Camping refrigerator (since y’all know everything )

Getting back in to camping only this time without dragging a camper .

Outfitting my Cherokee for some wheeling and camping fun and looking for 12v small fridge for the back. Need something to help keep my insulin cool and some decent grub.

I’ve been reading reviews and researching but trying to stay as cheap as I can . I’ve got 3 in college right now .
What if any brand do y’all recommend?

 

The small-ish thermo ones, sorry can't remember the technical term but without an actual compressor only work to 30-40 degrees below ambient temperature. And work better when full. No real way to control the temp. Either there on or off.

Cheapest route if temp control is a priority. I'm not sure how sensitive insulin is to temps.

Get a power inverter and a dorm size fridge from Walmart or lowes.

Option B.
Dometic crx-50 or crx-65 but there not cheap by any means. $6-800 new. I replaced the cr-50 in my peterbilt last year. $600. I stack it full of family size frozen dinners. On the supercool setting it does ok trying to hold 20 degrees but it's very sensitive to low batteries.

 

Gotta love the beeb. I was just on amazon looking at those thermocooler fridges.

the ones that use the peltier plates to cool stuff down.

Gonna be keeping an eye on this topic.

 

Alpicool. I think that's the name of it. $200 on Amazon. Draws 4 amps half the time as it cycles on and off.

 

Thermoelectric. They have gotten better (more efficient) but the basic physics of the system is poor at heat transfer compared to compressed gas/fluid systems. Like, very poor.

 

That’s one of the ones I was looking at on amazon. You got a few different brands in that price range and then a few more in the 800-900 price range like ARB (which I’m sure is manufactured by someone else)

 

Somewhere we have a peltier cooled cooler from the 90s. Used to put it in the conversion van for road trips. It did the job just fine.

 

A year or two ago, I beat the shit out of the subject and couldn't come up with anything that was worth the trouble and money. Everything that I found was either very expensive, didn't work very well, or had power requirements that were unrealistic. Plus, it would have to take up space inside the vehicle. I finally decided that I could spend a lot on mediocrity or I could keep on with the ice solution. The real problem for me is that ice limits my time in the bush to 3 days.

I used a Pelican in July for 3 weeks and it worked out just fine.

 

The veracity of this statement is entirely dependent on the heat specs of "the job".

 

OK, keep in mind I know nothing about refrigerators or how they work , are you suggesting ones like the Dometic with a compressor work the best or “should” work the best ?

 

Might be too subjective for you David.

Notwithstanding the variability of "weather", the trip began on 7/3 and ran from NM, UT, AZ, NV, ID, and finally WY. Most days averaged maxing out at about 103F or so, but the climb from 75 to the high is quick in those areas. So there's many hours at near the max temp. An ice water slurry seemed to last the longest. Our goal was to keep cold beverages and foodstuffs that could spoil. Aside from the cooler cost, the amount spent on ice was probably.....$60-$80. We were always satisfied with the product.

 

That is actually a pretty well described "job" and one that I would think a peltier system would fail at, so we agree! Maybe if your tastes ran to real ale at 55F and you only opened it once every 3 hours.

I have no personal experience with Dometic equipment, but have heard from folks they work solid. My basic point was that compressor systems (like Dometic) are far better (more efficient) heat pumps than Peltier (thermolectric) systems. The latter are about a quarter as powerful energy input for energy input, but other features make them kindof crappy in a portable cooler application. Thermos immediately turn to heat sinks when not powered. Compressor systems hold cold and work on hysteresis cycles of on (compressing) and deenergized.

To cut to the chase: if you want this box to produce a lot of cold, i would look at compressor-based (or ice!) systems. YMMV

 

I've been looking at putting one of these on my sailboat. Powering the cheaper versions will be the issue if you're not at a place with power available. I wouldn't use the vehicle battery to power these over night unless you don't mind walking. The compressor based systems can be used off a smaller solar panel and a deep cycle battery long term or if you're driving a fair amount every day you could recharge a battery while driving. The thermoelectric versions draw allot more power and would likely not be able to be powered well off of a battery over night.

 

Here's a recent thread on this:
http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/refridgerator-freezer-arb-or-dometic-advice-please.367897/

In my short searching for my van, I narrowed it down to two options:
1) Cheaper:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QYM859M/

2) Medium price
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W8BLUG/
http://www.whynter.com/wp-content/uploads/FM-45G-Comsumption-Chart-1.pdf

My plan is to buy the Whytner, I just haven't bit the bullet yet. I think it will fit my needs and my van layout better than the Costway.

 

I typically pre draw syringes & put them on individual ice packs that could fit in a typical lunch cooler. Just use a rubber band to secure them to the cooling surface.
Good for approximately 24-36hrs at ~40 degrees. Frozen water bottles work for ~18-30hrs in a typical cooler environment.
You can definitely segregate your cooler with different areas based on needs. I would suggest some dry ice for adventures going 2-3 days.

 

I started the other thread and bought one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W8BLUG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It works great, I bought a small battery pack to run it off of all night long and it kept it running 12 ours in 90 degree heat set at about 40 degrees... I would buy a bigger battery pack and maybe some solar stuff if you are going for days, I use it to bomb across the country so the battery pack charges all day while driving and the ford has a 110v inverter to charge the battery pack and run the fridge all day.. LOVE IT

 

Bravo. So, if I were to go dual battery in my FJ, and run the fridge at night off of the one deep cycle battery, and flip it over once moving, then I'd be golden? Other than the price and having to keep it inside the vehicular, any other downside?

 

You can use a typical ice chest and salt it to the desired temp. The right amount of salt in the ice/water will take the temp below freezing to where water bottles will freeze solid. Most people think of rock salt, but plain old $0.89 iodized table salt works just as well. I used this method all the time.

Edit: or I saw someone else mentioned a power inverter and a small form fridge. That's a good combo.

 

Here's a good thread on how to wire a second battery that won't drain your starting battery:
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...eap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50.77503/

 

I have a Dometic CF50 that has worked like a champ.