Opinions on best camping refrigerator?

[Danielims]

What are your opinions on the best options for a camping refrigerator? We are starting with a blank slate here and not looking to go "all out" with the rear. But for camping trips that are 3-4 days or even day trips in Arizona heat we need to get something that will do a better job than a cooler.
Thanks

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[Wraven]

Only two I have ever used myself are ARB and Engels, both expensive but both designed to work at angles a device would be subjected to for overlanding.

 

[scottyah]

I rented a van with a 75cuft Dometic and it worked well. They have kind of a cult following in the vanlife community

 

[ldjessee]

I rented a van with a 75cuft Dometic and it worked well. They have kind of a cult following in the vanlife community

I know several jeepers who also swear by them, but the price tags is a bit hard to swallow…

 

[Outdoors]

I have two Dometic 100's CFX3. The non divided ones. I keep one as fridge and other as freezer. Use almost nothing for power and are quiet. Yes pricy, but I also have many Yeti's, and they are never cold to start with, and require a walk in freezer to do a deep cold for a long journey. I am off grid, and the one thing I crave is Ice cubes. The split ones never make ice good enough as it is used as fridge, and if you open it often it can't maintain like a 99% of the time shut freezer only.

They also double as a bench with a nice diamond pattern.

 

[ldjessee]

You have pics of your dual Dometic setup?

 

[Zbatc]

Ecoflow Glacier. Has a very cybertruck vibe, makes ice super fast, can be plugged in or has its own battery power. Only downside is maybe under sized a bit.

 

[FirstRLast]

Not sure what one I’ll go with yet. But I like to use a combo of the electric chilled just for ice and then a well insulated 5 day cooler and just keep restocking the ice. That way you aren’t opening the electric often and it will keep cold with less power and every 3 days or so you just add some new ice / drain water into an empty 5 gallon for cooking/ cleaning. You can get a good week and a half to 2 weeks with that method with very little power.

 

[Outdoors]

I don't have a picture per say other than contents. Friends would ask what to bring, and I would always shoot a picture of what we had. However this is the campground setup. Maybe the 100s are a bit big to lug around in the truck, but I use them in the Airstream.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...-solar-powered-ev-charging-campground.278318/

 

[GollyGee]

I have been surprised by the Bodega T50 splittable refrig/freezer.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D96FM73/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
The temperature control could be better, but besides a couple of camping trips so far (freeze side at 10F, refrig at 40F), we have been running it continuously in our house for months in refrigerator mode at 40F. Plug in at 120Vac or 12Vdc.
Price currently at $450, but price bounces down to $250 at times.

 

[sylvius]

All the options stated are great but they are super expensive because they are designed to run off 12V which takes some doing. Once they enable the bed outlets to run while the truck is moving and assuming you aren’t trying to go for days without charging, probably a small chest freezer in the bed (with a temp controller if you want fridge temp) would be a good, cost-effective option.

 

[81u80x]

I use my Dometic CFX-35. It fits perfectly in the back.
I have it powered by a small Energizer 240Wh LiPo battery which I setup between the fridge and front seat, it's super small. The battery is connected via USB-C to the back USB-C port.

Why?

USB-C power from the truck is more efficient than powering with the 120V (which requires the DC-AC transformer to run). I get the 240Wh to recharge whenever I drive the truck, the USB-c port just turns on whenever I enter the truck. The battery can power the fridge for 2/3 days in normal conditions, so I never worry about it, I just get that buffer of power available for the fridge and so far I never ran out of power even with such a small battery.

Very simple, very convenient. Having the fridge in the back also means I use less energy to keep the fridge at temp while on a long roadtrip as it benefits from the low temp of the cabin (vs in the bed truck which could get super hot).

Cons: it does mean I can only use 2 seats in the back. So I sometime have to take it out if I intend to carry 3 people in the back. It's fairly quick, but I love permanent setup, since that fridge is used for camping but also grocery shopping. Nice to shop, put food that needs to be in a fridge in it, and not have to go back right away, could be hours after running other errands. So been having a fridge in my vehicle (Jeep and now CT) for years.

But, I am looking for a great solution in the bed of the truck so I permanently have a full back available for passengers... a drawer slide type of setup, and I'll have a bigger battery to power the fridge since it'll be much warmer there. Too bad there isn't a DC powered line in the truck bed, that would have been super helpful / more efficient / more convenient if it could be setup to be on whenever you drive. Can't do that with the AC outlets AFAIK, which means you constantly have to think about power management.

Also thought about getting the fridge setup in the Frunk, since there is 12V DC available there, but the dimensions/shape of the frunk make it very challenging. Can't understand why Tesla came out with that CT cooler and NOT a CT fridge!! It's an EV! Tons of power... why deal with ICE!! (pun intended) Duh!! Tempted to get one and modify it to add a compressor since the shape of it is ideal.

If anyone has come up with a great solution for the Frunk or Bed, please share!

 

[GalavantingGigawatt]

Been searching for a similar post as well. I use the Dometic CF93 in my bed and use the 220 plug with a 110 multi plug. I’ve camped 3 days and averaged 18% kids a day. But that’s using Pierre from the truck for the fridge, electric blankets and scent lighting around the camp site

 

[BillSirloin]

I’ve been using one from Anker Everfrost for the past 2 years and it’s been great for camping trips but I also use it every day for drinks and lunch at work. I leave it in the bed plugged in and it keeps things cold all day. I also live in Arizona and it doesn’t have any issues keeping up. No issues with the compressor either. There’s a new model out now which I’m considering. https://amzn.to/41wgkhv

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