portable refrigerator

[prairieschooner]

We soon will be taking off with our 1958 Traveler with the original Krefft Refrigerator that is LPG or 120 Volts AC. Will not be traveling with the Refrigerator using LPG.
I am curious what experience others have had & would recommend for a Portable Refrigerator that would be AC/DC & probably live in the bed of the truck. I have been reading reviews but want to make the right decision.

Thanks in advance!

[Protagonist]

My Airstream Interstate has a truly dinky 3.1cf Nova Kool 120vAC/12vDC refrigerator. I supplement it by putting my (non-alcoholic) beverages in a Dometic portable refrigerator that fits between the front seats so I can reach for a soda while I'm driving; I haven't been able to train the cat to fetch a soda out of the Nova Kool for me yet, but I'm working on it.

The one I have is the smallest Dometic makes (pictured above) that easily holds 10 20oz soda bottles or over a dozen 12oz cans. But these portable fridges are available in several larger sizes up to 3.3cf (bigger than mybuilt-in Nova Kool), and come with both 12vDC power cords and 120vAC power cords.

[Airtandem]

I have the Kooltron electric cooler and the 110 adapter. I use the 12 V in truck when traveling and the 110 at campsite. It has the reversable plug to convert from COOL to HEAT. Used the heat by mistake and had HOT ham and cheese sandwiches, hot grapes and hot BEER, YUK.
I have had it for 10 years.
mike

[tjdonahoe]

We have been traveling with the refer on gas on while traveling since 1971 and never had any problems, even had the furnace on for several days in very cold weather,while traveling....

[KJRitchie]

I recently purchased a Dometic CFX28. Tired of messing with ice just to store my beer and water. Runs on A/C or 12v cigarette plug. Below thread shows it compared to my 26 qt Yeti-like cooler. Cools very fast, 88F to 37F within 20 minutes.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f483...er-169627.html

Kelvin

[AirstreamCSH]

There are 252 reviews you can read for he ARB unit. After researching what was out there, I skipped the Domenic and went with what the major 4x4 upfitters use. I got. One on sale from Sierra but would have paid full price.

Travelled 4000 miles during July and it was hooked up to the truck using the optional harness kit. At full hookup sites, we ran an electric cord to the 120v connector and it kept cool that way. On some grocery runs we needed 38 degrees and on others we only needed 45 but it ranges from freezing to the 50's with a quick setting on the front panel. We use the basket in both positions (great for holding back small items in he rear position) and after wine purchases, made it easy to organize.

Has a built in battery voltage sensing switch so we left it on all the time and didn't worry about draining the TV. Like all HVAC things, you are better off getting it cool and using a little power to keep it cool as opposed to cooling it down each time. YMMV

[AirstreamCSH]

Forgot he link and there is no edit feature on this forum.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Q1INDM...4fe072afdad8da

[prairieschooner]

Thanks guys, I have been reading about the ARB & wanted to know if it was worth the extra dough. I have a Dometic that has been around for 30 + years & still works great but that is on a shelf in my Motorhome & this will get bounced around a bit.
Thanks in advance!


PS I travel with the refer on propane in my Motorhome but it is a 1982 Newell & this is a 1958 Krefft in a 1958 Traveler. After all of the hard work not willing to risk it with something that cannot be replaced.

[Mollysdad]

Didn't Travelin' Man have a 12v. fridge he liked in his truck?

[Wingeezer]

I find a medium sized Koolatron very handy on our camping trips - serves mainly to keep my beer (Home brew and commercial!) nice and cool - SWMBO doesn't like me using up teh RV fridge for that purpose!

But I am more considerate - if she needs more space than the regular fridge supplies, then there is usually space in the Koolatron! Heck, I'm going to be eating the stuff!

One lesson I learned though is not to leave the Koolatron out in the rain! We usually do eave it outside the trailer plugged into 110, but teh last one we had (Some other make than Koolatron actually) got destroyed when accidentally left out overnight in heavy rain - usually we bring it in.

I tried opening it all up and drying out the electronics, but to no avail!

[Mollysdad]

Wonder why people don't use the "search" function?
I tried multiple keywords. Humbug.

"Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Didn't Travelin' Man have a 12v. fridge he liked in his truck?

Was it this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Engel-Qt-Port...JSPK40HFARJPCW

[prairieschooner]

I'm thinking between the Engle and the ARB I would most likely go with the ARB but then these are both pricey. Curious how the Dometic compares in these.
I found another on ebay that is in that lower price point but haven't heard much about it at all;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Outsunny-42Q...53.m1438.l2649

I am looking at only a compressor type since it will live in the bed of the truck while underway.
thanks again

[TouringDan]

I have recently purchased a Dometic CFX65DZ, 65 quarts, and love it. It has both a refrigerator and freezer compartment.

Dan

[Vantair]

Looking for a specific sized unit (slip under newly modified dinette bench) saw this at Costco on-Line.

Perfect size for us and at 550.00 gave it a try. Very efficient, quiet and spec compares to the 40qt Dometics. 2yr warranty. very happy so far.

Did this review to answer important details not on the specs.

https://youtu.be/HeTYph0l5dE

[TouringDan]

I have had a Dometic 65dz fridge for about 2 years now and have used it in my VW Golf and in my Tundra.

I recently decided to buy a smaller fridge for my Golf as I really didn’t need 65 qts and wanted a smaller size so I could make a bed platform over the top of the fridge. Dometic fridges have gotten incredibly expensive and I stumbled across an Alpicool CF35 fridge on sale for only $237.

It works great. I like it better than the Dometic. The thermostat is more accurate, the interior is aluminum and smooth plastic which is easier to keep clean than the rough plastic interior on the Dometic. The only Dometic advantage is that it has a drain plug.

Here are some photos. Feel free to ask questions here or pm me.

Dan

[TouringDan]

I have had my Alpicool CF35 for a while now and have some performance data to share. I was recently in south Florida with daytime temperatures in the mid 80’s and nighttime temperatures in the mid 60’s. My fridge used about 330 Wh (25 Ah) per day. Now the fridge takes about 45 watts to operate. This means that it runs about 35% of the time. I carry a 100 Ah lithium battery with me, so I could operate the fridge for 4 days on just the battery. With my solar panel out I could get about half of the energy needed to operate the fridge (165 Wh), so I could go for 8 days with the battery. Now understand that when I am driving, I power the fridge off the car battery. In fact you don’t need an extra battery and solar. I have used my Dometic fridge plenty just operating off of the car battery. What happens is that the fridge turns off when the battery voltage is too low. When this happens and my car won’t start, I have a lithium jump pack to start my car.
It is nice having a dedicated lithium battery and solar but not necessary.

I am also very happy with the fridge performance and how cold it keeps the fridge. With the fridge set on 29, the temperature at the bottom was 32 and at the top was 37 for an average fridge temperature of 34.5 degrees.

Dan

[jeffmc306]

Steve, Truma just released a full line of portable units. Might be worth checking out! https://shop.truma.net/collections/t...ration-systems

They’re big in Europe making Alde-like heating systems.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

I have had my Alpicool CF35 for a while now and have some performance data to share. I was recently in south Florida with daytime temperatures in the mid 80’s and nighttime temperatures in the mid 60’s. My fridge used about 330 Wh (25 Ah) per day. Now the fridge takes about 45 watts to operate. This means that it runs about 35% of the time. I carry a 100 Ah lithium battery with me, so I could operate the fridge for 4 days on just the battery. With my solar panel out I could get about half of the energy needed to operate the fridge (165 Wh), so I could go for 8 days with the battery. Now understand that when I am driving, I power the fridge off the car battery. In fact you don’t need an extra battery and solar. I have used my Dometic fridge plenty just operating off of the car battery. What happens is that the fridge turns off when the battery voltage is too low. When this happens and my car won’t start, I have a lithium jump pack to start my car.
It is nice having a dedicated lithium battery and solar but not necessary.

I am also very happy with the fridge performance and how cold it keeps the fridge. With the fridge set on 29, the temperature at the bottom was 32 and at the top was 37 for an average fridge temperature of 34.5 degrees.

DanAttachment 361190Attachment 361193

Just an update. I had been powering the fridge with a 100Ah BB lithium battery when the car was turned off. I also would use this battery to power my large Dometic fridge when we camped in the Airstream and to power my electric motor for our tandem kayak. However, even though it was lithium, the battery was still too heavy and cumbersome. I decided to downsize to a 35 Ah VMAX lithium battery at only 7.5 lbs. This works great. Here are some photos.

Recharging the 35 Ah lithium battery is simple. I can either recharge it with the 80 watt solar panel I carry, or recharge it with the battery charger that came with the battery. This is powered from the 500 watt inverter that I have installed in my Golf (when the motor is running).

I went ahead and installed the BB battery in our Tradewind giving us 300 Ah of lithium.

Dan

[GetawA-S]

We have two, both bought on Amazon. The Stakol is horsier and more rugged, while the Ausranvik is more space efficient but borderline flimsy. Both cool quickly to the desired temperature, even well below freezing.
As a side note, the Koolatron uses a different principle, and is limited to about 40 F below ambient. They are less expensive, but not as energy efficient as a compressor fridge.

[ChrisnPatty]

We've been very pleased with an Engel 43 quart refrigerator/freezer that we've used now for over 6 years. It is very durable, reliable, and consistent. After brief experimentation, we've determined which dial settings will cool or freeze and the settings do not change over time or conditions. It rides in the back of our PU in dust and over rough roads and has never had a problem. It sips power.

On the appropriate setting, it will quickly freeze ice packs which we then transfer to a high quality cooler (we use a Yeti) to keep the "refrigerated" food. The combination Engel (used as a freezer) and Yeti (used as a refrigerator) give us very reliable food storage for long trips away from power and grocery stores. We wish the stock refrigerator in our AS were as reliable.