Buying a Portable Fridge (Pt 1) | Portable 12V Power Options (Pt2)
The family sedan or SUV is a great ‘base station’ for picnics, camping and other outdoor recreational activities.
Over the years an insulated icebox has been an integral part of the kit supporting those activities, keeping the perishables fresh and the drinks chilled. But times have changed. The role of the ubiquitous ‘Esky’ cooler has been usurped by the portable 12V fridge/freezer.
Gone are the days of soggy remnants floating in the melted ice-slush in the bottom of the insulated cooler. Portable compressor fridges, operating in much the same way as the family refrigerator at home, have become affordable and widely available. And the only requirement for all day (or all week) cooling is a reliable 12V power supply.
These days $200 – $500 will secure you a very competent portable fridge/freezer powered by 12V electricity. As a bonus, most of these fridges include a 230V adaptor for connecting to mains power at home – an extra fridge or freezer at home for the Christmas gathering.
There are plenty of portable fridge/freezers from which to choose in this budget category. Here is what you should be looking for if shopping for a portable fridge…
Size does matter
First thing to consider is the physical size of a fridge – portable fridges are available in capacities from as small as 15 litres all the way up to a massive 100 Litres. To keep this in perspective, if you have a small SUV, a 100L fridge will consume most of your boot storage space – if you can fit it in the rear tailgate at all!
For the average family a ‘medium’ size fridge – around 40 L – is a good allrounder, and will probably do the job for both day trips or weekends away. Longer ‘off grid’ camping excursions may require more storage capacity, while a smaller 20L unit will most likely hold enough food and drinks for regular picnic excursions.
While there is no shortage of online offerings from the usual camping supply retailers, it is worth visiting a retail store to check the physical size of any fridge that you are considering buying.
Also worth consideration…
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- Internal height – check the height of the internal compartments, if you are likely to be carrying tall bottles;
- Multiple compartments – usually available on medium and large models;
- Baskets within compartments – to help retrieve bottom-dwelling contents;
- Portability – Can you easily lift the fridge and move it? Some Brass Monkey fridges have wheels and a handle, which are useful accessories when moving larger fridges.
In the Zone
The second item on the potential purchaser’s check list is the Fridge vs Freezer specification – smaller fridges often have just one compartment, which can be used as a Fridge or Freezer. The temperature can be set anywhere from -20ºC to +20ºC.
Larger fridges often have two compartments, and are advertised as either Single Zone (fridge OR freezer) or Dual Zone (fridge AND freezer). Dual Zone fridges can have one compartment set to -18ºC, and the other compartment set to +4ºC. Ideal for overnight camping trips, or keeping those ice-creams cold for the picnic treat!
Fridges: Adventure Kings | Brass Monkey | Dune (Anaconda) | XTM (BCF)
Power Me Up
Final consideration, and possibly the most important in terms of functionality, is how you are going to power your fridge. All portable 12V fridges are supplied with a 12V Cig socket cable. Plugging into the car’s electrical system will keep your drinks cold while you are driving, but shouldn’t be relied upon to power your fridge when the engine is turned off. A fridge connected to your vehicle’s 12V socket for an extended period of time without the engine running will eventually deplete the charge of the starter battery to the point where you may find yourself spending more time at the picnic venue than planned, waiting for your NRMA road patrol to arrive and get you going again.
With this scenario in mind, you need an alternative 12V power supply to keep the fridge running while the car engine is turned off. There are a wide variety of portable 12V power options available, from relatively small battery power packs for around $100 that will run the fridge for a few hours, all the way up to large portable power stations for around $2000 that will not only keep the drinks cold in the fridge, but also run the sandwich press and microwave oven while you are out camping for a week. Horses for courses.