$500 to $600 camper fridge?

[hpcbmw]

Hi all,
I'm looking for a chest style 12v compressor fridge, probably about 45 liters. I'll have three uses for it: For weekend trips in my FWC; for desert trips in my 5th wheel to keep drinks cold; and when not otherwise in use, as a beer fridge in my garage. I will likely have it setup with a deep cycle 12v battery and 50w or 100W solar panel in all uses. I'm in Norther Cal, where the solar will likely get 6 hours of direct sun in the summer. The outside temps here are commonly 90s to low 100s in the summer.

I can't afford the $1200 high end Dometic/Arb brands.

I'm looking at some of the budget brands: BougeRv, Iceco, Truckfridge, etc. This one on Amazon caught my eye: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TLL68BG?tag=gnomad0f-20&th=1

In the FWC, the fridge will hopefully sit on the back seat or floor of the truck and be accessed by a passthrough window into the camper. Have others used their chest fridge this way and does it seem to work well?

Is it worth the extra $100 for the insulated covers?

Any other problems or concerns? Anyone have good or bad luck with these budget brands?
Thanks!

 

[windy]

Happy with my Whytner

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Hi all,
I'm looking for a chest style 12v compressor fridge, probably about 45 liters. I'll have three uses for it: For weekend trips in my FWC; for desert trips in my 5th wheel to keep drinks cold; and when not otherwise in use, as a beer fridge in my garage. I will likely have it setup with a deep cycle 12v battery and 50w or 100W solar panel in all uses. I'm in Norther Cal, where the solar will likely get 6 hours of direct sun in the summer. The outside temps here are commonly 90s to low 100s in the summer.

I can't afford the $1200 high end Dometic/Arb brands.

I'm looking at some of the budget brands: BougeRv, Iceco, Truckfridge, etc. This one on Amazon caught my eye: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TLL68BG?tag=gnomad0f-20&th=1

In the FWC, the fridge will hopefully sit on the back seat or floor of the truck and be accessed by a passthrough window into the camper. Have others used their chest fridge this way and does it seem to work well?

Is it worth the extra $100 for the insulated covers?

Any other problems or concerns? Anyone have good or bad luck with these budget brands?
Thanks!

I use,for the past 7 years a 41L chest style Truckfridge.
It has proven to work great under our conditions.
I have a 105w solar system. On our last Alaskan trip
we spent 5 nights on the ferry and with the power set to the middle
setting it ran up till a few hours before we docked in Whitter.
My battery still read about +11v.
That's a long time keeping things cool. Set at 35*.

I think this brand uses the same compressor as the higher $ ones.

Several members have this brand and everyone has commented
how well they work.

Don't know about an insulated cover.Not something I need.
Good luck with your search

Mine is the middle size @ $549,the next larger 50L is $599.

Frank

 

[Atlin]

We have a Truckfridge that I built into our ATC. Seems to work fine and not a lot of power draw. The compressor is, however, noisy at times (especially at night trying to sleep). I added an extra layer of 1" foamboard around the sides and top.

 

[Ronin]

I've been running a Truckfridge TF51 for 4 years. It's very quiet and I just insulate it with Reflectix , but it's probably fine without it. No issues with it and no regrets!

 

[jimjxsn]

I bought the TB51 from TruckFridge in 2017 and have been completely sold on it. It is an INDEL B fridge. If you try and insulate it be sure to leave the compressor vents clear. I got the fridge cover from Equipt, it is not insulated and probably isn't necessary. I have since removed the factory handles and replaced them with kayak webbing handles reducing the overall width of the fridge.

 

[hpcbmw]

Thanks for all the great info. I'll take a close look at the truckfridge models.

 

[BlueSky]

You can get the Dometic or ARB fridges on sale for around $850-$900 or so. The less expensive fridges us a little more power and are a little bit louder. 100w of solar will keep any of them going for a long time where you live. It is the best upgrade I did on my camper (was using a large cooler).

 

[smlobx]

We bought a Blizzard Box from Costco for about $500 when it was on sale. It’s currently $699.
We’ve been very happy with its performance on our various trips including a 10 week trip to Alaska last summer when we used it as a second freezer for the whole time.

https://www.costco.com/blizzard-box-12v/110v-41-quart-portable-cooler.product.100505019.html

 

[hpcbmw]

Thanks! Just ordered the Costco Blizzard Box- can't pass up Costco's excellent customer service and return policy.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I have an Edgestar (Whynter) that has been running almost continually for the last 12 years, either on the road or at home. It has been 100% reliable without a single glitch. I also have an Iceco VL60 dual, that is great and built like a tank, and an Alpicool C30. Both are nicely made and hold the internal temperature very accurately. I would not hesitate to buy any of these brands again.

I also have and Engel 62 that has been less than reliable, and Engel's customer service is seriously lacking. I would never buy another Engel based on the experience I've had with this one. I know they make a good product, but if you have a problem . . . good luck getting any help from Engel.

Last year I decided to try one of the really cheap brands sold on Amazon. I bought a small Joytutus. Depending on what temp you set, the actual internal temp would sometimes be as much as 20 degrees warmer than what was showing on the display. It could be set as slow as -8, but it would never attain anything below 0. The company was very responsive to my emails, but was never able to adequately explain how to adjust/regulate it. It was pretty obvious English was their 3rd or 4th language. They actually did make a video showing the procedure to adjust the electronics, but they used a different model and posted the video upside down. Kind of hard to watch, and there was no narration along with it. I ended up returning it.

When I tested all of these refrigerators I made sure they had a large amount of thermal mass in them, used a remote temp probe in the middle of the compartment, and let them stabilize for at least 24 hours. That way I could compare the set temp to the actual internal temperature. Both Iceco and Alpicool maintained a temp within 1-2 degrees of the set temp. It's been so many years since I checked the Edgestar I don't recall how close it stayed, but it must have been acceptable or I wouldn't have kept it.

And, one more . . . . About a year and a half ago a friend bought an inexpensive Costway 53 and it has been reliable and working great.

 

[ramblinChet]

When it comes to camper refrigerators you will get what you paid for, many times less.

Years ago I spent months researching this topic and began with no favor towards any particular brand. I simply wanted something that was very efficient, was able to deliver the exact temperature I desired, and would last around a decade. Cost is a very remote consideration for me because if the refrigerator is not able to meet my requirements then is has zero value to me.

When you begin to "save money" you will end up with a unit that uses excessive power, is not able to hold a steady temperature and the internal temperature varies significantly, and how long it will last is a guessing game. For many using extra power, having variable temperature or not lasting long is not a big deal and that's perfectly fine. There are many choices out there but again, you get what you pay for.

My National Luna 80L is the previous generation with the Danfoss BD35F compressor and controller and is one of the finest available. I picked it up on sale for $1,400 or so and to me it is worth every single penny. Owning the best refrigerator for your individual purposes is a game changer when it comes to truck camping.

 

[hpcbmw]

An update on my Blizzard Box fridge. I paid about $700 plus tax for this in July 2021. It's now selling for $900 on Amazon. It worked fantastic... until last week. I've been using it as my garage fridge, sometimes plugged in to 110 house current and sometimes with a 150w solar panel and a 75ah deep cycle 12v battery (100 watt solar wasn't enough, with the battery getting pretty low after 3-4 days, but 150w solar keeps the battery topped off daily). I took it to the Black Rock desert for a couple trips and it always worked flawlessly. The desert has a very fine powdery dust with a high alkaline content that seems to mess with electronics.

I went back to the desert for 10 days last week and the Blizzard Box went a little haywire. First it over rode my 29 degree setting and kept trying to get down to 9 degrees (running down my battery), then it over rode my 29 degree setting and went up to 45 degrees. I tried 12v, 110v via generator and unplugging it. After these different reset attempts, it would work right for a day, then start going haywire again. This was compounded by a propane leak that forced me to turn off my LP fridge to check all my LP connections. The LP fridge took almost 2 days to get cold again with outside temps above 100 degrees. Needless to say, I was scrambling to keep all my food cold!

Anyway... I got back to civilization and called TypeSAuto, maker of Blizzard Box. They are sending me a shipping label to return the unit and will be sending me a new one. Hopefully my problem was a one off issue and the fridge will be working perfectly again.

Until last week, I thought the Blizzard Box was great- but now I'm a little less enthusiastic about it.

A friend bought the Bouge RV 12v Fridge 30 qt fridge on sale for $220.00 a couple weeks ago and took it with us to the desert. It worked great for them, but no telling how long it will last.
https://www.bougerv.com/products/12v-car-fridge

If anyone else has updates on their 12v fridge, please share.

 

[smlobx]

We have just returned from our 6 week trip to the Canadian Maritimes using our Blizzard Box and I’m happy to report that it ran continuously, without a hitch for the entire time. Due to where we live we also use it almost continuously to go to Costco, etc.

so for us it has been fantastic. We bought it on sale at Costco for about $500.

 

[Oryguntroutbum]

Love my Iceco. Super quiet and consistent temps.

 

[BBZ]

I have been using the alpincool cf36 I bought on amazon for $299 for the past 2 years, its been great.. (price has increased quite a bit)
I do not have a place to mount one permanently so this is nice as I can move it off the bench when needed, has been efficient and nice to have a little freezer when needed.