What brand 12V portable refrigerator do you use? Pros and Cons?

[krazykat69]

Looking for opinions on 12v portable refrigerators that folks are using and what they like or dislike about different brands on the market.
Personally, I am looking for a mid size fridge,. 20L , or so, range, easy to pick up, dual zone optional. Plan to move between vehicles. Would strap down when going off road.
Lots to choose from out there on the inter web. A wide range in prices., out there, too. Thoughts on what to consider, regarding watts used, insulation, noise level, etc.
So, your opinions would help narrow my search.
A flood of information would be appreciated!!!!

 

[Mesa Woman]

We currently use a CSA Black Ice Fridge Freezer 32qt (I believe that’s the size)
We purchased it in 2019 so we could live in Death Valley for three weeks with our teens boyz. It rides on the swingout strapped down. Its been GREAT for all these years and just this past year it started to have cooling issues and discovered you could not charge the system easily, so @mesa man and @POTATO LAUNCHER teamed up and tapped into it with different parts from a few different stores and since we have been able to keep the refrigerant charged and it’s still working just fine.

There was a vendor who use to carry them and the cost was only $430 including the installation cover. I’ve had a cord replaced as well…. I reached out to the vendor and he no longer carries CSA products stating that customer service sucked and he did not want to put his customer through that.

There are so many options… and they are pricy.

What does @ststephen69s have?? He was serving ice cream on the trail! And his can do double freezer or fridge and freezer, I believe.

 

[pappy]

Twenty liters is small for a 12V fridge. The Engel fridges in that size are almost as expensive as a 40L ($900 vs $1000). Maybe somebody has an Amazon recommendation.

 

[JLH]

I've had really good performance with my ICECO off amazon. It's been running strong for almost 4 years without an issue.

 

[Poupon]

Looking for opinions on 12v portable refrigerators that folks are using and what they like or dislike about different brands on the market.
Personally, I am looking for a mid size fridge,. 20L , or so, range, easy to pick up, dual zone optional. Plan to move between vehicles. Would strap down when going off road.
Lots to choose from out there on the inter web. A wide range in prices., out there, too. Thoughts on what to consider, regarding watts used, insulation, noise level, etc.
So, your opinions would help narrow my search.
A flood of information would be appreciated!!!!

Hey Jeff,

I just purchased a new fridge and have my old one that I was going to offer for sale. It is a bit bigger than you might want. Here are the details.

CFX65 DZ Dometic

I am happy to discuss my experience. Some things that I LIKE:

1. Dual Zone is a must have for me.
2. Love the simplicity of the cooler style fridge.
3. I would hate to have to have pivot or employ extensive slides configuration - keep it simple and as low as possible.
4. Harder for shorter folks to reach in/see/use because of the top load feature.
5. I am switching to the door type fridge and just purchased this one - which again will not necessarily work for your needs ()to move between vehicles).

New Fridge - Dometic NRX 130

 

[ststephen69s]

I have an Aspicool 33qt cooler like two compartment refrigerator/freezer. On amazon for $300. Mine works great, and efficient and quiet. Can be kept charged when stationary camping with solar panels to my Jackery 1000 power station that the cooler is powered by. I’m very pleased with it. If it goes bad it’s cheap enough to replace. When driving I charge the power station from the alternator through the 12v port (cigarette lighter).

 

[jstncse]

I have two of them, the ARB 50qt version came along in 2015 and has been absolutely trouble free. My wife uses it weekly if not more. I purchased a Dometic CFX 75 dual zone 2 years ago and it works fine in a semi controlled environment, less than 100 degrees. I carry mine around in the bed of the pickup under a black cover and when the temp gets over 100 degrees one compartment will not cool and the other freezes. Dometic replaced it under warranty once and the problem returned as soon as it got hot. It’s good for 10 months out of the year or full time in a climate controlled interior. I agree with Larry, it is not short guy friendly.

 

[krazykat69]

Twenty liters is small for a 12V fridge. The Engel fridges in that size are almost as expensive as a 40L ($900 vs $1000). Maybe somebody has an Amazon recommendation.

Yes, that might be small for most folks, but I don't take a lot of food that needs to be kept cold on back country trips. So, around 20L is adequate for me. Carry OJ, Milk, Yogurt, a few drinks and some deli meat, usually.

 

[krazykat69]

I've had really good performance with my ICECO off amazon. It's been running strong for almost 4 years without an issue.

Been reading some good reports on ICECO APL20.

 

[krazykat69]

Hey Jeff,

I just purchased a new fridge and have my old one that I was going to offer for sale. It is a bit bigger than you might want. Here are the details.

CFX65 DZ Dometic

I am happy to discuss my experience. Some things that I LIKE:

1. Dual Zone is a must have for me.
2. Love the simplicity of the cooler style fridge.
3. I would hate to have to have pivot or employ extensive slides configuration - keep it simple and as low as possible.
4. Harder for shorter folks to reach in/see/use because of the top load feature.
5. I am switching to the door type fridge and just purchased this one - which again will not necessarily work for your needs ()to move between vehicles).

New Fridge - Dometic NRX 130

Thanks, Larry. That sounds like a nice offer, but too big for my use. Need to be able to move the fridge to the vehicle I am traveling in. truck, wife's car, etc.

 

[krazykat69]

I have an Aspicool 33qt cooler like two compartment refrigerator/freezer. On amazon for $300. Mine works great, and efficient and quiet. Can be kept charged when stationary camping with solar panels to my Jackery 1000 power station that the cooler is powered by. I’m very pleased with it. If it goes bad it’s cheap enough to replace. When driving I charge the power station from the alternator through the 12v port (cigarette lighter).

Your set up is what I plan to do, mostly. All parts are easily moved around, when needed. Looking closely at Alpicool brand, also. Great prices.
Thanks.

 

[pappy]

Been reading some good reports on ICECO APL20.

Ohhhhh, I'm intrigued. I wouldn't mind a smaller fridge for day use. Even something to toss in the Venza for road trips.

 

[alia176]

I think the fridge in this ad would be a good one for a smaller size unit. It's made by Norcold, which is the grandpa of Engel and earlier ARB fridges. MRFT-35.

Older Norcold TekII and ARB Fridge slide for same - Flagstaff

Technically an MRFT-630C, or a MRFT-35 or and ARB 35 Quart...all the same really. This utilizes the tried and true sawafuji swing compressor, with that being the only moving part. Bought it about a decade for my mother, but since I upgraded to an NL, she got my 45 qt and this one has to go...

forum.expeditionportal.com

I'm a huge fan of the sawafuji swing compressor and the one in my Engel is going on 20 years strong. Out of the three fridges I own, Engel 45, Alpicool 50, and a Waeco 35, the Engel draws the least amount of current.

I don't use solar a whole bunch unless the outside temps are silly stupid during summer. I had to borrow Pappy's solar panel when we were in the Devil's Kitchen (appropriately named) few years back when the temps were 100deg+ and my fridge was working over time.

 

[alia176]

Yes, that might be small for most folks, but I don't take a lot of food that needs to be kept cold on back country trips. So, around 20L is adequate for me. Carry OJ, Milk, Yogurt, a few drinks and some deli meat, usually.

"oh man, I simply have too much space left in this fridge". Said no one EVER..

Trust me, you'll want to carry more stuff since ice won't be eating up precious space. Obviously, space inside a rig is always the biggest constraint but error on the side of caution by going a tad larger than you think you'll need.

You're welcome.

 

[slimbuddha]

I have the Engel 60qt dual zone. I've had it for about 10 years, and most of that was just sitting in my garage. I know these are costly, but I bought it used. I currently don't have an insulated cover, but I may add it in the future.

Running it for the month I was in Alaska, were the average temp was probably in the high 50s, I could have easily let it run off my 100ah battery for a couple days without driving or bothering with the solar, and that was running the freezer. I also used it to carry ice cream up to the Jemez in August for a day event.

As far as noise, it's only noticeable because of the cycling, and it is easy to drown out because it isn't that loud. 20L is pretty small, you may want to go to the next common size up, which I think is 35L. I don't think the draw/noise is significantly different.

 

[pappy]

"oh man, I simply have too much space left in this fridge". Said no one EVER..

I'm a huge fan of the sawafuji swing compressor and the one in my Engel is going on 20 years strong. Out of the three fridges I own, Engel 45, Alpicool 50, and a Waeco 35, the Engel draws the least amount of current.

I don't use solar a whole bunch unless the outside temps are silly stupid during summer. I had to borrow Pappy's solar panel when we were in the Devil's Kitchen (appropriately named) few years back when the temps were 100deg+ and my fridge was working over time.

This. My first fridge was an Engel MT35. I out grew it and wanted a larger fridge. At some point ARB updated their Classic 50 and put there Series One on closeout. I bought one and have been using it for several years. As Ali noted, it's a power hawg. Last week I dug into my Black Friday budget and replaced the ARB with an Engel MT45. I also recently installed a dedicated 50Ah LiFe battery just for the fridge. I should be set for what ever the Sonoran Desert, or Baja, have to offer.

 

[krazykat69]

"oh man, I simply have too much space left in this fridge". Said no one EVER..

Trust me, you'll want to carry more stuff since ice won't be eating up precious space. Obviously, space inside a rig is always the biggest constraint but error on the side of caution by going a tad larger than you think you'll need.

You're welcome.

LOL!!! Agree on bigger is usually better. I have limited space and plan to move a 20L between 4x4 and small car for trips. Weight is a big factor, too, for my needs. Not going to mount the Fridge in rig, just put it in and strap it down when I am going camping . I will carry a foldable 100W solar panel, for backup. Will see what happens in the real world in 2025.
Let's go on some camp trips!

 

[WCBlueSky]

I have the ICECO JP40, it fits (tightly) in the back of the FZJ80 with the 3rd row up and works great for us. Looks like it is currently on sale, $100 less than what I paid!

JP40 12v Off-road Refrigerator Portable Freezer Fridge Car Fridge with Insulated Cover

Hurry, ICECO's Black Friday deals are almost here! Save up to 35% off sitewide on portable freezers starting November 21st and enjoy exclusive subscriber discounts. JP40 is a 12v refrigerator 40L car fridge to hold everything you need, can be used as a portable fridge or portable freezer. It has...

icecofreezer.com

https://www.amazon.com/ICECO-JP40-Portable-Refrigerator-Compressor/dp/B07Q82Q37G?th=1