car fridges/freezers etc

We have an Evakool Fridgemate 95ltr fridge/freezer that we bought about a year ago and have used it for a 2 month trip to Tassie and now use it every day since leaving Sydney in June. It runs on 240/12 volt and we use it as a fridge only which works fine. We put it on the lowest setting overnight and set it between 3-5 through the day, depending on the outside temp. It only draws 0.7 amps/hr on the lowest setting up to a maximum of 2.2 amps/hr to run as a freezer. We have an 80 watt solar panel that keeps the fridge running perfectly. We highly recommend this product, and it's tough too and makes a great seat!

Did you do a search of the forum Freddy? It's a very common topic and you'd find out everything you'd need to know. Also check the articles on the site regarding portable frideges.

Cheers Mick

Freddy,

It all depends on your budget and the space you have to fit one.

We have 2 Waeco (40L and 50L) fridge freezers. And both are still going great.

If you are going to use it in the car then I wouldn't be buying a 3 way fridge (Gas, 240V, 12V). They use way too much power on 12V, work great on gas (you can't use gas in the car though), but they need to be level to work properly.

There are a few brands out there, it's just a matter of going to a camping store and having a look to see what suits you. Some of these you won't find at the shops you will have to go to their websites. Here is some I can think of.

Evakool
Waeco
Sidewinder
Engel
ARB
Trailblazer
National Luna
Bushman
Autofridge


Cheers
Greg

Engel

I have a Engel and can't fault it. Strong and robust....unlike some of the other plastic junk

I also have a ARB sidewinder fridge and use it allot and find it very good. If you are in the market for a cheaper fridge get this one. We always take 2 fridges with us one for the beer and the other for food

Personally speaking I would not even consider in my wildest dreams a gas powered fridge (3 way fridge) for some of the reasons listed above.
Sure I admit some people do use them, but do a "search" of the posts on EO and see what type of fridge gives the most hassles, also having so many and various restrictions and special user requirements to be able to use them efficiently and the answer soon becomes very evident.

Get a quality compressor fridge, aluminium or even better stainless steel interior cabinet with the same working benefits available in the fridge you presently use at home.

* Aluminium or Stainless Steel
* High-strength carry handles
* Lockable cabinet lid
* Internal cabinet light
* Digital thermostat
* Low battery protection
* 12v, 24v and 240v operation

Link: National Luna fridgeImage Could Not Be FoundMaîneÿ . . .

From thread http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/72142/car_fridges.aspx?ky=&p=%2fForum%2fDefault.aspx%3fpn%3d7

We have an evakool 47lt fridge freezer.

I have used it as a small fridge, using just the freezer area as a fridge.
used bugger all power and was excellent.

Used as all fridge, was excellent, meat at evap end, vegies at the other.

Used on our month long trip as fridge freezer, again was excellent.
We also used a 20ltr icecool for vegies, sandwiches, and beer for the evening, and overflow from the fridge when we wanted to take that bit more.
Only problem was that if we put in frozen meat to defrost.......it didnt.
Was swapping out a 1.25ltr bottle of water each day from the freezer to the icecool, sometimes didnt swap it for 2 or 3 days, as it was still frozen.

Have run it as all freezer, but only for a short while. Once down to temp, its excellent.

Found it very versatile, and as a 60lt wouldnt fit in the vehicle, the 47, plus an esky, er 20 icecool gave us a freezer, fridge, and crisper with 67lts capacity.

Worked well for us.

Trains

We have had a 40lt Engel for about 10 years and a Chescold (3 way) for about 3 years both excellent, had no trouble with either of them.
It really depends on how much you want to pay and if you want a 2 way or 3 way and are you going in remote areas or staying where you will have power all the time. Happy Camping!!

My engel has been running for two days so far with out the battery running empty.

Stick with the Engels. You pay more but you get quality for money.

hi , searched & googled for months , waeco or engel . engal won in the end {2 others on the market , not well known , but worth a shot , can't remember their names though} the engel functioned very well , i didn't {bad loading} & the car battery was even worse {thanks to my bad loading & maximum freeze setting}. I never got stuck , but these type of fridge/freezers do need a reliable power source {no matter what brand}just add the spotties , radios , air con , etc .{i solved the problem with 2nd battery , leaving main battery for car starting only} . If going somewhere remote , have a second fridge {a cheap 3way }& run on gas {but they don't get terribly cold & can take 12-24 hours to cool down } if no room for the second fridge , a decent esky , block ice , an engel {or similar} & rotate the contents on a need to basis {but run the car to charge the battery} , good luck , trial & error to what suits you , as long as the beer's cold & the foods not rotten

after rereading the page , someone else mentioned a list of fridge/freezers , the 2 i couldn't remember are the trailblazer & bushman i think