To fridge or not to fridge

[DanW]

I run a Snomaster 35L off a Jackery 240. The Jackery is plugged into the Jeep 12v, so when the Jeep is running, it charges the Jackery while the Jackery runs the fridge. It charges MUCH more quickly than it drains, as the fridge draws very little power. I've run the fridge for 2 days off the Jeep while parked, but that always makes me nervous. So, I bought a 60w Jackery solar panel that folds up very small, so it is easy to stow. If a reasonably sunny day, the panel will recharge the Jackery, again, faster than the fridge draws. By sundown, it is at 100%. The Jackery can power the fridge when it is set at 34 degrees for about 17 hours. If I bump it to 40 degrees, it powers it for over 20 hours, so the solar panel has no trouble keeping up. That extra capacity gives room for a cloudy day, although I've not tried it under those conditions.

I also have a 20 quart Alpicool that I got off Amazon for under 200 bucks. I use it when I don't need the larger unit's capacity. Funny, though, while still pretty low power draw, it uses about as much energy as the larger Snomaster. That's because the compressor on the Snomaster is just much more efficient. The little Alpicool can still get down to about 7 below zero, so for cooling, it is no slouch. I did put some dense foam insulation around the Alpicool, as it is really not very well insulated from the factory. Also, the Snomaster has an insulated jacket. I'm not sure how much that really helps, but it probably does at least a little.

For anyone interested, I promise you that once you go to a fridge, you'll never go back to a cooler and ice. It will spoil you! (That's actually kind of a pun, right? Lol!)

 

[Viking1204]

For anyone interested, I promise you that once you go to a fridge, you'll never go back to a cooler and ice. It will spoil you! (That's actually kind of a pun, right? Lol!)

This about sums it up for me too, I love my Costway but it's a single zone fridge so either a freezer or fridge but can't function as both and sometimes I like to have ice. At first I said I'll just bring ice in a small cooler but all you end up with is melted block of ice as the ice slowly melts during the day and refreezes at night which is not good for making drinks from the ice. My solution was to get the IceCube dual zone fridge and so far I love it, 20 degrees on the smaller freezer side and 39 on the fridge side. I'll be able to keep meats I don't need right away on longer trips frozen and have fresh ice for my evening cocktail! I can also use it to make ice to take in a small cooler on the kayak when camping by lakes and ponds!

 

[MikeP]

Fridge all the way. Having said that, if anyone in the Northwest who bought a cfx3 35 and feel it’s too small, I will gladly trade a in new condition CFX65W

 

[Billiebob]

Would you recommend a dual battery set up or alternatively a power source such as a Goal Zero.

You definitely need to protect the starting circuit, but there is no need for the fridge to run 24/7. New fridges are incredibly well insulated, sealed. I only plug mine in while driving. It is unplugged ar least 12 hours a day with no issues. A few things to help that, buy refigerated items that are already cold. Have an extra 6 pak of beer as a "cold sink" to reduce temp fluctuations. Be efficient when opening the door. don't stand there looking for a snack.......