Portable fridges?

I'm having good luck with my Fridge from truckfridge.com which is an Indel B. Good pricing too.

What temp do you guys run your fridge at?


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
SFSMedic said:
I'm having good luck with my Fridge from truckfridge.com which is an Indel B. Good pricing too.

What temp do you guys run your fridge at?


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
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my first fridge I just guessed, I now have the edgestar 80 and have it set at 31, watching the temp it fluctuates from 30-33. Everything in the bottom stays frozen and the beer at the top is ICE cold
 
I'd go with Engel fridge/freezers w/ their proven quality and durability. They use the Sawafuji swing motor that is by far in my opinion one of the best low power draw system that has proven itself time and again in a lot of overland expeditions. The Norcold brand particularly the older TEK II models which closely resembles Engel also uses the same motors in their fridge/freezers and you'll often find them reasonably priced used on craigslist. If I remember correctly, until like 3 to 4 years ago, ARB used to carry rebranded Engel style fridge/freezers before they came out with their very own. If you do get an Engel, I strongly recommend getting the appropriate transit bag for it as it helps a lot with its cooling efficiency. I got both a few years back from an online site called Compact Appliances which had them about $30 or so less than most retailers.

http://www.compactappliance.com
http://www.marinewarehouse.net/images/engel/Technical-factsheet.pdf
http://www.sawafuji.co.jp/english/tech/shindou.html
 
I recently purchased an ARB 47L, will be using it the first time next weekend at ARV.......I am looking forward to seeing what others are running and their set-ups.
 
Works best if you chill it on the AC cord then transfer to DC from a battery usage standpoint. Also helps to load with cold items, if I'm not filling it I tend to take a container with cold water in it to take up air space. It will significantly change you camping life. Have fun at ARV
 
I do the same thing, Woody. I freeze a gallon of iced tea, a gallon of water, bourbon, and 2 frozen juice concentrate mixers, then put my fridge (when I bring it) on AC power overnight preceding a trip, setting the temp below freezing. Before I leave, I toss in my food bin, load the beer, and take off.

Been using that process for years.


Sent from a mud puddle
 
We got a ARB63 qt before our big trip out west this summer. It works great. With the transit bag and ARB slide it was a pretty big $$$ but worth it. And as I told my wife, it'll pay for itself in cost savings over buying bags of ice. Roughly 500 bags, but hey, she's not that good at math ;)

I am really happy with this setup. However I would recommend getting the smallest unit you will be comfortable with. They are big and heavy and take up lots of cargo space. We went with the 63 mainly because it is 3" shorter than the 50 which is the difference b/w my wife seeing inside the fridge and not. When i go out by myself or with just one of the kids, or even a shorter weekend we fill the fridge with frozen gallon jugs or extra water. Not a huge deal, but again it's more weight you're lugging around. I guess I could just put some sealed empty tupperware containers in there?

Re: the tembo tusk drop down, make sure you try it out thoroughly before buying. I've spoken to one person who had one and hated it, and got to try one out earlier this summer and can't imagine ever spending that kind of money for it. It doesn't work nearly well enough to justify the price, IMO.

IMG_2681.jpg
 
I run a National Luna 50 Weekender and love the separate fridge/freezer compartments.

I have to chime in with Fireball in regards to the Tembo, I owned one of the drop downs and it was not worth the price of admission. The unit rattled constantly, and would always get hung up. I like the concept, but the execution could have been better.
 
woody said:
Works best if you chill it on the AC cord then transfer to DC from a battery usage standpoint. Also helps to load with cold items, if I'm not filling it I tend to take a container with cold water in it to take up air space. It will significantly change you camping life. Have fun at ARV
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Thank you I will be sure to do this...........
 
i have a Wynter 45 quart fridge. So far its been great, and it was about half the price of an engel. whynter or wynter is the spelling, they are only sold at home depot online last i looked.
 
BlkWgn said:
to fit the 85 you have to remove the back seat on the passenger side
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That's what I'm afraid of. Of course I'm looking at getting a shell and setting up drawers in the bed of the truck similar to you've done, so I could also stick the fridge back there.
 
I have the 65 qt. for several years. It's power hungry, but does its job.

That edgestar mod thread on expo is a winner.


Sent from a mud puddle
 
I don't have exact numbers but I can leave my fridge on in the tuck for about a week without having to start it to recharge the batteries.

I run a group 34m.
 
For the money, I think the Engel MT45 is the best bang for the buck, followed by the ARB.

I ran a National Luna 40L Weekender and while it's an exceptional fridge, it's extremely pricey.
 
I still contend the best bang for the $$$ is the Edgestar, although it appears that the Wynter is a rebadged Edgestar, which is probably a rebadged something or other.
 
A week with a grp34 and a 50qt ARB? Wow! I have a grp34, 63qt w/ transit bag, with windows cracked in the summer it would shut-off after 3 days. I think I was using the middle cut-off setting. It's gotten much better now that the temps are cooler. I don't drive it much so have been just doing this to test it out. We won't be stationary on any trips for more than 3 days anyway, so I'm not worried.
 
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