry travel. When we are in Death Valley and its 90+ outside then the cooler can only get to 55 deg. Not very cool in my book and it draws a lot power.