What Fridge

Dave
Ive been using an Engel 39ltr for the last 5 yrs and has been enough for what i need (Family of 4). I think it comes down to what you want pay for the unit and style.The Waceo looks very good and no doubt matches what the Engel can do. But it will probably come to personal choose. As i said , the Engel has never failed me
for what i use it for. (Home use as well as camping etc...)
Peter

Evening..
Probly get a heck of a backlash over this one, but Repco have a 35lt three way fridge on sale at the moment for $399. I now one person who bought one earlier in the week and he said it froze a bottle of water over night and seems very good value. I cant vouch for what there like in high temperatures but at that price it doesnt have to be to flamin good to be value especially if you dont use one very often. Myself I use a 50lt Chescold three way and its fantastic for the five of us, they seem to have a lot more room than they look especially if your carefull about what you pack in them.
One last thing.. not sure how much longer there gunna be on sale ... may end Saturday?

I have the 50l waeco and my good mate Bazz has the 40l engel. ignoring the difference in what each states as capacity, either of these are a good size for general camping/extended holidays. I have borrowed a 35l fridge and found it to be just a little too small.

The main reason being they are a top loading fridge, so everything ends up shoved on top of everything. The bigger capacity lets you juggle things around a little easier.

The only reason I could vote in favour of the waeco is that it is cheaper, has a lid which is easier to work with, because it's interchangeable from one side to the other, and it has a dairy section with a light. However, the engel is steel, not plastic. This doesn't bother me one bit, but others look at it and say, eeeew, PLASTIC !!!

NOTE. Engel have just released a couple of upright car fridges, which look the same as a caravan fridge but have a compressor and have shelves like a normal household fridge. This way, you can seperate vege's from beer, and not squash the food.

BIG BUCKS though !!!

35LT would probably do the job if you didn't need many drinks chilling. I find it diffucult not to fill our 70lt waeco,even when only 3 of us go away. Also you need to llok at how long the trips will be. Also check here

Hi Dave
We just got a new waceo from the fridgeshop, the link is posted on brews response. They were excellent to deal with and have great prices. We got the 40L and find it has alot of room. I would keep an eye on the fridgeshop and see what specials come up.
cheers
Crazie

A 40l should do you, but a 60l, if you've got the space, is great. Had an Engel 40l but the boss thought too deep, always fishing around for things. Didn't like the Waeco, was too up & down with it's power curve.

Ended up bying an Evakool 60l fridge/freezer, dual temp. The boss loves it. Same price as Engel 40l (when you shop around) and just the right depth and not a big footprint like the 60l Engel and you get a freezer compartment. Seems more insulated than most.

John

Dave,

I went from a 39L fridge to an 80L one. Always found it tough with the 39, have to be careful about what you pack. I'm with Brew, you'll find you fill the bigger fridge and this allows you take a greater variety with you.

I echo the sentiments about the Fridgeshop.

Cheers,

Jim.

Try "The Fridge Shop" up on the gold coast. Find it on Google. I got a 70L for half price in one of their specials. Their delivery fee was fairly reasonable. Keep an eye on the site. Don't think there's much to choose between Engel/Waeco etc. Although a 35L will still give you lots more room than the equiv size esky, due to not having it half full with ice, you'll end up buying a bigger one down the track. I'd go min. 50L

Have you considered EvaKool. Excellent insulation, stays cold for ages after turning off power. I have a 60litre Fridge with separate freezer section at one end. It kept lots of food frozen on trips to Cobourg and Central Australia- didn't miss a beat. The Engel solution seems to be : turn it down real cold, put yor frozen things at the bottom, cover with foam and put your other food on top. Not good when you're searching for that frozen steak just on dark!!
Excellent service at the factory at Caloundra for a minor electrical plug connection problem. Price seems better than Waeco.
Bob

Hi Dave I got a waceo 35 ltr fridge freezer works great for 3 people and is very compact and easy to pick up when full, if you dont what to buy a fridge slide etc then this is the way to go I think. A 35/40/ seems to be the most populor as most of the time you only need food for 2/3/4 days at a time before you buy fresh stuff as far as beer goes I put 6/8 cans in at a time and replace them as I go remember the big fridges use more power so have a good think about how much you want to spend on your set up, mine cost me $ 649 and works ok with a single battery although I have now got a deep cycle battey for longer stays hope this helps . Tony

Dave,
family of 2 adults, 4 kids (inc 2 teen boys), we were on the road for 3 weeks last year. 60l Waeco held 3 weeks worth of cryovac'd meats, dairy, some vegies, daily milk requirements plus 6 tinnies (no - not the same ones all trip). It was a squeeze at the start but by the halfway mark we had ample room. As others say biggest problem is to fish something out of the bottom.

If away for just a few days then its a breeze BUT - I would also have a separate Icebox for essential liquids.

Shep

Dave
as you can see different ideas abound, I have used 50 Litre and was happy, however the next may be 70 Litre for the same reason stated by Jimbo.

One statement I will make is I believe a fridge that takes up as little floor space as possible in the vehicle is superior to a fridge that takes up a lot of room in the vehicle, also simply because if it is taller than it is wide, cooled air will escape, or warm air will enter the fridge with a top opening door at a much lower rate on a smaller door opening, than it does on a low fridge with a wide door opening!
Eg; the smaller the fridge door the less coolant air loss when the door is open.

You can never have too much refridgeration when camped ,ergo get yourself the biggest fridge/freezer you can afford and have room in your vehicle/ camper to fit,,
we now run an 80lt waeco fridge/freezer + 40lt chescold in camp and a 15lt engle in vehicle for the all important liquid refreshments when away from camp ,,