Best size fridge for 80 series

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mtkreitz

mtkreitz

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I am considering an ARB fridge for my 80 and am curious what everyone has found to be the best size fridge for the amount of cold storage needed for 4-wheeling/camping trips.

It will go on-top of my rear drawer system, and I would like to continue to use the area around the fridge as a sleeping area.

37/50/63/82 - I personally do not need much space for cold storage because I do not wheel/camp with family. Just me and (possibly) a passenger. Longest time out in the wild ~5-7 days...
 
I have a 50Q and a 63Q before that I had a 84Q. Non of my fridges were ARB mainly because I do not like the way the lid opens and the access it gives. The 84Q will hold 201 12oz beverages so its very big. Too big to fit inside the door of our popup trailer. I have a 50Q in my 80 and I never need for more space and have lived out of it for several days. Any fridge will require replacing beverages as you go. Our 63Q is larger then our family of 3 needs but the price was right(cheap) so it is fine. For one person and sometimes 2 a 37Q will be fine and require space and less power to run.

A couple other thing to consider. How does the lid open? Will it clear the ceiling on top of the drawer system when open. Will you be able to see inside sitting on top of the drawer system? A empty fridge is much less efficient the a full fridge. IIRC the first 3 sizes use the same size compressor and have the same running amp draw just run longer due to size. Organization is a must with any fridge. I have several different open stack-able containers to aid in what Im carrying. Figure into your cost an insulating blanky no matter brand or model you end up with. Make sure your fridge has ample ventilation it is key to an efficient running fridge.
 
It really depends on how many frosty beverages you plan to have with you that need to be cold at any one time. The 50 would most likely be plenty. I supported 3 people out out of my 43 quart unit for 3-4 days at a time (before resupplying). We just added drinks to the fridge as we consumed. We never refrigerated water. Beverages are the space hogs.
 
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Starting to sound like the 50 is the best of both worlds. Height/access is going to be an issue. Not sure how I am going to get around that. Maybe I can just cancel my gym membership and hump the thing up and down a lot...
 
I've supported 3 (daughter and boyfriend) for 4 days of camping with a ARB 50qt. We replaced beverages as needed like everyone before me suggested.

I'm single and enjoy my :beer:.

My ARB 50qt allows me ample storage space for such... :cheers:


BTW, the lid is hinged and also allows for quick removal if needed for restocking. :)
 
I watched the ARB video, and saw the lid opens from the narrow end, which like Phil said could be an issue. But... it also detaches.

I have also been looking at the Engel MR040 which is a little smaller, but it hinges the other way.

Now I just need a good coin to flip. I honestly like the way the lid is hinged on the MR040 better, but wish they made one like that in a 50qt.
 
I would go with a 65qt or larger. I had the ARB 50qt and it was fine with a fridge slide but just a little too small sometimes. I now have a Whynter 65qt and it is just that much better. It has slightly better ventiliation and it opens from the side. Thats a huge plus because I can access it through the side window with the hatch closed. I say go big because with the 50qt you aren't utilizing the occupied space length wise in the 80 series if you go with a smaller fridge. The width of the fridge is about the same between the 50qt ARB or a Whynter 45- 85qt. For me the 50qt just seemed a little too small when it was more than me. It also depends on how and what you eat and drink.

When I go camping or wheeling I usually take a ton of food/drinks and plenty of extra for anyone else. Shuffling the food plus drinks gets old real fast and no matter what fridge you have. Cooling down a 12pk takes a while during the summer. Then again most fridge slides or drop down fridge slides will only fit a 50qt fridge
 
A good place to start would be volume of your ice cheat-the volume of the ice. With a fridge, you can potentially use all of the space.

I put a lot of thought into this a while back. My feeling was to stay fairly small. You can't make a big fridge smaller. You can however expand by using the fridge to freeze ice to feed an ice chest.
 
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The 45-50 quart range is nearly ideal unless you are taking 15 people and you have the only fridge. I've lived out of mine for weeks at a time. You need to be careful with restocking as you go.

The 40-50 size have the same foot print as the 35 size one. The 60+ ones are huge.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
The 45-50 quart range is nearly ideal unless you are taking 15 people and you have the only fridge. I've lived out of mine for weeks at a time. You need to be careful with restocking as you go.

The 40-50 size have the same foot print as the 35 size one. The 60+ ones are huge.
Click to expand...

That was my thinking for traveling alone. I almost pulled the trigger on a 42 a while back. It had more capacity than my day/overnight cooler. I figured on the rare occasion that I needed more, I could add a collapsible ice chest and fold it up to save space once it was empty.
 
BrotherRob said:
Holy crap that's cheap. When I looked there wasn't much under $400. It does fit my philosophy of staying small. The biggest cooler I own holds 54 cans, much less if I use ice. That little fridge would would more than adequate about 90% of the time.
Click to expand...

For $50 more you can get the 63q
 
LandCruiserPhil said:
For $50 more you can get the 63q
Click to expand...

I hear you. But like you said, they're more efficient when full. I pack heavy but I doubt I could fill a 63 qt for most of my trips. Besides, I wouldn't be thrilled with shlepping around a small coffin.
 
I called Dometic about their new CFX line of portable refrigerators. The CFX 50 isn't stateside yet, but will be in another month or two... I think I am going to hold out and give that one a try...

http://www.waeco.com.au/cfx/cfx50.asp

I like its rugged construction but am a little nervous about its 'new' compressor (non-Danfoss)

Hopefully there will be more hands-on reviews to check out before I buy...
 
That CFX fridge looks nice. It's quite expensive too! Hard to know how reliable it will be since it's a new unit, but there have been several posts here on ih8mud about the reliability of Waeco's electronics, which seems to be the weak point of a number of refrigerators.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/620498-waeco-issue.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/expedition-builds/549915-waeco-cf50-issues-help-wanted.html

The one person I know with a Waeco has used it hard and had no problems, but if you read the two threads here, I'd be careful.
 
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