Cooler vs Fridge: Which is right for you?

[LawnDart]

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Cooler vs Fridge: Which is right for you?

Chilling Out! Fridge vs Cooler?!


Overlanding has more in common with tailgating than most would think. Once the destination is reached, the task at hand turns to...

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[kennedyma]

One thing to remember with a fridge is that you get a fair bit more space since ice will not be taking any up any room.

 

[BlackHawkUH-60]

I would go with the fridge setup. I'm looking at putting solar panels on the roof rack for constant voltage. I have a dual battery system already. Anyone familiar with doing this kind of setup?

 

[lightcatchr]

Fridge. If my fridge stops working, I would order another one. I just dont want to deal with ice anymore.


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[RKHNASCAR]

Use Fridge as primary with solar !

 

[WillRunner]

One thing to remember with a fridge is that you get a fair bit more space since ice will not be taking any up any room.

Yes, this was the major selling point for me when I bought my fridge!!! Also, no more saturated food also (non Yeti ice chests) lol.

 

[Marine7]

I run a single group 27 deep cell marine battery in my Land Cruiser. That single battery handles ALL the chores..... winch, lights, rear winch, fridge/freezer, commo gear, etc. And I have had zero issues. (So far... knock on wood) I am preparing to put a 100 watt solar panel on my roof rack, just need to find one that I like. From what I’ve read/heard 100 watt’s is a perfect size for taking care of “everything” you may need to run! Fridge, coffee pot, radios, lights, etc.

 

[WillRunner]

I love my ARB Fridge, it does a fantastic job keeping my food cold and was a huge help during Hurricane Irma when my power was out... I didn't have to throw away food!

 

[FamilyAdventuresOverland]

I would go with the fridge setup. I'm looking at putting solar panels on the roof rack for constant voltage. I have a dual battery system already. Anyone familiar with doing this kind of setup?

That’s the way to go. We’re running a Snomaster 82d Expedition dual zone fridge freezer in our 80 series. I have a dual battery setup with an 80watt solar panel on the hood. Works pretty good![emoji1303]

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[FamilyAdventuresOverland]

I run a single group 27 deep cell marine battery in my Land Cruiser. That single battery handles ALL the chores..... winch, lights, rear winch, fridge/freezer, commo gear, etc. And I have had zero issues. (So far... knock on wood) I am preparing to put a 100 watt solar panel on my roof rack, just need to find one that I like. From what I’ve read/heard 100 watt’s is a perfect size for taking care of “everything” you may need to run! Fridge, coffee pot, radios, lights, etc.

100watt renogy kit on Amazon is the way to go. Comes with the panel, mounts, cables and charge controller. [emoji1303]


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[APtrail2005]

Really happy to see this discussion, I've been torn between cooler or fridge. I've see coolers (45 cubic non yeti) work just fine and able to hold ice for about 15 days. I'm not sure if I want to spend the money for an ARB fridge when I'm only out for 2 weeks at a time. If I was living out of my rig full time I'd use the fridge for sure. I'm hoping for more information and input from other members before I make the purchase

 

[Christian]

oh, fridge of course, no question. put a 100W solar panel on the roof and 90Ah in the back, and you're good to go for a week if not more without firing up the engine ..

 

[Randy.Hill]

I would go with the fridge setup. I'm looking at putting solar panels on the roof rack for constant voltage. I have a dual battery system already. Anyone familiar with doing this kind of setup?

that's what I have on my Xterra,. Had my first low voltage issue last weekend. 4 days in northern maine in mostly rainy, cloudy weather and I didn't start of the weekend with topped off batteries :) I'm only running 60 amp hours worth of battery capacity, which I didn't expect to be enough.--actually surprised how long I went without any issues. I'll up that next time the batteries I use are on sale.

 

[ZuLander]

I imagine the vast majority of people that would choose a cooler, even for a weekend getaway, are ones that haven't experienced the bliss of a fridge. I have a NL 50 dual zone, and haven't given the investment a second thought. It's a complete game changer.
We also use it when not on the trail or camping. As a "beer fridge" for get togethers, day trips, drive in movie, and emergency cold if our power goes out.
And yes, you give up some of the storage room compared to its physical size, but you do the same with ice in a cooler.
With a 90ah battery and 100w solar in our trailer, we can go almost indefinitely keeping our food cold.

 

[pheenx9]

I'm going to be using a combination. Yeti for the drinks and Fridge for the food.

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[ob4838]

I would love a fridge, but just can't get around the price. I want to spend that on other upgrades. Ice is sometimes a pain, that will be helped with a quality cooler. I have spent weeks on the road and over 20 nights in the rtt this year and more planed this year. I will be getting a quality cooler and hope that will do the job for extended periods away from resources. I know fridge is the answer but I want to spend it elsewhere.

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[Wawa Skittletits]

Peer pressure finally caught up to me at Expo East and now I’m the owner of a Dometic CFX 40 fridge. I joke about the peer pressure (*cough cough* @outwardbound) but it really just makes sense when you think about all the use you could potentially get out of the fridge and the amount of money you'd end up spending on ice. I'm so glad to be mostly done with ice and I think its almost funny how the new fridge and my Tundra 65 compare. Completely empty the fridge is only 10lbs heavier than my Yeti but that difference quickly disappears with ice. External dimensions are similar but internally the CFX 40 is a good bit larger than the Tundra 65 once you add ice. Using the 'cans' comparison the Yeti holds 39 while the Dometic's number is 60. One of the biggest things that I'll be glad to be done with is pulling things out of the ice and then having to dig the hole back out to put that item away. A real pain with a full cooler. My biggest sticking point was power. I have to give thanks to @outwardbound for alleviating that concern and showing me just how efficient and how easily it can be managed. The Outback isn't exactly 2 battery friendly so I'll be running a power pack and a Renogy 100w suitcase solar panel. Good riddance ice.

 

[Jeepney]

After years of service, my Coleman cooler (barely in shape) got replaced by a RTIC 45 that was on sale (only reason i got one, and nope, won't touch a Yeti!). The problem i have is that a 45qt cooler loses most its space from the ice. I also use dry-ice for my long trips. Very effective, but not cheap.

So now i have a (cheap used) 45qt fridge. It is slimmer than the cooler and fits perfectly at back of my jeep. If anything, i may want to add a small soft-side cooler for the beach.

Only problem is you will gain more friends since they know you have cold beer stashed in your fridge.

 

[000]

I use a fridge for food and a yeti for beverages, cocktail ice and backup just in case I ever have a fridge issue in the middle of nowhere. After using the fridge a lot over the last year I will never not have one. I would pay twice as much for it now that I know how much nicer it is to have one. I have several yeti coolers that are great for drinks, fish, etc... but food gets wet in any cooler eventually and wet food sucks. Also, the more a cooler is opened the quicker the ice goes. I don’t mind too much about sorta cold beers swimming in icy water, but I don’t like sorta cold food swimming in icy water. Consistently cold and dry food that is easily organized in the two baskets that came with the fridge makes my trips so much nicer. I typically pack an emergency sixer in the bottom and I easily have enough room for several days of food for two people. The fridge necessary for a typical trip for me is much smaller than the cooler I use to need for the same stuff because of all over the room used up by ice. When I get back from a trip I easily pull the two baskets out of the fridge and put the leftovers back in the house fridge and don’t have to wonder if the mayo stayed cold enough or have to throw away a bag of cheese that was half full of water, etc... I typically work on my own stuff and build what I can to save money here and there, but the fridge is definitely a permanent luxury in my truck that is worth every penny.


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[outwardbound]

Peer pressure finally caught up to me at Expo East and now I’m the owner of a Dometic CFX 40 fridge. I joke about the peer pressure (*cough cough* @outwardbound) but it really just makes sense when you think about all the use you could potentially get out of the fridge and the amount of money you'd end up spending on ice. I'm so glad to be mostly done with ice and I think its almost funny how the new fridge and my Tundra 65 compare. Completely empty the fridge is only 10lbs heavier than my Yeti but that difference quickly disappears with ice. External dimensions are similar but internally the CFX 40 is a good bit larger than the Tundra 65 once you add ice. Using the 'cans' comparison the Yeti holds 39 while the Dometic's number is 60. One of the biggest things that I'll be glad to be done with is pulling things out of the ice and then having to dig the hole back out to put that item away. A real pain with a full cooler. My biggest sticking point was power. I have to give thanks to @outwardbound for alleviating that concern and showing me just how efficient and how easily it can be managed. The Outback isn't exactly 2 battery friendly so I'll be running a power pack and a Renogy 100w suitcase solar panel. Good riddance ice.

Glad I could help. I still use both depending on the requirement. But my fridge pretty much stays in the truck all the time, plugged in or not. The efficiency and low-cost of them makes ownership easy. If someone is willing to drop HUNDREDS of dollars on a Yeti cooler, then a fridge isn't out of the question given a 40L dometic, or an amazon special Whynter fridges are pretty affordable. And nearly every brand has a high-efficiency compressor and the tech to prevent battery drain.