Opinions on fridges

[FrazzledHunter]

I don't have a fridge yet, but it's something I want to get eventually. I frequently camp with people who have fridges and I am super jealous when I have to stop and pull my cooler out to drain excess water and then top off with ice--meanwhile they have ice cream and cold beers at the ready that are never soaking wet. It's a luxury item for sure and on my list of wants, but I have it slotted much lower than other things. Convenience is becoming a huge priority in my camping--the more convenient things are, the less annoying they will be, the happier I am, and the more I want to go out and stay out longer. Fridges are undeniably convenient.

What I'm doing is building the fridge setup in stages so that I can take advantage of the new parts with my existing gear immediately. I added a slide with tilt to make using my cooler less of a headache and to save my back from wrestling a loaded down 80lb cooler on and off the drawers by myself. It's a relatively small investment which allows me to focus on finishing up larger priorities of mine while still benefiting my existing setup--and it's future proof to work with the fridge I have picked out. I have a small solar setup right now, but will probably want to upgrade for it to run a fridge. I'll still see the benefit of that in the meantime without a fridge as it will power all of our electronics at camp. That will come next and then finally the last piece would be a fridge. It's a way to avoid sinking $2k all at once while still improving usability of existing gear.


View attachment 3330475

I put up with the ice gig ice for half a century. I started camping with my dad in the 60's and all we had was coolers and ice. Fast forward to 2000 when we ordered our travel trailer and started towing in 2001. The fridge/freezer was 120V/propane with auto-switch to gas in the event of power failure. WE HAVE ARRIVED or so we thought. But there was no refrigeration under tow which means if you want to freeze food you better freeze it AFTER you get to camp and use it before you leave or at least let it thaw in the cooler. Packing up camp and moving everything from our fridge into coolers with cold packs from the freezer was a giant PITA. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THIS. What's the point after all? We got rid of that trailer in 2016. Actually, what we have now is better refrigeration-wise than on that large expensive travel trailer.

If I ever lose my sanity long enough to buy another trailer/RV, any unit we get will at least allow us to freeze/refrigerate while under tow.

As far as electrical mods go I think what I’ve done is moderate. Just look at the folks that have dual batteries, winches, lights, compressors, switches galore on the dash etc…

But if you think what I've done with the LC is over the top wait until you see what I do with an RV.

 

[TeCKis300]

I put up with the ice gig ice for half a century. I started camping with my dad in the 60's and all we had was coolers and ice. Fast forward to 2000 when we ordered our travel trailer and started towing in 2001. The fridge/freezer was 120V/propane with auto-switch to gas in the event of power failure. WE HAVE ARRIVED or so we thought. But there was no refrigeration under tow which means if you want to freeze food you better freeze it AFTER you get to camp and use it before you leave or at least let it thaw in the cooler. Packing up camp and moving everything from our fridge into coolers with cold packs from the freezer was a giant PITA. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THIS. What's the point after all? We got rid of that trailer in 2016. Actually, what we have now is better refrigeration-wise than on that large expensive travel trailer.

If I ever lose my sanity long enough to buy another trailer/RV, any unit we get will at least allow us to freeze/refrigerate while under tow.

As far as electrical mods go I think what I’ve done is moderate. Just look at the folks that have dual batteries, winches, lights, compressors, switches galore on the dash etc…

But if you think what I've done with the LC is over the top wait until you see what I do with an RV.

Didn't know there were two-way RV fridges that couldn't be used under tow?! The one in my travel trailer works at all times, and like you was the gateway drug to a fridge in the car. In my off-road trips either without or away from my travel trailer, I wanted that same food storage and cold drink capability. In the summer, makes a huge difference to have a super chilled cold one. Cheers.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

To be fair to the OP and others $2k was including whatever power upgrades them deemed necessary to run the fridge. I mean if you add up the power requirements and if you want a slide, even going the cheap route you are going to bump up on $1k.

You pretty much need at least these 4 things:

Fridge
Someway to mount the fridge
Battery
Battery Charger


In a lot of cases the upgraded power will have other benefits on top of the fridge, so maybe not fair to put all that cost into the fridge category.

Getting to see everyone’s install plans here could help someone put a nice setup together.

Fridge ($250-$1500)
The Amazon special fridge listed above (I’ve seen that brand talked about before with favorable reviews, so I wouldn't be too scared) <$300 even for the bigger one. IceCo has some nice "overlandy" fridges in the $500-$800, and then around $800 is where the prices on the name brand ones start (Dometic, ARB, etc...) Some Dometic models on pretty good sale right now on Amazon (45L and up seem to be 20-30% off) (or the REI discounts which i assume are similar)

Mount: ($0-$500)
A home brew rear deck would make it pretty easy to add a diy slide, let’s say $150. Or could be as simple as a ratchet strap to the rear seat tie downs. Or as fancy as some kind of pivoting commercially made slide.

Battery ($300-$1000)
For me this would be a Solar Generator or a Lithium battery in the cab. I personally can't see adding a second lead acid battery to my rig, as they are pretty inefficient as deep cycle batteries. A simple "solar generator" setup runs $300-$1000 depending on how fancy you want it. I’d say you probably need close to 1kWHr storage if you want to be out for more than a few days. I like the Ecoflow lineup, especially now that they have started to use the LiFePO4 cells. The new Eecoflow delta 2 boxes look nice, but more importantly everyone is clearing out the delta mini. The older mini and river pro don’t have the LiFePO4 cells. Either chemistry will probably last 5-7 years fine, but the new batteries will last longer. Also, plenty of other “off brands” on Amazon (VTOMAN is probably the one I’d look at currently)

Charger ($100-$300)
Either a portable solar panel or a higher wattage DC to DC charger that maximizes the charge input on your solar generator. This solution probably runs a couple hundred bucks as well. Portable solar panels run $1-$2/watt. I've read about using a 12v to 24v converter to double the DC input into a solar generator, as they are generally current limited when charging with DC. But there are a lot of variables in all that depending on which solar generator and DC to DC chargers you are using.

All the little things you need to add to make it all work as a system definitely pile up. Based on all the speculation i provided above, you'd need to spend somewhere between $650-$3200 for a proper fridge setup. Or just get a $250 fridge and shove a frozen 1gallon bottle of water in it. Let it run off the start battery until the low voltage cutoff kicks in and then start the rig to recharge battery and do it all over until your block of ice is gone.

For what it is worth, my original fridge was $550. It was held in the back of multiple vehicles throughout the years with two motorcycle tension straps that I had, but would probably only cost $10 for the pair if you were to go buy them. I ran dedicated wiring from the battery to the fridge with misc wiring stuff I had, so let's say $30 in materials. My rigs did not have dual battery setups, the fridge ran 24/7 off the main battery. If I was camping for more than a night, I would set up a portable 100w suitcase solar panel. Mine was off Amazon for $100.

I never felt that I needed anything more and I was into the entire system less than $700 total. Just a suggestion, but maybe start with just the fridge and use it. You may find that all the other stuff isn't neccessary.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Didn't know there were two-way RV fridges that couldn't be used under tow?! The one in my travel trailer works at all times, and like you was the gateway drug to a fridge in the car. In my off-road trips either without or away from my travel trailer, I wanted that same food storage and cold drink capability. In the summer, makes a huge difference to have a super chilled cold one. Cheers.

Our trailer fridge/freezer was 120VAC-propane. This might start an argument with some but we were not willing to tow with the fridge cooled by propane. There are NOW plenty of trailers that are 120V-12V. There are even 3-way units that do propane in addition to 120-12.

What we COULD have done is get batteries and run an inverter just to power the fridge. I would have had to have that professionally done and wasn't willing to spend the $$$.

 

[bloc]

For what it is worth, my original fridge was $550. It was held in the back of multiple vehicles throughout the years with two motorcycle tension straps that I had, but would probably only cost $10 for the pair if you were to go buy them. I ran dedicated wiring from the battery to the fridge with misc wiring stuff I had, so let's say $30 in materials. My rigs did not have dual battery setups, the fridge ran 24/7 off the main battery. If I was camping for more than a night, I would set up a portable 100w suitcase solar panel. Mine was off Amazon for $100.

I never felt that I needed anything more and I was into the entire system less than $700 total. Just a suggestion, but maybe start with just the fridge and use it. You may find that all the other stuff isn't neccessary.

I was just thinking this. On my trips I rarely sit stationary without going somewhere in the truck (therefore engine running and charging system charging) more than 16 hours. Plus I travel with a decent sized Noco jump pack. Has me wondering if I can do the fridge thing without all the extra power infrastructure.

The bigger issue is actually fitting it into the space I have without encroaching into sleeping pad space. The fridges I’ve measured end up causing more problems than they solve here.

 

[mdh384]

For what it is worth, my original fridge was $550. It was held in the back of multiple vehicles throughout the years with two motorcycle tension straps that I had, but would probably only cost $10 for the pair if you were to go buy them. I ran dedicated wiring from the battery to the fridge with misc wiring stuff I had, so let's say $30 in materials. My rigs did not have dual battery setups, the fridge ran 24/7 off the main battery. If I was camping for more than a night, I would set up a portable 100w suitcase solar panel. Mine was off Amazon for $100.

I never felt that I needed anything more and I was into the entire system less than $700 total. Just a suggestion, but maybe start with just the fridge and use it. You may find that all the other stuff isn't neccessary.

I am thinking I can go ahead with a fridge, as I already have a lithium power station and the 100W suitcase solar panels for charging the electronic toys that come along for my camping trips. Turns out the battery life of those toys and the power station are all longer than I had anticipated, which probably leaves enough capacity to run a small/medium size fridge.

 

[Heckraiser]

I just read through the whole thread up to this point. I'm really just posting to subscribe because there seems to be a lot of good info here. Big props to @residualboulders for that cargo deck. Once I figure out which seats I want to keep in the truck, I'm going to make one of those

I've never owned a fridge, but my shtty 20 year old coleman cooler just broke the hinges last summer, so I need something. I'll be sad to lose my sticker collection I was considering a Yeti knockoff or just another cheap cooler, but all these rave reviews have me thinking deeper about a fridge. If the LX were my daily driver, I would do this TODAY without a second thought. I spend a lot of time on the road for work and it would be great to have cold drinks for clients. I wonder how hard it would be to make this work in a tesla, lol.

My thoughts:
1) I am a cheap person, so I would like to do this on the cheaper end of the spectrum. I like that EUHOMY amazon fridge price!
2) I'm thinking the 48qt might be the right size for me? I usually travel with my wife and nobody else. Average trip about 3 days, rarely longer than that, though overnighters and 2-nighers are fairly common. I carry a lot of beer and diet coke, but I'm OK with using ice for beverages if there isn't enough room in the fridge. Thoughts on what size fits this usage? How inefficient is it to cycle in warm drinks? Will this ruin the fridge's efficiency?
3) Not interested in dual batteries under the hood (putting my compressor behind the passenger headlamp), and would rather not do two batteries at all if I can get away with one. I have no winch and no other electrical accessories and no real plans to add them any time soon. Can I wire in a low voltage cutoff with any old fridge, or do I need to buy one with that feature built in? I am a wiring dummy.
4) I am also a simple person. I'd like something that's simple to wire, simple to use, hard to screw up, lol. The more complicated the install or usage, the less likely I will actually use it.

If anyone has any wisdom to share, given the above, I would appreciate your input.

 

[residualboulders]

I just read through the whole thread up to this point. I'm really just posting to subscribe because there seems to be a lot of good info here. Big props to @residualboulders for that cargo deck. Once I figure out which seats I want to keep in the truck, I'm going to make one of those

I've never owned a fridge, but my shtty 20 year old coleman cooler just broke the hinges last summer, so I need something. I'll be sad to lose my sticker collection I was considering a Yeti knockoff or just another cheap cooler, but all these rave reviews have me thinking deeper about a fridge. If the LX were my daily driver, I would do this TODAY without a second thought. I spend a lot of time on the road for work and it would be great to have cold drinks for clients. I wonder how hard it would be to make this work in a tesla, lol.

My thoughts:
1) I am a cheap person, so I would like to do this on the cheaper end of the spectrum. I like that EUHOMY amazon fridge price!
2) I'm thinking the 48qt might be the right size for me? I usually travel with my wife and nobody else. Average trip about 3 days, rarely longer than that, though overnighters and 2-nighers are fairly common. I carry a lot of beer and diet coke, but I'm OK with using ice for beverages if there isn't enough room in the fridge. Thoughts on what size fits this usage? How inefficient is it to cycle in warm drinks? Will this ruin the fridge's efficiency?
3) Not interested in dual batteries under the hood (putting my compressor behind the passenger headlamp), and would rather not do two batteries at all if I can get away with one. I have no winch and no other electrical accessories and no real plans to add them any time soon. Can I wire in a low voltage cutoff with any old fridge, or do I need to buy one with that feature built in? I am a wiring dummy.
4) I am also a simple person. I'd like something that's simple to wire, simple to use, hard to screw up, lol. The more complicated the install or usage, the less likely I will actually use it.

If anyone has any wisdom to share, given the above, I would appreciate your input.

I think a 35-45 size would work great for your use. On a 2-3 day trip if you are driving quite a bit every day you probably won't run out of battery. My Dometic allows you to set a threshold (how low percentage of battery life) when you want the fridge to shut off. This prevents a dead battery when you need to start the truck. If you decide to go the single battery route I would carry a Jump starter pack of some kind. With a single large group 31 battery (as a replacement for my stock battery) I took the 200 on several 3-4 day trips and never had an issue with low battery or the fridge turning off.

I now have a dual battery set up which isolated my starter battery so the fridge only runs on the secondary. I also installed a shore power/battery maintainer (about $70) so I can plug the rig in if I know I won't be driving it for a few days but want to keep the fridge on.

I have a Dometic 31 qt drawer fridge in my 80 - another good solution that you could mount directly to a cargo platform and enjoy the savings of a fridge slide.

 

[NYC570]

I just read through the whole thread up to this point. I'm really just posting to subscribe because there seems to be a lot of good info here. Big props to @residualboulders for that cargo deck. Once I figure out which seats I want to keep in the truck, I'm going to make one of those

I've never owned a fridge, but my shtty 20 year old coleman cooler just broke the hinges last summer, so I need something. I'll be sad to lose my sticker collection I was considering a Yeti knockoff or just another cheap cooler, but all these rave reviews have me thinking deeper about a fridge. If the LX were my daily driver, I would do this TODAY without a second thought. I spend a lot of time on the road for work and it would be great to have cold drinks for clients. I wonder how hard it would be to make this work in a tesla, lol.

My thoughts:
1) I am a cheap person, so I would like to do this on the cheaper end of the spectrum. I like that EUHOMY amazon fridge price!
2) I'm thinking the 48qt might be the right size for me? I usually travel with my wife and nobody else. Average trip about 3 days, rarely longer than that, though overnighters and 2-nighers are fairly common. I carry a lot of beer and diet coke, but I'm OK with using ice for beverages if there isn't enough room in the fridge. Thoughts on what size fits this usage? How inefficient is it to cycle in warm drinks? Will this ruin the fridge's efficiency?
3) Not interested in dual batteries under the hood (putting my compressor behind the passenger headlamp), and would rather not do two batteries at all if I can get away with one. I have no winch and no other electrical accessories and no real plans to add them any time soon. Can I wire in a low voltage cutoff with any old fridge, or do I need to buy one with that feature built in? I am a wiring dummy.
4) I am also a simple person. I'd like something that's simple to wire, simple to use, hard to screw up, lol. The more complicated the install or usage, the less likely I will actually use it.

If anyone has any wisdom to share, given the above, I would appreciate your input.

Most cheap refrigerators have a low battery cut off with three settings, hi, med, low.

 

[Gazziza]

A Yeti that you already own is hard to beat if it works for you. There are a lot of other ways you could spend 2k to improve your experience.

I would not go back to a cooler now, but we did not have a nice cooler when we bought our LX so it was a no brainer to start with. I absolutely loathe dealing with ice and then ice water, and eventually just water, but if I had a Yeti in hand, its hard to say what my perspective would be.

A lot depends on how much you plan on camping/traveling though.

We love our Dometic 55im. It is super reliable and does a pretty remarkable job with temp control, considering what it goes through. It is good for about 5 days of provisions for our family, but we do a lot of dry goods and are strategic with our perishables. One of the main reasons we went with a fridge is that we wanted a "permanent" solution, meaning we wanted something that would always be ready and we would never have to deal with. We just load it up and go. No muss, no fuss.

Like others have said, we will carry a lot of frozen foods that will thaw during the course of the trip. We also keep a handful of frozen water bottles that help keep things cold and then provide refreshing ice water to drink on day hikes during our trip. None of that is necessary but it helps to extend our rations and also helps keep power draw down.

Notice also that I said 2k above. I would not go cheap on the fridge, or at least make sure that it has a decent compressor. And then you add in a pull out tray, an insulated cover, and a power solution (which turns into its own "hobby"). After all that, you will have no problem hitting 2k. For us it has been worth it and more, but again, we started with a 20 year old igloo, so anything would be an improvement

Also, isn't REI running the anniversary sale right now until Memorial Day?

If you are going to take the plunge, I would suck it up and go save 20% on a Dometic there ASAP rather than waiting. You'll not find a better deal than that on a quality bit of gear.

IMO there are few other upgrades that you can do for $2K that can improve your experience like a fridge. It is a game changer and the one mod that I think actually enhances your camping experience. A set of Kings, a 270 Awning, bumpers, warn winch don't change your camping experience. Those are just bling and can be done with cheaper alternatives. I don't typically keep it in there 24/7 due to concern about theft but when I leave it in there it becomes useful for day to day runs as well. I'll still use a cooler, especially if it's a day use thing but anymore than 1-2 nights I'm absolutely bringing the fridge. It's a luxury and convenience that you don't know you needed until you use one and wonder why you ever waited so long for one.

 

[1world1love]

IMO there are few other upgrades that you can do for $2K that can improve your experience like a fridge. It is a game changer and the one mod that I think actually enhances your camping experience. A set of Kings, a 270 Awning, bumpers, warn winch don't change your camping experience. Those are just bling and can be done with cheaper alternatives. I don't typically keep it in there 24/7 due to concern about theft but when I leave it in there it becomes useful for day to day runs as well. I'll still use a cooler, especially if it's a day use thing but anymore than 1-2 nights I'm absolutely bringing the fridge. It's a luxury and convenience that you don't know you needed until you use one and wonder why you ever waited so long for one.

I don't disagree. But the poster does already have a Yeti and I was merely pointing out that it is a good option for a lot of people, especially when you already own it. Put another way, its not like asking - should I get a Yeti or a fridge? - in which case I think for most people dropping a 2k on a good fridge setup is definitely one of the better ways to spend 2k. Certainly better than spending $500 on a cooler. There are a lot of people that get along just fine with a Yeti. Its not like its a styrofoam box.

More to the point is the "if it works for you" part. Maybe the poster only does day trips or short weekends. I get that this was not the premise of the post, but for the thread in general, it is always worth considering where to spend and where to save when it comes to building your truck out. Sometimes the best purchase is a bank statement with 2k extra printed on it.

But otherwise, I do agree with you on your points.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

A comment regarding a cheap vs expensive frig. You get what you pay for. By that look the power consumption. A cheaper frig will have less insulation, thus the require more cooling (i.e. the compressor will be working harder/frequently), thus more draw on the battery. So look at the specs at the power draw.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

A comment regarding a cheap vs expensive frig. You get what you pay for. By that look the power consumption. A cheaper frig will have less insulation, thus the require more cooling (i.e. the compressor will be working harder/frequently), thus more draw on the battery. So look at the specs at the power draw.

A cheap fridge can cost you more than just the fridge itself. If it quits on you on the road you're out the fridge, the food and are saddled with a lot of aggravation. I would recommend Dometic or Truma. There may be other good brands but those two are the cream of the crop, IMHO and the only ones I would buy.

 

[Todd34]

I tried to buy the Dometic CFX3 55IM today but it showed as out of stock when I wanted to pick it up at a local REI. It was available when I selected delivery (For an additional 85.00 charge), so I bought it directly from Dometic for the same discount and free shipping.

 

[ikoinu]

I run a Dometic CFX3 75L dual zone with the insulator.
Expensive, but absolutely love it.

Powered with a Victron 30amp charger connected to the inverter socket. This charges the Renogy 100ah battery in the back with a Victron Smart Shunt to monitor power.
With this setup, the fridge lasts 3 days or so without a charge.

Next step is to install 2 Renogy 100w solar panels on the rooftop tent to charge the battery whether the vehicle is running or stationary for a period of time.

 

[RandyDaytona]

A fridge doesn’t need to break the bank.

About 10 years ago, before I had my LC and while still driving my work truck out into the bush every day, I got tired of ice and coolers. I bought a used Norcold freezer off Craigslist for $175.

It’s probably an 80’s model. It has a simple on/off switch and a dial that goes from 1-5, with 5 being a full- on ice-making freezer. I keep it at 3 and all drinks stay nice and cold.

I used to leave it plugged in and running inside the truck at night. It would take a couple of days to kill the battery. I just put it in my LC and don’t have a power jack that is always on, so on my last trip out west, I’d crank it up to 5 about 2 hours before stopping for the night. Stuff was still cold in the morning.

A lot of small freezers were made specifically for sailboats. I believe that was one of the things mine was used for by the previous owner. I would check Craigslist or other sale sites in the closest ports cities.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

I run a Dometic CFX3 75L dual zone with the insulator.
Expensive, but absolutely love it.

Powered with a Victron 30amp charger connected to the inverter socket. This charges the Renogy 100ah battery in the back with a Victron Smart Shunt to monitor power.
With this setup, the fridge lasts 3 days or so without a charge.

Next step is to install 2 Renogy 100w solar panels on the rooftop tent to charge the battery whether the vehicle is running or stationary for a period of time.

What Victron 30 amp charger unit are you using exactly? Is it the Blue Smart IP22 ?

Blue Smart IP22 Charger - Victron Energy

The Blue Smart IP22 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.

www.victronenergy.com

 

[Umbrarian]

 

[40Man]

I tried to buy the Dometic CFX3 55IM today but it showed as out of stock when I wanted to pick it up at a local REI. It was available when I selected delivery (For an additional 85.00 charge), so I bought it directly from Dometic for the same discount and free shipping.

Same price on Backcountry.com. You'd get their rewards points and if you purchased linked through ActiveJunky you'd get anothet 8% back ($69) in cash.

 

[MCtree]

I’m trying to decide on which size fridge to get.
Because of all the aforementioned love of a freezer when overlanding, I want to get a dual zone fridge - which seems to relegate me to the bigger ones. Which, in turn, could make me crowd it a bit back there with my other gear.

Question for you guys:
How much space do you give around your fridges? I mean, are there rules of thumb on how many inches on each side you need to keep so as to allow for ventilation?

(Alternatively, I am also contemplating a smaller fridge and putting the entire thing in freezer mode and then carrying a small yeti cooler (already owned) for the non-frozen perishables. But this seems like it would take up even more space so I haven’t run the number for this set-up.)

Edit: I just went on-line and found the dometic manual for their 12v fridges. It’s odd that it doesn’t address the issue of ventilation at all.