Fridge or wait ? (1 Viewer)

[Eire32]

Hi everyone

So I’m eventually going to put shelves in the back of the 200, with a fridge on a slide.
Just wondering, I don’t have the rear shelves yet, nor the auxiliary battery yet, I have to wait several weeks for the build. So my question is. I don’t want to drop $300 on a cooler for an upcoming camping trip if I’m going to get a fridge anyways Very soon, but I do need something for the trip.

should I just go ahead and buy the fridge and plug it into the rear 12v or just get a cheap $40 cooler and make do for now

I don’t know how I’d secure the fridge in the rear unless I strap to the 3rd row anchors

thoughts?

 

[cmw]

All my reading indicates the rear 12v socket is not going to reliably run a fridge (at least in a 100) so your entry point may be fridge + supplemental wiring.

We have done well for many years with a Coleman Extreme cooler ~$40-50. We pre-freeze a fair percentage of food + 1.5 gallons of water and then only have to add ice once or twice in a week depending on the temps. There are other decently insulated coolers that don't cost much.

On the other hand, a fridge is currently next on my list and I've yet to hear anyone say they would go back to a cooler. A slide and some built-in organization is on my mind as well but we've gotten by without all that -or anchoring of the cooler- for years so I think it can be done in steps.

Our extended camping trips don't involve running the vehicle very much, so a fridge isn't going to fully replace the cooler until after I add supplemental wiring, second battery, and a slide - perhaps even solar panels.

So, not really a "Here's what you should do" sort of reply but maybe some thoughts for your consideration.

 

[TXSunDevil]

I only have 1 battery. I did buy the ARB wiring kit and ran a dedicated circuit to the back. It works great. I strapped mine to the top of my drawers, but a strap over a floor anchor would work

 

[e9999]

I would assume -but don't know for sure- that most 12V cig lighter type receptacles would be good for 10A. The typical fridge would draw 5A or less when running continuously, so that part should work. It is possible that it may draw more than 10A when starting but don't know if that is the case or if that would even trip a thermal fuse. It is also possible that if the wiring to the rear is skimpy that there would be an excessive voltage drop that the fridge may not like ( as in stop prematurely). But, seems like you could check your receptacles and fuses, and if big enough, try your fridge either from the rear receptacle or a front one -if better- with a bit of an extension cable, no big deal. Or even draw an extension cable from the main battery, not very difficult. If you're going to buy it anyway, why not now and try it out? And many folks tie down the fridge with straps, that should work too.

 

[i4c4lo]

On your 200 - ALL the power turns off after 10 or 15 min. It also turn on other things in your truck each time you press that start button to power the cigarette plug - where I assume you will plug your fridge at the back. So it will not be continuous power all the time.

Maybe get your 2nd battery with the fridge - strap that in the back next tp your fridge - and use that as your power source for the fridge - maybe also get a foldable solar panel to recharge this batter --- Amazon product ASIN B07ZZ8VY2V
Have fun on your trip.

 

[JohnVee]

I went this route. Fused Battery Tender leads on the battery to a BT extension through the firewall and routed to the cargo area to a BT cig outlet. Full disclosure, I don't have an actual fridge/freezer; mine is a very low draw cooler that doesn't have a compressor, so I'm not worried about voltage drop or amperage draw at all. I keep the leads on the battery for charging anyway so it seemed like a no-brainer for me. I run it this way on my 80 and my 470.

 

[Armed in Utah]

These coolers....mfg'd in Utah by Lifetime

$97 shipped from Walmart

If.....you go that route......

Lifetime Products

coolers.lifetime.com

 

[saucebox]

These coolers....mfg'd in Utah by Lifetime

$97 shipped from Walmart

If.....you go that route......

Lifetime Products

coolers.lifetime.com

A friend has one of those Lifetime coolers, and they are pretty solid. Even so, we're back in town every 2 days minimum to get ice.

Get the fridge. Most will have low-voltage cutoffs that keep you from killing the truck. It's just a matter of keeping an eye on things and running the truck when needed. I ran mine for a year as you describe—single primary battery, strapped to the third-row points.

(Caveat: it never ends. There's the second battery, the battery isolator, then the slide, then you figure out that maybe the slide should be on top of drawers, then you want a slide with a dropdown feature...)

 

[wapitimud]

Friends don't let friends buy junk.

I went out and bought a larger Engel cooler, 8-10 day cooler, it works well for the few times I use it.

If I spent longer times in hot places, I would opt for the Engel fridge. Up here in Northern Alberta, it gets hot sometimes, but very rarely.

 

[OregonOverlande]

Get your second battery, solar panel and charge controller. Then your good.

 

[jonheld]

A second battery is not a requirement to run a refrigerator.
Depending on your travel plans, a single battery system will work fine. I've been running an ARB fridge for years with a single battery system in my 80. We take extended road trips, so the fridge is in for 3 weeks at a time. We cover a lot of miles and I have a good battery.

 

[Jdc1]

A second battery is not a requirement to run a refrigerator.
Depending on your travel plans, a single battery system will work fine. I've been running an ARB fridge for years with a single battery system in my 80. We take extended road trips, so the fridge is in for 3 weeks at a time. We cover a lot of miles and I have a good battery.

What type of battery are you running?

 

[jonheld]

What type of battery are you running?

I typically only run Odyssey batteries. A group 34R PC1500. That was replaced recently with a 34R Interstate MTZ when I left my York compressor on for 3 days sitting in my driveway. I was leaving for a week long trip and needed a quick replacement.
Specs are almost identical between the 2, including outer case design which leads me to believe that this is a re-badged Odyssey.

 

[4Beast]

I have a fridge and second battery etc, so I'm biased, however I don't see a reason to spend a fortune on stuff, when cheaper/easier works well., I use a simple solenoid isolator, Edgestar fridge etc, however I did have a professional run heavy gauge wiring to the rear to an always-on 12v plug. I will be switching to Anderson plugs soon, and have the Wits' End kit on the way. One of the "middle ground" solutions might be to use one of those rechargeable power setups, such as Goal Zero, that have a LI battery and several outlets, that you can charge and then run the fridge off of, rather than relying on your start battery. And FWIW I had my fridge strapped to the floor for several years, that's totally fine (although the tilting slide I have now is awesome).

 

[OregonOverlande]

I have a fridge and second battery etc, so I'm biased, however I don't see a reason to spend a fortune on stuff, when cheaper/easier works well., I use a simple solenoid isolator, Edgestar fridge etc, however I did have a professional run heavy gauge wiring to the rear to an always-on 12v plug. I will be switching to Anderson plugs soon, and have the Wits' End kit on the way. One of the "middle ground" solutions might be to use one of those rechargeable power setups, such as Goal Zero, that have a LI battery and several outlets, that you can charge and then run the fridge off of, rather than relying on your start battery. And FWIW I had my fridge strapped to the floor for several years, that's totally fine (although the tilting slide I have now is awesome).

If you run a redarc BCDC with an outside Anderson connection, then you only need any cheap solar panel And plug it in when you need to Or not if you drive couple times a day.

 

[e9999]

probably a good idea to keep track of different charging schemes for different battery chemistries if mixed and matched

 

[SharpeCat]

Our IceCo group buy begins in 2 days, if you decide to go fridge route. I will post new price list soon (pretty much same as price list on first post but with addition of new models (expandable, Icooler and mystery model).

Also, I got a Jackery 160 for 110 bucks to power mine and called it a day.

April 2022 rolling out now: check 1st post. 3 Models 25% so far.

1st GB: Hello everyone. July is around the corner, and Like many of you, I have been on the search for a fridge. Also like many of you, I can’t afford to shell out $1000. Because of this I have started looking at the smaller names like Alpicool (Costco/costway fridges, also rebranded 100...

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