Fridge Size - 40, 50 or 60 Litres ???

I've got a 50L, 40 fridge 10 freezer, and find it a bit too small for a family of 4 (or 3 most of the time. We get by but the fridge is crammed full and it's a PITA when what you want has found it's way to the bottom of the fridge.

I know for the engels you can get an 'extension' to go on top of it. This then turns the bottom half into a freezer top half into a fridge.
I can't remember who makes it just wished I knew before I made my custom drawers.

I've probably confused you more.

I have a 32l Engel with a 21l Two Zone fridge extension. The Two Zone fits on top of the Engel. Engle space is used to freeze and Two zone to keeps things cool. Two Zone can be lifted independently to get to food in Engel. It works well for the two of us.

See here......... Site Link

Cheers

For 2 weeks stock at a time, with 2A, 2C, we found the 40l Engel OK.

But we ran it mainly on fridge and didn't use it as a freezer.

Also rationed the wine/beer/soft drinks too, which really load a fridge up in volume and cooling load. We all changed to black tea/coffee so we don't have to take too much milk either. Or just use powdered milk and make it as you need it.

Our breakfasts are usually home made muesli with the milk powder already mixed in, so just add water.

After using an esky for quite a while camping, the fridge was a real step up in comfort. So maybe it also depends on what you are used to.

We also tend to cook most evenings, with a range of meals which are one pot and quick. So that takes some load off the fridge too, not expecting to get into camp and pull something out of the fridge for a meal, but maybe just some meat (vacuumn packed).

All comes down to how you like to camp, and the cook is usually the most stressed at the end of the day, so they have a big say in your decision. :o)

Taps

I have a 70 ltr trailblaza fridge.

I use it for just the wife and myself and find that if we do a long trip it is a bit small. I suggest that for 2 adults and 3 kits you should get a 70 ltr.

You may get away with a smaller fridge at the moment but those 3 under 7 will grow quick. A smaller fridge would only be short term and you would end up getting a larger one anyway.

I know you have stated that you narrowed the search down to the engel or waeco. Have a look at the trailblaza. It is a far stronger fridge.

Tjilpi

80lt Waeco + a 15lt Engle for drinks and only 3 of us , by and by hasnt your salesman ever heard of the 80lt Engle ??

Hi Taps
I have an Engel MT60F Comboi Fridge Freezer. For the amount of time you are talking about being away this would quite possibly be a good size, Engel also make the MF 80F Comco Frigde Freezer. I managed to get enough tucker in mine for two of us to do a Simpson Desert trip with spare for emergencys, we pre froze and vacum packed flat.
Bit exy but I have had mine going day and night for a year with no probs'

I have a bushman holds 42 litres. It is adequate for 4 people with food, milk and some drinks. I am not losing space with ice and can add drinks if I wish providing power is not an issue. It also has 2 wire baskets, one big one on the bottom and a smaller one that fits on top of that. When packing I take the baskets inside and load them and then carry them out to fridge. One thing to bear in mind is if you intend to move it around or leave it in the canopy. If you have a 80 litre fridge full of food and drinks it will take 5 of you to move it. 40 litres is bad enough. I have mine permanently in the tailgate which is also handy when grocery shopping or buying takeaway for tea. Do you want a separate freezer compartment for iceblocks for the kids etc. Mine is either one or the other so dont have the option of freezing and fridge at the same time. Next time I will buy with the ability to do both.

regards Kc

I run a 50ltr liemack and a 29ltr engel on extended camp trips,but I use 3 batteries to run them both. Although I have plenty of room in the rear of dualcab tray.

Then if travelling in the car for a weekend trip I can take the engel in the boot , very handy.

40ltrs would be way to small for you.
60ltrs minimum.
Also consider the space you have in your vehicle,
Cheers

50 is way too small for a family. We have a 70 and still run out of room.

Hi Taps

I would use at least a 50L unit.

The Engel 40L is actually 36,556L and the 60L combi is 54,405L.

I don't like the Waeco 50 as they have a narrow and very deep fridge and no freezer.

Regards

Derek.

It depends on how much beer you want to keep cold. I would think that a 50 litre would be the minimum size you'd want. The wife and I use a 40 litre and that is about right for the two of us. If you want the Engel, then the 60 litre would be the one I'd get in your situation.

Taps,
Measure where you want to carry the fridge & see which one fits best.
For example my 60 l engel will fit in my camper trailer (turned off) but my 40 l won't fit (too tall).
The 40 l fits fine in the back of the Disco but the 60l basically fills the area with not much area for anything else.
We are a family of 5 & camp with the 40l as a freezer & the 60l as a fridge.

Hi taps

Marty has a good point. Where will the fridge be mounted ?

Hi Taps,

I run a 40L Engel as a freezer and then I use a 65L fiberglass esky as a fridge.

Just depends on how much room you have, I have the Engel in the back of the cruiser and the esky in the trailer. All you need to do is keep topping up the esky with a bag of ice every couple of days. Where ever you can get fuel you can usually get ice.

Regards,

Matt

Some plusses and minuses:
We have three teens and needed a 92L Evakool. This brand is good too.

On the negative side, the larger fridges are too big to leave fixed permanently in the vehicle. It is not a question of power use, they just take up too much room.

I don't think there is a compromise:

- a big fridge is what you buy if you want it on board for occasional camping away from shops. Remember you cannot lift it out without unpacking it so trays are good.

- Whereas for convenience of always having a fridge on board, for short camps and trips (you can usually access shops withing reasonable times), a smaller unit is good.

Even with a family of five it is possible to take a 40L if you use the fridge for cryovaced meat and butter. Paper wrap more durable veges and fruits, take dried foods and powdered milk. It is the expectation that you can take your refrigeration habits from home to the bush that dictates the 'necessity' for a large volume of refrigeration. People may also over-rate the savings from taking cheaper food and not buying locally where available.

Later take an esky to add to the on-board fridge. To be frank, with the cheapness of Coles or Woolies ice and a large Tropical brand esky, we rarely bother with all of the mucking around entailed with getting the fridge up and working. We just put the Tropical in and go camping via the supermarket where 30mins sees the food and ice bought and packed into the Tropical, which will hold ice for many days in Qld heat. Stuff like spuds stays in a carton out of the sun at camp. We have no battery worries.

But if you want a fridge, you are only talking about 2-3 days away and don't forget that softdrinks and juices are inferior to fresh fruit and water for kids so a smaller fridge could give you 24/7 convenience if you have two batteries and do a bit of running.

Have fun,
EV

Taps,
We bought a 60 litre Waeco a few years ago and to date it has been faultless. We were initially looking at the 50 litre but got the 60 at the same price. Best thing we've bought as it's been worth its weight in gold. With the size of your family I wouldn't go smaller than a 60, a weeks worth of food takes up a fair wack of room. Our aim is to get a 32 litr waeco down the track to use as a fridge and keep the 60 as a freezer for the bigger trips. I'm biased, couldn't justify the extra dollars for the engle when the waeco is a good thing. The only issue we found with the 60 litre was its height. Hard for my wife to see exactly what she was grabing when still mounted in the car. Good luck, either way you'll have a win.
Ben

Hey Taps,

I was tossing up between a 60L evakool and a 50-60L W.aeco (dismissed engel, way too expensive). I ruled out the W.aeco as I thought the unit was designed much too deep, and would be a pain in the a.ss to get food out of down the bottom. I thought about the 80L briefly but also quickly ruled it out as it has the larger, and much more power hungry danfoss compressor (BD-50), rather than the BD-35. Once I had a closer look at the evakool range, I realised they also produce the fridgemate brand which has the same danfoss compressor and wiring as the evakool. They also have a 70L fridge (a size that w.aeco or engel dont make), which uses the smaller BD-35 compressor. I got the fridge from BCF for around $1000 and they threw in a $165 convertor for 240V use. I've used it now on a couple of trips and it has never missed a beat, bargain!

Also, if you look at the w.aeco seconds site, you will see some really cheap deals, like the 50L for $795.00 see - www.getawaeco.com.au/default.asp

Hope this helps!

Taps

this is liek deciding what outboard to buy,,, 30 hp or 40 hp to push a xx metre boat,,

my philosophy in case like this where you are not quite sure what you require or more importantly need,,,, go for the selection that provides the best ie power/ size/ value for money what ever is the key criteria or driver,,,

in your case this is likely to be 50L or maybe bigger,,, so consider what you would carry now if you went to a supermarket,,,,,

then actually go and buy the food you want in the fridge and see how much space (volume) it is then add drinks,,, tinnies, wine and cold water for hot days for kids etc etc,,, and your answer may be right there for you. A bonus of this you then eat the food and find out what the kids don't like before you leave home or you convert em to the food you plan to serve when on the road.

My 2 cents worth but your $1,000 so think carefully.

Cheers Baz

Umm, do you like beer??. If so 40ltr is too small, have you looked at the Autofridge?. Expensive, yep, good?. Very good, 40 ltr or 73 ltr, we have a 73 ltr for 7 years, very happy. Have a 40 ltr Engel too, good fridge but not as good as the Auto.