see also:

• camping off-grid - power, batteries, solar, fridges
• 12V batteries and battery boxes
• photography and camping main index page

• a car fridge is a great addition especially for summer camping (short trips during winter can be done without a fridge - just don't take perishables like milk and meats)
  • ideally you will be powering the fridge from a 12V LiFePO4 battery (and NOT your car battery)
    • a 100Ah battery will power a 35L fridge for at least 3 days if the fridge is not opened frequently or for too long and you don't put warm foods in it
    • a smaller 60Ah fridge such as a EcoFlow River 2 Pro will power the fridge for 1-2 days but this can be extended by recharging the battery via cig lighter as you drive or via solar, or via fast 1hr AC power charge if power is accessible
  • prior to travelling it is best to run it for 12-24hrs prior to leaving so it is cold before you start the trip - this can be done on AC power at home
• the best size for most families is a 60L capacity but 35L may suffice for a couple
  • a 35L model or smaller will generally draw about 25Ah 12V (~300Wh) per day to maintain contents at 4degC in 32degC ambient temperatures
  • a 60L fridge will probably need 35-60Ah on 12V (420-720Wh) per day
  • check to see if it will fit a wine bottle standing up if this is important to you
  • ideally it should allow your 2L milk bottle to stand up - nothing worse than a leaking milk bottle because it was horizontal and had a leaky top!
• fruit and veges are generally placed in the warmer upper parts to avoid spoiling by freezing
• most have a digital interface which allows user to dial in the desired temperature such as from 10degC down to minus 10degC
• some larger ones have dual compartments - one as a fridge and the other as a freezer
• most Engel models tend to be narrow and tall and will not fit under a station wagon boot hide, whereas Dometic CFX models are not as tall and may fit

• most small car fridges when used properly to optimise power consumption, will require about 25-30Ah per day
  • this means you will need an auxiliary 12V battery to power them when you are not driving
  • a fully charged 100Ah LiFePO4 battery without any further charging will generally provide sufficient power for 3 days of camping
  • when driving, the fridge could be plugged into the car 12V cig lighter but this does risk you forgetting to swap to battery when no longer driving and risking your fridge warming up
• there are 4 main ways to provide power to your fridge to last longer than 3 days:
  • 1. have a 200Ah battery or multiple 100Ah batteries
    • this is great for perhaps a week of camping depending upon how much capacity you bring and avoids the hassle of solar panels or charging
    • see 12V batteries and battery boxes
  • 2. recharge your battery via your AC charger at a powered camp site or laundry facility or similar
    • however, very few non-commercial camp sites have AC power
  • 3. recharge your battery via solar panels and a lithium solar regulator / charger
    • this is a great option if staying at a camp site longer than 3 days and you are not doing much driving
    • for those driving most of the day, then fixed panels on your roof may be a solution
    • the downside is they can be bulky and expensive, need constant cleaning, you may not get sunny days and you need to keep moving the panels for the sun, and someone may steal your panels if they are not fixed to vehicle
    • see solar power for camping
  • 4. recharge battery whilst driving via a DC-DC charger in your car
    • this is the best option if traveling and staying at each camp site only 1-2 days and doing a lot of driving
      • in this scenario, you may be able to get by with a smaller battery such as a 60Ah one
    • it is also a great supplement for those camping longer than 3 days and not wanting to take solar panels or can't use them due to overcast weather
    • the main downside is they are expensive (~$AU500 for a 25A rated charger) and require expert installation to your car
    • the DC-DC charger is connected to your car's main battery and alternator circuit, and then connects via Anderson plugs to your 12V battery and the 12V battery is then connected to the fridge - this means the fridge will keep running even when the car is stopped - a much better solution than powering the fridge via the car's 12V cig lighter
    • they are not much benefit for those who are just going to drive to a camp site, stay there a few days then drive home as you will not get a lot of charge on the way there as the battery should be fully charged, so you are only just providing power for the fridge, and then on the way home, you generally don't care if the fridge has not enough power.
    • see DC-DC charging of auxiliary batteries using your car's alternator

• see keeping your food and drinks cool
• ice boxes / eskies are a cheaper alternative and great for keepig drinks cold but suffer many issues:
  • need to fill most of it with ice EACH day - so you need to find somewhere to buy it
  • less internal space as much is taken up by ice - usually ~2/3rds of space should be ice!
  • when the ice melts, your food may end up soaking in water - chocolates don't do well!
  • it can be hard to be sure you food has been kept at a safe temperature to stop you getting gastro
  • it is very heavy to carry full of ice and food and drinks, and heavy to lift to drain the water out

• older Dometic CF models are budget level fridges which are more likely to have issues including failure of the lid lock mechanism
• Dometic CFX3 models tend to be the favored Dometic models for their better build quality but are more expensive
  • my tests of a Dometic CFX3 35 on a hot 37degC summer day in the shade:
    • fridge had been filled with drink bottles in main compartment and kept cold in fridge running overnight prior to tests
    • lid not opened
    • fridge set to minus 4degC:
      • probe amongst the bottles in main compartment remained -4 to -5degC
      • probe in empty top section steady at 5.5degC
    • fridge then set to 0degC:
      • probe amongst the bottles in main compartment increased to -2degC by 1.5hrs
      • probe in empty top section steady at 7.5degC at 1.5hrs!!
  • my tests of a Dometic CFX3 35 at average 25degC summer day in the shade fridge set to 0degC:
    • probe amongst the bottles in main compartment averaged minus 0.5degC range minus 0.2 to minus 0.7degC
      • probe in empty top section averaged 7degC with range 5.7 to 7.5

• small cars are very limiting especially if you have lots of gear or plan to sleep in the car
• these smaller fridges are single zone (set to fridge or to freeze mode) usually run at under 1A, 12V power at 4degC setting and most can be set down to minus 18degC for freezing mode (but this will draw much more power)
• the Dometic CFX3 35 will take up most of the boot of a Subaru XV fitting side-ways so this is probably much too big for your needs and you will have to settle for a smaller capacity fridge such as:
  • Dometic CFX3 25 25L ~$AU925
  • Dometic CFF20 21L ~$AU658
  • Dometic CFF12 13L ~$AU599
  • Igloo ICF Fridge/Freezer 18L ~$AU399
  • Oztrail 15L Console ~$AU299 https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/fridges-coolers/camping-fridge-freezers/oztrail-15l-console-fridgefreezer/BP90172658-black

• my favourite is the Dometic CFX3 35 ($AU1199)
  • nice size for 1-2 people
  • fits UNDER the boot hide
  • fits length-ways in the boot with enough space for a 12V battery box next to it and a 45L Dometic esky on the other side of it to keep all your cooking gear and non-refrigerant foods
  • main compartment is roughly 28x28x28cm so you can fit:
    • rows of horizontal 375m drink cans plus two 10cm wide 2L milk containers vertically, plus smaller drink bottle plus, room between the drink cans and the milk to place sliced meats, cheeses, other meats, etc
    • can fit two 28cm diameter 3L glass bowls with lids for fruit salads, etc (or one bowl plus lay 2L milk and cans horizontally on top of it)
  • top section runs warmer (~7degC) which is great for fruits, veges, chocolates, etc that you don't really want at 2degC

• there are many options to consider:
  • standard style vs drawer style
  • fridge or freezer or combined fridge and freezer compartments
  • capacity depends on how many campers it needs to support and duration between food stores
  • weight - can you actually lift it?
  • battery capacity to run it - the larger the fridge, the more current it will draw and the larger capacity battery you will need (or solar charging)
  • how rugged is it to withstand hundreds of kms of corrugated gravel roads - perhaps Engel models are the preferred for such travel