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found this 2-point suction cup system. I'm thinking between the windshield and stereo touch screen, or windshield and sunroof glass.

 

Also looking for mounting solutions for the third gen. Only thing I have had luck

http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/product/landing/un-holey-dash-mount-tacoma-2016

http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/product/landing/big-squeeze-tablet-mount

I currently use this for my iphone 6, but only use the regular squeeze. They just released the big squeeze for tablets. I love it so far, may try to big squeeze tablet holder for an ipad mini soon.

The only flaw I find with this is once you mount the unholey dash mount, the vent doesnt really aim at you perfectly anymore. If that wasnt the case, I would have a lot more of these mounted.

 

Yea I like that design, but just haven't heard any reviews of it with a tablet going off-road

 

Anyone from Texas heading to Colorado or New Mexico this weekend for the 4th

 

Review from a user who currently uses 3 of them in his 3rd gen.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...f-grid-engineering-dual-battery-setup.494346/

I also just ordered the larger one for an Ipad. discount code for TW users : 5rolledtacos for 10% off

 

40 degrees isn't cool enough? Are you taking popscicles with you when you go wheelin or something?

That's pretty much what the propane fridge in my pop-up trailer can do (30 or 40 below ambient).

You don't really *need* to chill anything to 38 degrees... You can even store eggs for several days at room temp (although in the US this does increase risk of salmonella - but you can just cook them properly and not lick your fingers while prepping the eggs, too...).

Home fridges only go that low of a temp because 1) they can, and 2) the colder the better for long term storage.

For expo/offroad rigs, unless you're spending several weeks out in the boonies, you don't need to chill that much. And even if you did need that temp for longer term storage, you can't pack enough food in ARB type fridges that would last that long anyway.

Most foods don't *need* to be chilled much, if at all to last several days or weeks. Americans (me included) have just become accustomed to colder food...

 

I've had good luck so far with my suction cup on the windshield RAM mount with a Galaxy Tab 4 7" tablet

 

All eggs can be stored on the counter if they come from your own chickens, no need for refrigeration. 40* beer on the other hand just isn't acceptable!

 

And on a 90* day that would be a 50* beer...no bueno.

 

GTFO! Unacceptable!

 

No one who actually respects beer drinks it at near freezing temps. None of that sissy bud light stuff. Really cold beer just masks the flavor (guess that's a good thing if you're drinking bud light, lol).

Good IPAs, doubles, and Stouts should be served around 45-55.

I use an ice chest for my beer. It's a stainless Colman and actually does a damn fine job of keeping ice for 3-4 day trips without restocking. My trailer fridge has all the other perishable foods; eggs, cheese, etc...

But on long hauls, beer takes up too much space. Be a man an drink whiskey...

All kidding aside, I was only demonstrating that you don't need an $800 fridge to preserve food. Most food does just fine at 50-60, or even room temp for several days. But if you prefer to have ice cold lunch meat, then you'll need to spring for the ARB...

 

The fridge is the most unnecessary necessity I have average owned. Wife and I used to do 12-16 day trips in the woods, only come in for ice and sometimes fuel when we didn't want to burn the jerry cans. We were perfectly content.

Then we got the Engel.

Never again shall I have bacon flavored blue berries, crushed beer cans from ice blocks smashing around, exploded pudding cups, broken eggs, watered meat and blood tainted ice.... you name it... we have lost it due to a ice chest on the trial.

I will never deter someone from rocking the ice chest, but once you go fridge it's hard to ever go back.

Also, we have used the engel for the past 4 years and maybe 200 or so days on the trail. The volume and cost for ice I am sure is rivaling the investment in the fridge by now.

Want to talk about splurging on wants over needs... talk to me about my fancy new tent. ;-)

 

I totally get it, I love my fridge (little one in my camper trailer). Same as you, the bacon flavored strawberries, etc... MY cooler is for beer or larger items that won't fit in the fridge.

I originally posted because someone asked about a $100 model. Some tried to steer him away from it because it doesn't cool down to "fridge temps" and you should essentially only get an ARB style. My point was simply that you don't need to cool to 35* just to preserve food. If that's your preference to cool that much, be my guest, but simply from a food preservation standpoint, you're cooling it too much (and also using too much energy).

My fridge runs off propane when I'm dry camping, and it can only handle cooling 30 or so degrees below ambient ("simple" thermodynamics), which works just fine.

 

Oh I get it, and if someone is dead set on refrigeration, then spend the coin on something good. Not for the ability to freeze, but for the ability to efficiently maintain temps that are low enough to prevent spoilage.

Those $100 jobbers will be fine but how much draw will they require to do it? While parked for lunch, while parked for a few mile hike, or some fishing? How about overnight? When out there alone, I trust my fridge to not kill my battery over night. Because charging with solar to get back up and started is an unfun day.

With the boys (2.5yr and 6mo) we need to make sure that milk, eggs, and cheese are ready to go at a moments notice. And while beer flavored Colby jack is fine with me, their immune systems are just not up to the task quite yet! Plus I'd prefer the older one to be fully potty trained when it's time to play food roulette... only mud I want on the truck is from puddles!

Just when you install that fancy fridge and you have kiddos... pull the adjustment knob so you don't wake in the morning with slushy eggs.

 

Just got back from a six day, 1200 mile camping / kayaking / climbing / hiking / offroading trip all around the Kenai peninsula in Alaska. Will put together a dedicated thread for it in the coming days as I sort through all of the pictures, videos, and drone footage.

Loving the DJI Mavic. What an awesome piece of camera gear / drone. Travels so easy and takes amazing pictures/videos.

 

I think you've mistaken the sarcasm in the first sentance with being super defensive. I think this defensiveness you speak of is a two way street, though. I never actually said ARB frideges were terrible or not useful and not to get one.

I only mentioned that a frigde that doesn't cool to 35 degrees doesn't mean your food will rot in a couple days. It won't. And especially if you don't have the budget for one, a $100 model could be a useful alternative that will keep your food safe, just not as cool as we americans have become accustomed to.

Also, I've been to Moab plenty. In August. My propane fridge, while perhaps warmer than I would have prefered, it did not allow my food to rot. Was my beer cold. Yes. I had an ice chest. I also didn't have a dead battery from running a fridge.

Look, there are pluses and minues to every food preservation method. For many people, the added cost of the fridges don't outweigh the benefits, which as I said are NOT necessary benefits, but conveniences. If you have the cash, get one and don't think twice, but don't tell people they need to stretch their budget to get one because you NEED one to preserve your food.

 

Is that Exit Glacier down in Seward?

 

Food enters the danger zone when temps rise above 40*f.

The $150 model at the bottom of this page advertises a 40*f drop from ambient. This means in 80*f ambient temps your food is only going to maintain the top end of "safe." Raise the ambient to 100* and you are storing your food at 60*. You also have to factor in the localized increase in ambient caused by the color of your vehicle, direct vs indirect sunlight, latitude. Then you need to worry about airflow across the heat exchanger and other issues with the thermodynamics in relatively confined spaces. This model does this all with a "5-6 amp draw". 5-6 amps constant is pretty significant when your truck is running all the other whiz bangs your have on the trail.

My fridge will cool 90* from ambient and do so drawing between .7 and 2 amps. It's not a constant on, and in the case of keeping food at about 38*, it only cycles the compressor a couple times an hour during the day, less at night. Less draw means more draw for the HAM, charging phones/tablets/cameras, led tent/camp lighting, stereo for that Buffett concert on XM, and all the other crap we want. Admittedly this was more important in the Jeep where the ECU wouldn't fire injectiors if the battery was below 11.2v, the taco is not at all as picky. In addition the size and usable capacity of the fridge far exceeds any cooler. Always factor a 2/3 loss in rated capacity for ice. So a 120qt ice chest holds as much as my 40qt at 3x the footprint.

I am only speaking ill toward the $100 cheapies because I have had one, and in my experience it was not worth it. Thank god it was given to me... by someone who bought a fridge ironically enough. I gifted it when I got a fridge. That person did the same... see a trend?


In my opinion:

For <$200 budget, buy yourself a nice marine ice chest. And invest in some gel packs of other sealed form of ice storage. This will last a day or two.. then you are shopping for ice. This will keep the meat, dairy, and beer cold for years to come.

From there, start saving your Starbucks money and pick up a good fridge unit, and thank me later.

What ever you do... don't buy one of those fancy Yeti, or the like, coolers.

Again, the fridge is the most unnecessary necessity I have on the truck. It's not required, but I'll never go back.

 

Hondo garage makes a vent mount that is plenty stout to hold an iPad. Paired with their big squeeze tablet mount it is great. You can also mount your phone in the big squeeze when not being used for your tablet if you don't want to buy 2 mounts.

http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/product/landing/un-holey-dash-mount-tacoma-2016

http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/product/landing/big-squeeze-tablet-mount