Fridge setup, power, etc. in a short bed

I'm about ready to get a fridge for my camping excursions and I'm trying to figure out how to store it in the bed (I have a shell), power it, etc. in a way that is both convenient and functional. I'm curious to see some pics and examples of what others are doing.

I'm thinking I would keep it on the side with the power outlet and plug in my Goal Zero to the AC outlet so it can stay topped off while driving and plug the fridge into the Goal Zero. When camping can I can use my 50w solar to help, but I'm not sure how long my 500wh battery will last. Some tests I've seen say at least 2 days with no solar so maybe a day or two more with solar but let me know your experiences.

What about organization? If you are using a separate battery like a GZ, where does it stay? Is the battery or fridge strapped down or mounted? I'm not going to use a bed slide so the fridge will just stay near the back for access.

Here's an example of my in-use setup (i.e. stuff getting tossed around and no longer organized) with the cooler on the right where I would like to put the fridge. Fridge will likely be bigger than the cooler. I'm looking at the Icoco VL45 or maybe the new APL55. Thanks for any ideas.

 

I power my Dometic 75DZ off a Dometic PLB40. The PLB40 is charged via a 12V outlet I ran to the bed from the battery. If your Goal Zero will charge from the AC outlet back there, then that is perfect. My fridge is on a slide, which I highly recomend. I store the PLB40 in front of the fridge and use straps to hold it down.

 

You "should get" close to 48hrs of run time with 500wh. Be smart packing the fridge and only open when you need to.

I get close to 24hrs off my EB3A that is I beleive 268wh while it runs my VL45PRO without charge of any kind.

However my setup is usually this: 12v cig > EB3A > Fridge. Always pass thru charging either with 12v or solar.

 

Thanks for the info. I've been rethinking the slide out. I don't think I'll do a platform like yours, but I was thinking it might make sense to put in a plywood floor and mount a slide to that. I could also put in a tray or something to hold the Goal Zero.

The dumb wheel wells are really in the way though. If I mount it close to the tailgate it will leave a gap on the side plus a bunch of space behind. Might be better to mount near the back and then slide toward the tailgate when needed. I think there might be enough slide to get it close enough to use.

 

So I have a strong love/hate relationship with my drawer system. I had wanted to rip it all out this summer and do something different, but like you I realized the wheel wells are a big problem. My fridge is up high over top of the wheel well. If I was to put it low, I would need to shift it considerably inboard and lose a ton of space. If you don't have kids or a dog I have seen a lot of people put the fridge in the back seat and if it wasn't for my kids and dog I would likely do the same.

 

I did a bit more searching and I think maybe the smaller/cheaper Iceco JP30 might be a great option. Still has the 5 year warranty on the compressor but would be small enough to fit on the side out of the way and not touch the wheel well. Might not even need to mess with a slide. Still would like to find a way to mount the battery though so it's both out of the way but also easy to access.

 

Just remember. You can put small things in a big fridge but you can't put big things in a small fridge.

When I bought my 45L I was sure it was enough. But now I'm wishing more and more I would have gotten the 60L.

 

I mostly solo camp and I think 30L will be fine but I'd like to get a look at one in person. My cooler is a 55L and more than half is wasted with ice and I still mange okay. The smaller ones use less power too so a bigger sort of empty one won't be as efficient.

 

As

As someone who went too big, I think you’ll be happier with the 30

 

Food for thought on the Iceco JP series. They all have the same footprint, but the JP50 is taller and holds more.

I have constant power wired to this panel in my bed, so I can run the fridge while I’m over the road. When we park, I’ll hook it to my Jackery 1000, and throw out the solar panels if weather allows.

You can see how the fridge fits in my short bed, I just use a couple lashing straps to hold it in place.

 

I just got back from a trial run with my new (used) fridge. We were hoteling for a few days on spring break so I thought I'd use this as an excuse.

I got a sweet deal on an arb 50q fridge with a dometic flat sliding tray. I added an eBay refurbished Ecoflow Delta Mini (700ish wh). I power the fridge with a DC plug on the ecoflow. I charge the fridge using the bed AC power while driving with the anytime 400w mod. The ecoflow has a setting that lets you set an ac charge limit. I have it dialed down to 200w and that is plenty to keep a good charge

I'm running a canopy but still occasionally haul bricks or firewood in the back so I want the slide to be removable. I placed the slider on the bed mat and traced the pattern. I then used tin snips to cut the bed mat. Then the bed mat became the pattern for the plywood. After cutting and painting the plywood black I put the slider back on and drilled holes for the slider to plywood mounting. I drilled a few extra holes in the slider for extra support because tnuts in plywood need lots of help so they don't pull out when you extend the slider. I amazoned up some thumbscrews and use those to hold the slider down. This allows for toolless removal of the slide.

To attach the plywood to the bed I used jack-nuts in the bed at the bottom of the corrugations. Then normal bolt+washer through the plywood. In the end the plywood is close to level with the bed mat and only a few bolt heads pop up. The test run had the fridge with a fair amount of weight in it used at full extension. It seems to be holding well.

I'll try to grab better photos tomorrow

 

One thing I am not is a skilled craftsman. I cut my plywood with a reciprocating saw used primarily for demolition.... It shows in the cuts. The slider needed minor modifications to slide past the thumb screws so I hacked a couple bits off with the angle grinder.

I'm going to go grab a 2" bolt instead of the 1.5" I'm currently using because I'm only catching the first couple threads. I'll also vibretite (like loktite but easier to break free by hand) the plywood to bed bolts. Also looking at adding one extra tnut to ensure the washboard road won't shake and flex anything.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I use my truck for daily driving and concessional hauling so building it out for camping would be a bit impractical overall. I like the idea of plywood floor to mount stuff but also remove it when not needed. Need to ponder this some more.