Shell Owners- 12V fridge or nice ice cooler

[Pax2525]

Well what say you and why? We have a fridge but contemplating going back to coolers.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

If you have reliable power, then I’d choose the fridge (hopefully in freezer mode) augmented by a small, quality ice chest. Use the freezer to refreeze bottles of water that you rotate through the cooler. Put the days meals in the cooler to thaw, add beverages. I use this method in my boat, but it should be the same in a shell.

The “why” is no dependency on a store for ice.

 

[nikonron]

I have an ARB 50 fridge, I simply wouldn't want to have to worry with ice. 150 watt solar panel and plenty of power. Ron

 

[ETAV8R]

I have a fridge in the cab behind my seat. It is used for food. I also have a small RTIC cooler which is where beverages go. The cooler goes in the camper during transit and unless it is hot outside it stays outside when camping.

 

[longhorn1]

Have the energy hungry Dometic 80L in our 2014 Grandby and an Engle 65 cooler that is in the truck. I use ice blocks in 1/2 where our juice is and ice and frozen water bottles in the other half for beverages. I like our set-up, but not the Dometic. Newer models starting in 2015 have better energy saving fridges. Mr. Sage has a good system. jd

 

[Lobster]

I went with an ARB 50 in my grandby shell. 160 watt solar and a xantrex inverter/charger.
When the campers on the truck, solar does it all.
When in the garage, plug in the charger.
Fridge hasn’t been turned off yet. Happy with this set up.

 

[Old Crow]

It's a cooler for us.

We've always just camped in minimally-equipped station wagons, vans, pickup campers, and a trailerable sailboat over the last 50 years and haven't (yet!) felt a fridge is important.

But our choice also has a lot to do with how we travel. We normally move daily and tend to cover a lot of ground so it's likely we'll see a gas station or store somewhere along the way before the ice is gone. That being said, we have had a few where-the-heck-are-we-gonna-find-ice situations.

We use an older Coleman Xtreme Marine 70 in the van. When I bought the Hawk shell, I felt that was too big so I splurged on a Yeti Tundra 50 Compact there. But I typically travel solo in the Hawk so lately I've been working on downsizing to an RTIC 20 (PopTarts, anyone?).


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[Beach]

I was enjoying a nice camp out years ago but had to leave a couple days early because we ran out of ice. I swore to not let that happen again. Although I have a 3way fridge now, using propane mostly and not the 12v, it still means I'm free from ice dependency. Camper came with a 3way but if I did it over(new) I would up my solar and get a 2way.

 

[takesiteasy]

We've got a shell with the Dometic CF50 and 160 watts of solar. We use it as a fridge mostly but have considered Wandering Sage's system- could have ice cubes and ice cream that way. We like being ice-free.

 

[rando]

I think it depends a lot on how you travel. If you are mainly out for weekends or long weekends, then a good cooler seems like a lighter, cheaper more practical option. You load it and add some frozen water bottles before you leave home, and don't have to think about it again.

On the other hand, if most of your trips are 5 days or longer, a fridge makes sense - again you load it and add ice and it is good for the trip. With a cooler on a trip longer that a couple of days you have to find ice every few days, drain the cooler, and make sure your food doesn't become water logged, none of which you have to worry about with a fridge. Out west anyway it is pretty easy to spend 5 days or more trundling around our public lands without running into a store or gas station (which is a good thing!).

For me anyway, there is a bit of a philosophical note to these discussions about fridges, heaters, water systems etc. The reason we have this big, unwieldy and expensive camper is so to improve our creature comforts and camping efficiency, so we can comfortably spend more time exploring and less time on camp chores and setting up and breaking 'camp' and having to make pit stops. As you start removing the convenience of a fridge, heat, running water, then I quickly see the benefit side of the cost-benefit equation be whittled away.

 

[dharte]

I really like the ice box in my 2015 Hawk-its effective for several days at a time and silent at night. However, when block ice is not available to purchase, it makes me wish for a fridge. I also use a large (and very heavy)Pelican cooler for storing the more perishable items like meat and dairy. With a good block of ice to start with, it stays cold for up to 10 days. I usually keep the cooler in the cargo area of my crew cab so I don't have to lift it in and out of the camper.

 

[Big Steve]

Reefer and cooler on longer trips/stays, reefer only on most shorter trips
On winter ski trips reefer is a de facto cooler
How much beer we pack is also a relevant factor
I formed a tepid opinion re the 3-way in our 1998 Hawk, but very pleased with the (65L) compressor unit in our 2013 Hawk

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

We use side opening Engle MR040 compressor portable fridge and 150 watt solar on roof and carry a medium size "Playmate" drink cooler when ice is available. At almost age 74 my body can't lift full ice chests. We leave the Engle in the shell full time. Works great for us.

 

[Squatch]

Now that I'm retired I like to be ready to just jump in the truck and go with little notice. I do a lot of middle of the week local trips. My fridge and the solar allow me to keep the ridge running for months on end mostly stocked and ready to go. Maybe just throw some meat in the fridge and some clothes and I'm outta here. The Truckfridge 51 is mounted in the floor of my Eagle shell forward. Easily accessible with the bed open or closed and my camp chairs stow beside it on the road.

On long trips even if staying in Hotels It's nice to have the fridge with a few adult beverages always in stock.

I also recently bought an Ozark Trail high performance 26 liter cooler. That is mainly used to haul drinks when needed or to take in the boat. The fridge is like the FWC itself and the furnace. It's a game changer for an old roughing it camper like me.

 

[Jeromelo]

I throw the cooler in my chest freezer with a gallon of water and all other foods minus stuff like eggs. I use premade food like chili, spaghetti sauce that gets frozen. I'm good for a week or so before needing ice. Of course on long trips we wean off refrigerated stuff if were going to be in the bush for long periods of time and just go without some fresh stuff leaning on canned/dry foods. It's not an issue with us...less muss and fuss.

 

[camper rich]

One thing I never see mentioned is how much space the ice takes up in a cooler. A 50 qt cooler will not hold as much food as a 50 qt fridge due to the big block of ice it takes to keep it cool. I would vote for the ARB 50 if you have the battery and solar. I use an ARB connected to a Costco 85 ah battery and a 100 w solar panel to keep it going. More battery and more solar would be even better. In Baja, the block ice is compressed of ice shavings and doesn't last all that long. The good block ice is probably not purificada from an ice house. Of course, by the time you buy a good fridge, battery, and solar panel there is a big difference in cost.
Cheaper fridges usually use more power.

 

[Bseek]

It was the ice draining that finally convinced me to go reefer, and although it isn't perfect, I would never go back. If you have enough solar/battery it really is a game changer. But my husband always says "You can buy an awful lot of ice for what that costs." So I do understand it isn't for everyone. But it is for me.

 

[Pickett]

We use Engel MRO 40 in camper for food and a Yeti in truck cab for drinks. Worked really well on a 12 day trip. Very easy to drain cooler from the cab. However the rollover couch won't deploy with the Engel so I am considering moving it to the truck cab.

 

[Squatch]

The one thing I miss with a cooler was the draining water. My old metal Coleman had almost a spigot on it. For years I've used the drain water for hand washing and heating up to do dishes, putting out campfires ect. Helps save the freshwater for drinking on longer trips.

Sure don't miss food items floating in the water though or having to carry a heavy cooler.

 

[BillTheHiker]

Well what say you and why? We have a fridge but contemplating going back to coolers.

Why give up the fridge?

I am considering going the other way, and a big factor was difficulty finding block ice, without which the cooler is good for only 3 days in warm weather.