Help Me Pick A Fridge!!

Lol nice. I’ve also got one of these off CL a while back it’s a dang good fridge only gripe compressor is a little loud nothing the radio can’t drone out.
Ausranvik 37-Quart Portable Fridge Car Refrigerator Car Fridge Car Freezer -4°F ~ 68°F - 12V/24V DC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZWSZWCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NdEdFb1FEXHJ3

 

I've had a Snomaster with a dual battery setup that I bought for the back of a Jeep for the last three years, and I'm going to as well set it up for my Tacoma Access Cab (I'm removing the back seats and it fits perfectly behind the front seats). Currently it's sitting in my garage as a beer fridge!

It's the Traveler Series 42L, which considering that you don't need ice, 42 liters is a lot of room. The Snomaster includes a remote control that is nice to monitor and control the fridge while drive, and a 5 year compressor warranty. It also has high, auto, and low for how quickly it chills (when I'm driving and it's running off of the alternator, I'll keep it on high, otherwise I switch it to auto).

It also has auto shut off at different battery levels. With a Group 34 AGM auxiliary battery (an Odyssey Extreme), it will power the fridge for about 2 days. But that depends on how hot the vehicle is inside during the day, how full it is (best to keep it full). I'll note that running it overnight when it's cool at night, it hardly uses any power. I'll also keep some frozen water bottles in it to help, plus incase I over extended the battery and it shut off. I keep it usually at 34 degrees, which won't freeze water or the beer, but it will keep frozen stuff frozen.

It's my favorite camping addition ever... No more ice to deal with! Typically with my driving style on camping trips, we drive daily so the auxiliary battery is charged daily (which it quickly charges once the engine is started).

I'll also mention that typically when I add food or water, I'll make sure that I'm going to be driving so that I run it on high to quickly chill any warm items (like water and beer), and not chilling off of the auxiliary battery.

Another idea for you is to also look at their smaller Leisure 35L, (although currently sold out) which I think would make a nice full-time fridge in a vehicle for casual use. If I had room and especially for camping, I'd consider their dual compartment 56L.

 

Are any water resistant? I am looking for one for a trip in a few weeks, but it would be going in the bed with no bed cover.

 

I have a Dual zone 50L National Luna running off a second AGM battery under the hood with a CTeck DC-DC charger to keep the battery charged. Seems to recharge after about an hour of driving. My battery will drain to about 12V after being parked for 18 hours in the Utah heat. That is as low as I routinely run my AGM to maximize the life. I don't run my fridge daily because I do not commute to work. I only plug it in on weekends when camping or if I want it for a picnic. One caution, these fridges are designed to have the lowest current draw possible for their size. That means their duty cycle is about 50%, on as much as they are off. That is good to minimize your wiring and battery needs, but they take their sweet time to come down to temp, especially if you put warm drinks in them. Never put meat and warm drinks in the fridge or your meet can spoil. Best to pre-cool the fridge for at least an hour before use and only load pre-cooled food and drinks in the fridge. Not a problem to toss a couple warm drinks in every day, but don't load it up with warm drinks and expect the meat to not warm up while bringing those drinks down to temp. I lost 3 steaks on my last trip because I didn't pre-cool the fridge and everything I put in it. Won't make that mistake again. You can always plug the fridge into the wall when parked in the garage if you need to keep it cold and save your battery.

I looked at a 40L before getting the 50L. I wouldn't want to go much smaller than my 50 for multi-day camping trips. Also a freezer section is nice for week long trips to keep meat frozen so it lasts longer. No matter what you get, it will be 1000% better than any cooler. We eat alot better with the fridge, more fresh meat and fresh fruit and veggies.

 

I have Dometic CFX 35 and love it, but wouldn’t recommend anything larger to fit in the back of a DCSB. Consider not just the dimensions, but the clearance to open the lid.

 

Yeah, you'd have to measure. My fridge lid can be configured to open from the side or end. Side opening saves alot of vertical space. That is what I run so I can open the fridge in the canopy without a slide. You'd have to measure though with the seat delete or the seat folded down to see what all fits, especially vertically. The door has to open fully on mine to get the top basket out to reach the lower basket.

 

My previous dometic cfx40 (with insulating cover) was in my open bed one trip when I was between caps. It got poured on overnight and no problems. I wouldn’t leave it in the bed of rain is expected, but they’re not super sensitive to water or anything.

 

If you don't need stuff frozen a better option for bed with no cover is likely a Yeti cooler or similar, I think. I wouldn't want to leave a fridge in the back exposed for any significant length of time.

 

I think I'll just haul a cooler for this trip until I figure out what changes I will be making. I don't want to get too big a fridge and not have room for the rest of my gear. Going to be camping for about 9 days though, so will probably need supplies (beer) anyway and can get ice. I haven't been out camping with the fam for more than a couple nights before, so who knows how much stuff I'll need to drag out with me. Usually it's just me and a few buddies.

 

I love Samsung:

 

Those suck

 

I went with a cheap 200ish dollar one from Amazon. Wasn't sure how much I'd use it so I didn't want to spend a ton. Ive had it for about 1.5 yrs now and it works great. I use it daily and expected it to stop working by now but it hasn't so no need to upgrade yet. Only downside is the single compartment so you have to pick fridge or freezer.

 

Having to choose between beer and ice cream sandwiches is a non-starter for me.

 

Or just get an ARB elements. Then you dont have to worry about it.

 

A CFX3 55 works great in the back seat of our DC.

 

I have a SnoMaster LP-61 which I strap down behind the driver's seat of my DCLB. Even though it's a "low profile" model, folding down the rear seat makes it much easier to get into the fridge. Plus, the door opens width-wise towards the rear of the truck, and if I remember correctly, the hinges & latches can be swapped to the opposite sides so that the door opening can change orientation.

Recently I went camping for 10 days, in 90+ degree weather, and the fridge kept all of the food very, very cold. It was great not to have to worry about ice! I was testing out several solar panels to keep my aux battery charged, and aside from some mistakes on my part, it all worked flawlessly.

I'm at odds about the size, because I use it as a backup meat freezer at home--and it's the ideal size for that, but for a truck fridge, it is decidedly large & difficult to move around.

 

I wish our smaller Dometic’s lid opened that way. Not only do the lids that hinge on a short side take up more height to clear the opening, you need a longer prop if you want to hold it open ... just doesn’t make sense to me why they don’t all hinge along the long side.