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 those vehicle support services, 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 at the end of the day. Portable compressor fridges, just like those in the kitchen 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 should you be looking for if buying 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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- 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;
- 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)
Power Me Up
Last consideration, but by no means least, is how you are going to power the fridge. All portable 12V fridges are supplied with a 12V Cig socket cable. This will keep your drinks cold while you are driving, but shouldn’t be relied on to power your fridge when the engine is turned off. A fridge connected to your vehicle’s 12V socket for an extended period without the engine running may deplete the starer battery to the point where you may be staying at the picnic area longer than planned, until your NRMA road patrol arrives to get you going again.
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 $150 that will run the fridge for a few hours, all the way up to large portable power stations for $2000 that will not only keep the drinks cold, but also run the sandwich press and microwave oven while you are out camping for the week.
The Power Basics
Lithium batteries have transformed portable 12V power options. The stored energy capacity of a Lithium battery is measured in Amp Hours (Ah). But you shouldn’t completely flatten a Lithium battery by using all the stored energy – work on 80% as the ‘usable’ capacity. So a 100Ah Lithium battery has a ‘usable’ capacity of 80Ah.
Most portable 12V chest fridges consume about 1 Amp Hour (Ah) of battery capacity every hour. If your portable battery has a rated capacity of 50Ah, you will get about 40 hours fridge run time, if you take into account the 80% rule. Of course this will vary considerably if you store the fridge in the hot sun, or continually open the fridge lid and let the cold air out!
Portable power – what to buy?
The smallest portable power option is a 12V power pack. These power packs start at around $100 for a 12Ah pack, up to $300 for a 36Ah power pack.
Power packs can be recharged from a USB charger, but may take several hours to recharge from 20% to 100%.
Power packs: Adventure Kings | KickAss
The built-in battery option: This is the really simple, no fuss, all-in-one option, for up to 10 hours of unsupported fridge run-time. Many Brass Monkey fridges include a compartment to house an (optional) built-in battery. These fridges include built-in regulators to recharge the battery from 12V, 230V or solar.
The largest internal battery available is 15.6 Ah. Very handy for short trips, but easily recharged from 12V cig socket (or solar panel) while travelling.
Built-in battery: Brass Monkey Fridges with Battery
The most budget friendly higher capacity DIY option is a Lithium battery fitted in a powered Battery Box.
You can setup a 100Ah battery in a battery box for around $250 (Kings). This will give you a long fridge run time – up to several days – along with 12V outlets for other 12V appliances (like air pumps) and USB charging ports for phones and tablets. You will also need a battery charger to top up the battery capacity when its energy storage is depleted.
Battery Boxes: Adventure Kings 100Ah Combo | Dune Battery Box
The top of the line all-in-one portable power option is a 12V Power Station. These Power Stations are now widely available, and are becoming more affordable – though they are still at the top end of the budget spectrum.
Power Stations have a built-in Lithium battery, with a variety of power outlets, including a 230V socket, as well as built-in charging regulators for 12V, 230V and solar inputs. All in one easy-to-carry box with a handle.
Power Station costs increase with greater battery capacity. Be wary of the marketing spiel – Power Stations are often advertised based on the Watts available from the 230V socket, or the battery capacity rated in Watt Hours – because these numbers are bigger that the Amp Hour (Ah) battery capacity.
The smallest Power Stations have a 20Ah battery (240Wh), which will be fine for day trips and maybe an overnighter. A 40Ah battery (480Wh) will give you a longer run time, and may also double as a camping utility power supply. These smaller Power Stations kick off at around $400 for 20Ah capacity. Medium sized power stations (80Ah, 1000Wh) are around $1000, while larger 100Ah (1200Wh) Power Stations are up around $1500. Not cheap, but all fully self contained, and with a 230V socket for running small appliances. (Your fridge runs from the 12V sockets.)
Power Stations: EcoFlow 20Ah | iTechWorld 20Ah | Kickass 40Ah
Recharging
Batteries and power stations store electrical energy. When a battery’s stored energy is exhausted you will need to recharge the battery. If you are at home use 230V mains power with a suitable charger.
Power stations have a 230V charger built-in. Other options – Power Packs and Battery Boxes – will need to be charged via a dedicated charger/regulator.
For picnics and day trips, a 230V mains charger should be all you need.
If you are camping off the grid for an extended period of time, you can recharge with a solar panel. Again you will need a suitable solar regulator connected between the panel and the battery. Some power packs have the necessary electronics built-in, but are restricted to limited solar power input.
Most Portable Power Stations have built-in regulators for solar charging, mains charging, and 12V charging while you are driving.
230V chargers & Solar Panels:
Adventure Kings | KickAss | iTechWorld Anaconda
More info: 12V Power Supplies and Portable Fridge options >>>