Fridge use Survey

* Both a camper & a travelling camper.
* No generator.
* Sleep in a swag.
* Fridge kept in rear of 4 x 4 wagon at all times, on a fridge slide. Therefore fridge needs a handle at each end to provide for tie down (my Waeco does not).
* Rectangular or square design is much easier to pack around - many fridges have rounded edges, curved lids etc.
* Often I disconnect fridge from 12 V power source over night - insulation & contents keep temps low enogh overnight.
* I also use a top quality fibreglass esky for drinks on ice - keeps ice for days. Basket inside is usually where bulky salad type vegies are kept - in the cool box but not on ice.
* Would like a basket style for 12 v fridge that enables horizontal storage, as well as vertical.

We have a three way fridge , that we take with us camping & travelling. We cool it on 240V at home prior to travelling, run it on 12V in the troopy when travelling & when we set up camp we run it on LP gas under the tent awning. It is very economical on gas.
Sparky

Same as Troopy Travellers except Fridge is permanent in the camper on a slide.

Baz.

1.camper
2. havent used generator in past but mate has bought one so may use this christmas hols as will be in one place for over a week up to 40-45 deg last yr-normally dont need gennie as driving each day keeps sufficient charge in battery to run fridge. in past when stopped in one place for week or so have driven car for few hrs every couple days or idled for few hrs if aux battery dead
3. sleep in tent or swag while camping which is normally a few feet from car
4.5.6. fridge is strapped to fridge slide which is bolted to false floor in back of cruiser and stays in vehicle from when i leave home to when i return from trip.
i have shelving set up which covers top of fridge so genrally out of direct sunlight and have metal grill either side to stop things touching side of fridge and give sufficient air flow round fridge.
would be good if fridge suppliers made available plastic containers to fit exactly in fridge as it would save a lot of time for me measuring containers in safewy,coles,kmart etc to fit into space-but then again everyone has different ideas
at present have 73l autofridge and use 4 containers to pack meat,vegies,marg etc in and have a water container-5litre which i top up daily and rest of room is for grog and soft drink which gets rotated sometime late at night or in morning.
pack differently depending on length of trip
idea is to eliminate movement of product in fridge to save explosions and mess

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? Yes....
2. Do you use a generator? No....
3. Where do you sleep while camping? In a tent, or passenger side seat....
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, In the back of vehicle....
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? In the back of vehicle...
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) Leave it in the back of the vehicle, slide out to get beer, oh and food as well, slide back in when finished....

one item i would like to be able to get for a fridge would be a container which holds securely 375ml cans and 440ml cans say 6 of each to stop them getting dented on rough rds rather than using stubby holders or alternatives

Traveller and camp - usually 2 to 4 nights at one place.
Don't use generator or solar, use 2nd battery
sleep in tent
fridge stays in back of car, any runs charge battery
fridge setting depends on temperature, turn power down at night, back up in the morning. Try and park car in shade during the day.
don't run fridge on freezer, only cold setting of about +4 deg C for the food.
(so there is just a thin coating of frost on the inside of the fridge, but not cold enough for the milk or beer to freeze)

only 2 way fridge - 12/240v.
N70ZZ battety lasts 2 to 4 days without charging, depending on air temperatures
need something robust that can take car leaning and also corrugations.
(any one seen good vibration mounts?)
have made extra jacket to add to insulation
need good tie downs
those cigarette type connectors for 12v power are not really suitable, can vibrate loose.
I keep a back window open while travelling to help with cooling air to fridge coils.
a little dust does come in, oh well, we are travelling! (We seldom use the A/C in the car.)

John C

Craig,
We use a 45lt fridge and keep it in handy in the back of the Prado so we have access to it throught the rear door. Works off the rearstandard power socket.

When camped over night we usually put it on the floor of the camper and plug into 240 where we can. The wife loves her luxuries. It will last overnight in winter quite well with no power and this aspect could be slightly improved and used as a promotional point because you never see this information given. One flaw in the design of our Wacoe is there are no real handles. I get the job of shifting it all the time and there is nothing to hang onto. Better handles needed.

Ours has a portable tranformer (i think that what it called) that you have to walk back to pick up or juggle it on top of the lid when you carry the fridge. This could be attached to the fridge somehow so you don't drop it or trip over it.
We do not use a generator and never will.

Work on a fridge slide that comes out and then drops down, so the fridge is at waist height instead of above your head.

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping?..........camper
2. Do you use a generator?.................no
3. Where do you sleep while camping?..........tent or swag
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping,...........fixed in vehicle
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car?..........as above
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) ............as above

There needs to be a Rating Standard so that performance can judged....eg star rating on domestic fridges.

Hi,

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? - traveller.
2. Do you use a generator? - Yes when not at a powered site.
3. Where do you sleep while camping? - Camper trailer.
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, - 2 X 50 Weacos are set up in the rear passenger spaces on a false floor, with storage underneath.
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? - as above.
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) - leave them in the car hard wired to 2nd and 3rd batteries, batteries are topped up (when not driving) via a 3 way charger in the trailer and this is powered by a Honda genie or 240 (if available). Following discussions on this forum will now also make fridge covers.

Kind regards

G'day Craig,

My answers are;

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? We do both.

2. Do you use a generator? No (too noisy)

3. Where do you sleep while camping? A camper trailer, tent or swags.
(Not sure what this has to do with fridges! unless noise issue)

4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, In the rear of the 4WD on a fridge slide.
(On larger trips we remove the rear bench seat and have the fridge behind the passenger seat strapped to a hurdle which is fixed to the seat mountings.)

5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? As per Q4.

6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) The fridge is always as per Q4.

One issue I have with my 40L Engel is the lid. The hinges are side sliding pins, and are a pain in the A when parked on a slope as the lid tends to want to slide off. When it is off the pins are the same length which makes it awkward to put back on.

Hope this helps Craig.

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? ..... Traveller who camps every night.
2. Do you use a generator? ..... No
3. Where do you sleep while camping? .....Up top in an EezyAwn rooftop tent.
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, ..... On the fridge slide/roller _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx.
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? ..... Ditto
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) ..... I leave it in the car at all times. If it's really hot outside, I crack a window and put a white sheet over the rear window to keep the sun off.

1. Off-road caravan and tent camping when it's a bit rough for the van.
2. No. I have dual battery system and a spare sealed battery for the car fridge. The van fridge is an absorption (3-way) unit which runs on 12V while we are on the move and either gas or mains when we are not. The absortion fridge is very poor, even on gas, when ambients get above about 35 Deg. I will be installing a 12 volt dc van to try improve heat dissipation.
3. Caravan or tent.
4. The Engel stays in the car. I remove the rear passengers seat and install a custom made mounting platform and slide with tie down straps. The 3-way fridge is an Electrolux unit built into the van.
5. See above. The fridge is readily accessible through the rear passenger's door when we are camperd and from the front passenger's seat while driving.
6. The Engel stays in the car at all times. The caravan fridge struggles to keep food frozen in high ambients and doesn't keep bevearages cold enough for my liking. We use the Engel to keep our drinks cold.

Craig,
Please see attached my responses,

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping?
We do both.

2. Do you use a generator?
No.

3. Where do you sleep while camping?
In the camper trailer.

4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping,
In the back of the vehicle, in a home made box arrangement.

5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car?
In the back of the vehicle, in a home made box arrangement.

6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc)
We leave the fridge in the vehicle. We also use an esky, and if we are camped this is under the awning of the Camper Trailer. We run our fridge as a freezer and use 8 sheets of techni-ice which we rotate through into the esky to keep things cold.

Any other comments?
We bought a Bushman Fridge (5 years ago next Feb). What we liked about it, is that it has a temperature read out, where you set the temperature you want and the fridge cools down to that temperature and then cycles at that point. This takes the guess work out of setting the fridge.
One thing that would make it better, would be an alarm, that is able to be set off if the fridge can't maintain the set temperature.
We have had this happen a couple of times due to low battery voltages.

Also, and I think some others have said this before, there needs to be a uniform rating system which shows energy consumed versus ambient temperature, (similar to the tests which were down 2 years or so ago by the ADI ?) so that when purchasing a fridge you can make a comparison of relative efficiency.

Cheers,
Mal

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? CAMPER
2. Do you use a generator? NO
3. Where do you sleep while camping? TENT RV-2
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, BACK OF 4x4
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? BACK OF 4x4
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) LEAVE IN 4x4 or under awning if setup for more than two days.

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? ...... Both

2. Do you use a generator? ...... Sometimes. but never for the fridge

3. Where do you sleep while camping? ...... Camper Trailer

4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, ....... Usually in vehicle on slide, occasionally under trailer awning.

5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? ....... On the Cargo Drawers on a slide.

6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) ...... Refer answers for 4 & 5

Gday Craig,

i've got an anniv.edition 40 lt Engel with engel transit bag.

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? - mainly camping from overnight to a week or 2 at a time.
2. Do you use a generator? - no never - hate the noise
3. Where do you sleep while camping? - depending on trip, either in the back of car or in the oztent
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, - in rear of wagon while in transit, when camped, it sits inside the awning / 2nd room in tent, the standard long power lead into the dedicated rear outlet.
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? - in rear
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) - as above, short trips it is used as a fridge, long trips as a freezer with ice packs transferred between it and an esky.

Any other comments?

like the idea of a rating compliance, will stop a lot of myth and fable...

even with the bag, i have added extra insulation/ padding at the sides and front . As recommended by another forumite , went to clark rubber, got the insulation foam with silver foil layer on one side, about an inch thick, $40 per linear metre, about 1.2 wide. works well, helps with cold retention when switched off or between cycles.

Durable , custom fitted multi-option containers - YES PLEASE.

Temp display is nice also..
Fridge has to be of sturdy build with a lid capable of being sat on etc. and solid handles.

A nice 'built in' tamper proof lockdown point for a cable / chain may also be good.

See ya

1/ both
2/yes
3/ in camper trailer
4/close/is full of beer
5/ as above
6/CLOSE. is full of beer/scotch/red/ white/ gin/ FOOD.

1. Traveller who camps maximum of 4 nights in one spot.
2. Never use a generator.
3. Tent.
4, 5 & 6. Fridge mounted on slides in rear storage system, wired into duel battery.
Currently use 73L Auto fridge. Set on low as fridge only.
Improvements....
A multi layered removable basket with a built in sealed storage box, both sized to fit common milk containers, cans, Prima's etc.
Heavier gauge wire out of the fridge to reduce line loss.

Most important features to me are low daily power consumption & reliability.
Cheers Craig................

1. Traveller. Max ~ 4 nights in one spot.
2. NO
3. Camper Trailer.
4. Usually in car on slide, sometimes under annex if mains power available.
5. On fridge slider (Black Widow _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx)
6. Usually leave it in the vehicle.

Design Suggestions?
I use a Waeco 50Lt and find the electronic pushbutton control setup to be excellent but easy to knock. Similar control panel with a clear cover would be good.
A small gas strut/spring to hold the lid up. In car I don't have enough clearance to swing the lid past vertical and it's a PITA to hold it up. Usually end up taking the lid off to rummage around inside.

Cheers, John.

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? Both, mainly latter.
2. Do you use a generator? No
3. Where do you sleep while camping? Rooftop
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, In Vehicle
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? On Slide
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) Leave in vehicle

1. Are you a camper, or a traveller who is camping? - CAMPER
2. Do you use a generator? - NO (don't like the noise)
3. Where do you sleep while camping? - TENT
4. Where do you keep your fridge while camping, - IN BOOT OF CAR - HOME MADE FRIDGE SLIDE AND _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx
5. Where do you keep your fridge while travelling in your car? - SEE ABOVE
6. How do you setup your fridge for daily camping or travelling? (ie, remove from vehicle, put under tent awning, etc) - LEAVE IN CAR (SAFER)

Thankyou very much to all of you people who have kindly replied to this survey. The next stage is to analyse the results, and use them partly to undertake a user analysis, which is a critical look at how people actually perform the tasks involved with fridge use. The user analsysis will generate a set of recommendations, which will go directly to the design of the camping fridge. All the best.

Craig Myatt

1. Camper
2. No (own one but try not to use it)
3. Hard Floor Trailer
4. In Storage Box On front draw bar (73lt Autofridge)
5. As Above
6. As Above

- We also carry a smaller Waeco in Vehicle and use as Freezer Only.