Fridge/Freezer - Convince Me

[SlickTRD]

Is there a way to keep certain items frozen without a dual zone, while using refrigerator temperature (i.e. 35 degrees) Maybe like storing a few ice cream bars in Tupperware with an ice pack? Open to hearing some real world experiences. Wouldn't mind saving a few bucks to stay with a single vs dual zone, not to mention saving some cargo space.

to keep ice cream cold you need it near 0 degrees F and ice packs will not hold 0F for long enough. a single zone like the dometic has cold and colder spots. the colder spot is usually near the compressor which is opposite side from the "milk and eggs" zone. if you look at the inside of a dometic you will see it has a deep zone and a raised zone - the raised zone is the milk and eggs zone. you can set the fridge closer to zero degrees and strategically place ice cream in the colder zone and then the things you dont want to be as cold in the milk and eggs zone. however, if put in there long enough i would imagine the entire thing would equalize in temp. what you can do is set a temp and then use an infrared thermometer to measure the temp of the different areas.

 

[Bumbo]

I’ve had my fridge for years… it has it’s pros, but it also has it’s cons. I think the biggest con for me personally was the noise. I like to sleep in my truck, and I really don’t like hearing the compressor run. I enjoy quiet. I actually left the fridge at home on my last camping trip, which was just a quick overnight trip.

Your ice is basically power now. To do a fridge right, you also need enough battery to run it, and for most that means a dual battery setup. Depending on who you ask the dual battery could be another $1000 on top of the fridge. I personally didn’t consider that a con because I am a bit of a battery nerd, and build custom lithium packs for fun, so the fridge was a nice little accessory for something I was doing anyway.

If you can get over all that, then once you have a fridge, you find excuses to use it more often.

Having it promotes an odd level of lazy convenience for me… I have some nice food places near my office and I never used to go grocery shopping during work because it’s a hassle to deal with the food. I can just leave the stuff in the car and not have to worry about stuff going bad. Sometimes I’ll be lazy and just unload it a different day because I can’t be bothered.

For camping… I pack all food and drinks the night or even days before the trip. The mornings are much less stressful when all you need to do is just jump in the truck and go. It’s a funny convenience that you can actually get used to. If I don’t finish all my food, like bread, it just goes back into my home fridge. With a cooler, stuff usually ends up in a trash can.

Ice cream cone in the middle of nowhere generally makes me feel like “worth every penny”.

Being able to add warm items in and not worry about ice is a plus. You can get away with a much smaller cooler, which is appreciated since space is limited in the 4Runner when you need room for gear.

I’ll be honest it’s not a necessity that I own one, it’s a luxury item that is fun to have and increases convenience and/or capability. I use it more in the city and at home than I do camping these days, but I like having the option.

If I could change one thing about my purchase… I kinda wish I got a smaller unit. The 50qt ARB is pretty big for a solo/couple weekend warrior when you don’t need to leave room for ice.

 

[PaulC4]

Other options

So Fridges, Coolers, Ice, and Dry Ice are all good options, depending on the circumstances. But I'll throw out one more approach.

A few of took a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness*, between Minnesota and Canada. A 24 hour drive up there, and then 7 days on the water. All the cold food had to be carried in the types of packable coolers that could be lashed in the canoes, and then carried during the portages. So not a lot of insulation due to the weight factor.

The solution? (Not naming names or organizations, and the statute of limitations has passed.)

All the food that could be frozen was staged in a -70 degree Celsius freezer, (that just happened to be available to one of our crew). Then transported in coolers appropriate for our truck up there.

Then, before embarking we poured liquid nitrogen (since we somehow conveniently happened to bring a dewar of that along for the drive) over all the things that could serve as thermal mass for the voyage. Having a pork-roast cooked up for our last night was a far improvement over the normal freeze dried kind of meals.

A bit more complex than wiring in a unit in the back of a 4Runner, but different approaches for different situations

*Well worth the trip if you ever get a chance!

 

[BlakeA]

Dometic +Jackery+Goal Zero solar

I’m running a Dometic CFX3-35 off of a Jackery 500 which charges off my truck while driving and off a GZ 100 watt panel when camping. SOOO much nicer than an ice chest when camping for more than a day or driving long distance.

 

[Harlock]

Any opinion on the Costway brand? Been eyeing a 44qt.

Amazon.com: COSTWAY Car Refrigerator, 44 Quart Compressor Cooler and Freezer, -4degF to 50degF, Portable and Compact Vehicle Car Fridge, for Car, Home, Camping, Traveling: Automotive

No personal experience with it, but there are discussions about it on Expedition Portal. It appears to be made by the same OEM that makes the Smittybilt fridge and the Smittybilt insulated cover is said to be a perfect fit for it. I believe there are even some pics floating around to prove this. The refrigerator on Amazon sold by Alpicool is also said to be the same unit. The main thing that seems unclear is whether the Smittybilt and the Costway use the same compressor or if something cheaper is in the bargain units.

An alternative that costs more but is less than units sold by ARB/Dometic/Engel is the Iceco JP50, which has a German compressor with a five year warranty.

 

[tjones2k9]

Fridge all the way. Others have mentioned why. But I’ll add.. I’m currently on a week+ beach trip. The house is full of Yeti’s and they’re all making runs for ice every couple days. My fridge is plugged in just chugging away.

My brother has a Dometic, and after talking to him I took the plunge on an off brand Amazon unit. Rovsun 54 qt. Just over $300. It appeared to be one of the smallest units dimensionally for that capacity. That probably means less insulation, but I plan to make a jacket for it. It has a longer warranty than other cheap units. It’s very quiet! You can barely tell when it kicks on. I haven’t verified with a thermometer, but when it increases one degree on the readout, it kicks on and cools back down. Other reviews of cheap units indicate a 4-5* temp swing. This is our first trip with it, but it runs fine on the factory rear 4R plug. One review stated it has a low amp draw, but I haven’t measured.

About the only thing I don’t like so far, it has no memory. When the unit turns off and then back on, it defaults to -20*F. So if you forget to adjust it back to your desired temp, you could end up with everything frozen. I do plan to run new wiring for an always hot rear outlet eventually.

I wanted the 63qt dual zone that is very well priced over on the Tacoma forums. But it’s Huge! I mocked it up with cardboard in the back of the 4R and that just wasn’t happening for me.

Hope this helps.

 

[Chilow]

I’m running a Dometic CFX3-35 off of a Jackery 500 which charges off my truck while driving and off a GZ 100 watt panel when camping. SOOO much nicer than an ice chest when camping for more than a day or driving long distance.

Got any pics of your setup? I assume while driving, you have the fridge plugged into Jackery and the Jackery is plugged into the rear cargo next to the outlet? Is the solar hooked up to the Jackery and routed on a roof rack?

 

[BlakeA]

Got any pics of your setup? I assume while driving, you have the fridge plugged into Jackery and the Jackery is plugged into the rear cargo next to the outlet? Is the solar hooked up to the Jackery and routed on a roof rack?

Don’t have any pics right now because everything is out of the 4Runner since I’m not able to take a trip right now. Your assumption is correct on how I have it hooked up while driving. I chose to go the portable route rather than a second battery install and hardwiring to the back.
In regards to the solar, I am using the Goal Zero 100 watt “suitcase” panel plugged into the Jackery while camping. I went the portable solar route for a couple of reasons. I don’t want the panel hard-mounted to the rack because I use the rack for other stuff when not camping, and...if I’m camping and I can find shade to park in, I will do that, and then the solar wouldn’t work so well in shade. I have a 30 ft. Cable that I use with the panel so I can move it where I need to and still reach the Jackery which is tied down in the truck.

 

[Jetboy]

FWIW - I do usually use mine on dual batteries in my trailer. It has 2 deep cycle costco brand batteries. We did a 9 day trip two weeks ago and the solar panel wasn't functioning. Turns out one of my anderson connections had come gunk in it and wasn't connecting. Anyway - 2 deep cycle batteries lasted 9 days with the fridge without too much issue still reading 12.2 volts at the end. If it was getting low I would have probably taken a closer look at the solar panel wiring. The batteries also power the water pump on the trailer and all the lighting - which is LED so pretty low draw although I did accidentally leave the outside light on overnight once. Anyway - point being I really don't need to carry the solar along at all for a week on 2 deep cycle batteries. I think a single one with the fridge alone might even make it a week.

If you can charge your regular car battery during the day by driving or with solar - I have done fine without a second battery when using in my 4Runner. A 100w solar setup is more than enough to fully recharge each day. With regular sunlight I usually get an actual output of around 4-5 amps from the 100w solar panel. 4 amps at 12v is only 48 watts, but you don't always get the full output. However - if you have even 4 or 5 hours of sunlight a day on the panel, that's enough to top off the battery. A regular car battery is plenty to last overnight - typically around 45 amp hours of capacity. So it basically never runs out. I haven't found a need for dual batteries. The only thing I carry is a lithium jump starter kit in case it drains it too low. But that hasn't been an issue. The draw from a fridge is usually 7 or so amps on startup, but the actual average over time is probably around 1 amp or less. So you really need around 12-15 amp hours of reserve capacity to go all night until the solar starts re-charging or you start driving the next day - or about 1/3 of the battery capacity. Probably less in real life. With a good condition single battery, that's not a problem.

I find dual batteries to be more useful for other stuff - like running high output winches and snow plows or similar stuff. For those the dual battery really helps maintain voltage under load and you get better performance. Especially on my 8274 winch - the draw is IIRC as high as 400 amps. It can drain a single battery setup really quick.

 

[JSparky]

My ARB fridge has been on for pretty much the past 5 years. If it dies I'll get another one.

Likewise. I had to replace a thermostat or something once, covered it even through warranty. That was at like year 3? Had it since 2014 or 15.

 

[jhguth]

i have a single zone and haven't really had much need for a dual zone - my typical use is typically day to day and short 2-5 day camping trips. if i did regular week+ camping trips i would definitely want dual zone.

i use my fridge daily to keep snacks and drinks, in the pre-covid times when i was working in an office i kept my lunch in the fridge in the 4runner or used it to be able to do grocery shopping on my lunch break and avoid the after work rush.

i have had a few specific instances when i've needed to use the fridge in freezer mode, but it goes from 35F to 0F in just a few minutes so that's really easy to do on short notice. my fridge has a tray over the compressor that stays a bit warmer, so you can kinda do dual zone for short durations.

edit:
we find the fridge so useful in day to day life that my wife is getting a small fridge too for her non-camping vehicle

 

[Chilow]

Looks like I'm going to get a portable power supply, looking at the Jackery right now due to price. I see the more popular options are the Jackery 500 and the feedback that I've been able to research says people average 2-3 days running off the Jackery 500 model. I don't plan on staying static for 2-3 days and will most likely spend a night at x location and another night at x location so I could top off the Jackery while driving to/from camping locations. Do you guys think the smaller capacity Jackery 240 will work in my situation? Anybody here have the 240? Couldn't find much information on this model.

 

[Jetboy]

Looks like I'm going to get a portable power supply, looking at the Jackery right now due to price. I see the more popular options are the Jackery 500 and the feedback that I've been able to research says people average 2-3 days running off the Jackery 500 model. I don't plan on staying static for 2-3 days and will most likely spend a night at x location and another night at x location so I could top off the Jackery while driving to/from camping locations. Do you guys think the smaller capacity Jackery 240 will work in my situation? Anybody here have the 240? Couldn't find much information on this model.

Someone on expidition portal did a few tests and found that over multiple days time, a typical fridge was using less than 0.5 amps per hour on average. With one full size 115amp hour deep cycle it lasted 6 days and 8 hours with the shutoff safety set on high. Doing the rough math if I have two 160ah reserve capacity batteries, my fridge will run for almost 3 weeks without a recharge. I might stop bringing along the solar panel. I guess I've been overly worried about it.

Using those numbers, for a 24hr cycle you'd need around 144wh of useable capacity. Now if you assume you'll either charge or get sunlight for say 6 hours a day, you're then down to more like 100wh of capacity needed. So even the little Jackery 150 or whatever it is would probably work. The 240 should get you almost two full days without needing a recharge.

 

[jhguth]

the 2 big things that influence how often that compressor is going to kick on are ambient temps (obvious) and also how full the fridge is

on summer days with a mostly empty fridge your average over time will probably be over 1 A on a mid-grade fridge. i can't find the graph anymore but when i tested my dometic empty on a 90ish degree day it was something like 25% for the duty cycle which put the average over 1.5 A. If I keep the fridge full, it drops to about 10% or less depending on ambient temps and keeps average well under 1 A. I use 1 A as a rule of thumb for a safety factor when i do mental math or napkin calcs, but my average for typical conditions is probably around 0.75-0.8 A

tl;dr
just keep it full with water bottles or pieces of foam, limit how often you need to open the fridge, and you'll extend your capacity significantly

i would get the 500 for sure, they don't charge very efficiently. The 240 would be enough for overnights but i wouldn't trust it to last past day 2

 

[Chilow]

Trying to justify 240 vs. 500. The 500 is basically double the cost without adding extras like solar. If I got the 240, I risk not having enough juice to power it when the vehicle isn't running, which results in spending money on solar. A quick Amazon search shows the Jackery 100w solar panel costs $300 so that's already slightly more expensive if I paired the solar + 240 vs. getting the 500 and not needing solar.

I read somewhere that the Jackery units have a proprietary plug to only work with their branded solar panels. Cant find that information anymore. If that's not the case, I could probably get a cheaper solar panel.

 

[jhguth]

a 100W panel should cost a little over $100, or $200ish if you want a folding panel

$300 is way too high for a 100W panel

doesn't jackery just use an 8mm plug? you can get adapters for 8mm to MC4 or SAE or anderson or anything else you could want or even buy a bare connector and make your own

 

[BlakeA]

Trying to justify 240 vs. 500. The 500 is basically double the cost without adding extras like solar. If I got the 240, I risk not having enough juice to power it when the vehicle isn't running, which results in spending money on solar. A quick Amazon search shows the Jackery 100w solar panel costs $300 so that's already slightly more expensive if I paired the solar + 240 vs. getting the 500 and not needing solar.

I read somewhere that the Jackery units have a proprietary plug to only work with their branded solar panels. Cant find that information anymore. If that's not the case, I could probably get a cheaper solar panel.

It’s not proprietary. It’s 8mm DC input. I’m using a Goal Zero panel with my Jackery 500. Works just fine. Jackery states 100W input maximum and my 100 watt GZ panel puts out about 72 watts in full sun.

I haven’t had a chance to go camping with my setup yet, but I’m currently running a test of my Dometic CFX3-35 in my garage. I precooled the Dometic on AC, and then plugged in my Jackery and am timing it to see how it goes. I’ve got some frozen water bottles and a couple freezer packs in there and am opening it now and then to try to mimic real world usage. I’ll post my results when the Jackery runs down. Then I’ll do another test with the solar panel plugged in the Jackery and see how that goes.

 

[Chilow]

It’s not proprietary. It’s 8mm DC input. I’m using a Goal Zero panel with my Jackery 500. Works just fine. Jackery states 100W input maximum and my 100 watt GZ panel puts out about 72 watts in full sun.

I haven’t had a chance to go camping with my setup yet, but I’m currently running a test of my Dometic CFX3-35 in my garage. I precooled the Dometic on AC, and then plugged in my Jackery and am timing it to see how it goes. I’ve got some frozen water bottles and a couple freezer packs in there and am opening it now and then to try to mimic real world usage. I’ll post my results when the Jackery runs down. Then I’ll do another test with the solar panel plugged in the Jackery and see how that goes.

Looking forward to your results!

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

I keep my fridge full of drinks and lunch for the day. It is on all the time but I drive every day with the fridge set at 28 F. I'm currently working in Palm Springs and just use the stock battery for power.

 

[Dinosaur Overland]

Really enjoying this thread. has anyone tried a Iceco cooler?