Switching from ARB To SnoMaster Refrigerator

[Rollin Dirty Overland]

When it's over 100 degrees in Phoenix, and I have a lot of involved work to do in a short time, I don't get a lot of video of the work, but I will sit around and tell the camera all about it afterwards.

Buying the SnoMaster CL72 was the easy part. But then it snoballed into needing a slider because the fridge is too tall to fully open the doors inside the truck, but a slider won't bolt directly to the cargo area floor without opening up a very large can of worms, so a platform needed to be built, and while we're at it, this is a good time to learn that smart alternators kill AGM auxiliary batteries that deep cycle, so we're going to need to replace the battery and install a charge controller.

The large ARB Classic 63 served us very well until we had need for a dedicated freezer separate from the refrigerator, but damn that get out of hand and expensive in a hurry!

 

[Pretzel]

Man, you're not kidding. When my wife and I decided it'd be nice to have a dual-zone fridge/freezer to take on trips it sent me down the rabbit hole of auxiliary battery systems and mounting (still unfinished). There were some considerations made outside the scope of overlanding as well, like we wanted a nice garage fridge/freezer when we weren't using it on a trip so we got one a little bigger than we needed for camping. Anyway, thousands of dollars later, I can have ice cream in the woods... oh dear god what have I done.

 

[oneleglance]

I am switching from Dometic dual zone to a Truma dual zone and the reason is the super low amp draw.
Once I have some time with it I will post up thoughts but on paper it seems like a killer setup.

 

[ChrisP]

Man, you're not kidding. When my wife and I decided it'd be nice to have a dual-zone fridge/freezer to take on trips it sent me down the rabbit hole of auxiliary battery systems and mounting (still unfinished). There were some considerations made outside the scope of overlanding as well, like we wanted a nice garage fridge/freezer when we weren't using it on a trip so we got one a little bigger than we needed for camping. Anyway, thousands of dollars later, I can have ice cream in the woods... oh dear god what have I done.

Ha! Similar situation. Bought the Dometic CSX 75DZ and installed a Genesis Dual Battery System to power it. All in about 2 grand for ice cream in the desert. Truth be told, it is a game changer to be rid of ice, melt, soggy food and a leaky cooler. Been to Joshua Tree and Canyonlands for a week at a time with no real issues other than power consumption. It requires a charge up first thing in the morning. Just bought a charging block and dual solar panels for all accessories. Another $850 just so my son can have his ice cream that he doesn't eat! Thank goodness for beers!

 

[Brewbud]

Anyone here running portable fridges? I’m looking at Dometic, ARB, Engel and National Luna. Dometic is a good price but their warranty is US only. I’m going to be driving the Panamerican Highway, so it concerns me a bit.

I have been running an ARB 63qt for many years now. It is always in use and goes from garage to truck or Jeep. It hasn't missed a beat. I use it as a fridge mostly but I have used it as a freezer too. All the brands you mentioned are great. If you have a need to freeze the dual zones are nice. If you only need the freezer to have ice on hand for drinks you can use an insulated flask and place it in the fridge. I have kept ice in my big mouth Yeti and Hydroflask for four+ days that way. I am sure it would go longer.

 

[ChrisP]

I have been running an ARB 63qt for many years now. It is always in use and goes from garage to truck or Jeep. It hasn't missed a beat. I use it as a fridge mostly but I have used it as a freezer too. All the brands you mentioned are great. If you have a need to freeze the dual zones are nice. If you only need the freezer to have ice on hand for drinks you can use an insulated flask and place it in the fridge. I have kept ice in my big mouth Yeti and Hydroflask for four+ days that way. I am sure it would go longer.

I recently(Feb 21) picked up the Dometic CSX 75 DZ and absolutely love it. I am still under warranty, of course, but it is a charm. It does use a bit of power overnight requiring a quick top off of my Group 25 AMG aux battery. As a result I recently purchased a portable power cube for the fridge and all other devices leaving the aforementioned battery available for lights and such at night. I am not certain you would want to deal with warranty issues on the panamerican anyway. You are gonna be going places! Jealous.