Dometic fridge/freezer

Possibly purchasing a Dometic CFX fridge in the near future and had a couple questions for those who own one. We (family of 4) usually camp for 2 days in a row. Plan on storing food, 24 bottles of water, and about a 12 pack of beer.

What size did you purchase and why? Are you happy with the size you chose?

What side of the truck bed do you use it on and why? Does this matter?

How do you run power to the fridge?

If you swapped out the stock truck battery which size did you purchase?

Is the fridge slide and cover worth it?

What else should I research before making a decision?

Thanks TW!

 

Buy the ARB, I’ve had mine for 20 years without an issue and it goes on nearly every Jeep trip with me. Mine is 60qt.

 

@tweakit88 hop in here. He has a family of 5 and has a 75 dual zone.

I have the 40 and love it.

Ran a wire from the battery directly back to a 12v plug, I recommend 10 or 12 gauge.

I chose passenger side to help balance the weight of the gas tank

The 27F X2 from batteries plus (same as a northstar) has bad ass specs. Matt is running a different one and chime in.

Fridge slide and cover are 110% worth it. Seriously. Buy both. To mount the slide you can drill holes and through bolt it, or use rivnuts.

 

Dometic CFX-50. Single guy. Way too big and heavy. Better suited for family size. You can read and approximate the dimensions off the website and make a cardboard cutout in your truck, but nothing beats having the damn tank in your hands.

Insulated cover does reduce energy usage. Tested with Killawatt metering. Forgot figures. Slightly better. Opted not for the slide as I just enjoy misery like moving a damn tank loaded with food in your hands.

When driving, I use the AC receptacle in the bed. That is why it is placed on the right side. Just keep on eye on the 400/100 switch and turn it on when necessary. My inverter occasionally cuts out. Fridge uses ~ 50-70 watts. Inverter give out 100 while driving. Haven't done the 400 watt constant mod on yet.

When stationary, tried using a Goal Zero and solar panel. But constant moving and camping, can't recharge the Goal Zero fast enough for prolonged usage. Have to resort to ice because my portable battery source isn't charged up. Turns the damn tank into a really expensive heavy cooler.

If you frequently move and camp over several days, would recommend getting a secondary battery. Unless you trust that emergency battery starter or have someone to jump you. Going that route myself.

 

You should check out the X2 I mentioned earlier. Currently 20% off sale and $30 rebate putting the 27F at like $260 or so and it’s got ridiculous specs.

 

Engel made the older versions of the ARB like mine.

 

I’m running an arb element 63 with the arb wiring harness connected directly to the battery. Just swapped my battery to a 27f x2 power battery. I put in a bedslide and strap it down to that, didn’t cost that much more than a fridge slide and way more useful

 

For weekend camping I still prefer a rotomolded cooler over the dometic fridge, as I don't like to worry about dead battery or running an extension cord. But that's just my opinion.

For a family of four you'll want at least a 60 qt, and youre going to want to think about space saving solutions. Instead of a 24 pack of water, bring a couple of two-gallon dispensers, plus a small metal bottle for each family member. The four small bottles go in the cooler, the big bottles stay in the bed or in the shade. Refill and chill the small bottles as needed.

 

Running same battery in my truck. It’s been awesome

 

Mind sharing what dual setup you have planned?

 

Mine gets in Friday and I can’t wait. Until then I steal the battery out of my subie if I need to drive the truck. I had an optima 31m which has worse specs and failed after 14 months. Fuck optima.

 

It’s soooo nice not having your stuff sloshing around in slimmy ice water.

 

I bought the 95dz and it was way too big. I returned it. I also had issue with it staying running but I think I needed heavier gauge wiring than I used so I don’t blame the fridge for that.

Keep in mind it takes a long time for these fridges to cool items, they reccomend pre cooling everything first otherwise the fridge will be running a lot longer. You want a size where the fridge will be mostly full so that way the items inside keep everything cold.

I want to pick one up again in the summer time with hopefully a more appropriate size for my needs.

 

Pro tip for when you get it.

It runs off both 120v and 12v and if you have both plugged in, it defaults to 120v. Before a trip I’ll run an extension cord to my truck to plug it in, so I can get loaded the night before and have it all nice and cool, and not put strain on my battery.

 

Ive got a 75qt dual zone Dometic with the cover and the slide. As @EatSleepTacos said ive got my wife and 3 little ones. We love it. When on trips we run it as a dual zone, having the freezer and not getting meat juice in the ice water is a game changer for us. The truck is our family vehicle and when not on trips its my wifes haul the kids around vehicle. We bump the freezer up to a colder fridge and pack it full of waters and the other zone to a snack holder for my 3 girls. Even in our day to day life this fridge is incredible. The cover is 100% worth it. Keeps the fridge cleaner and helps regulate the temp better. I put a group 27 duracell agm deep cycle and it works well and has a very fair price. I attached some pics.