12V Fridge & freezer

[Jeff1]

What are good ice alternatives for coolers? One of the biggest complaints i hear about coolers is that everything is floating in water. I have a bunch of freezer cold packs that i reuse and use in my crappy coolers. They work OK but honestly we mostly just use it for 1 day outings. So i dont know if this is a valid ice alternative. One time i also froze a bunch of nalgean bottles and water bottles and tried that. It didnt feel like things stayed cold very well. But i was using a super cheap 20 year old Colman. So i dont know if it was my "ice" technique or the crap cooler.

Yesterday i found a SMOKING deal on a Pelican 30qt. More than likely a fridge is in my future. But the Pelican was cheap enough that i bought it and might give it a try and hold off on the fridge. It still have the tags on it and was from REI. So if i change my mind in a few days i can return it. But with a good quality cooler what ice alternatives will work that keep the cooler dry? Are the cold packs a good idea? or do you guys freeze water bottles or buy the 5lb Pelican brand reusable things?

Or should i just keep it simple and fill a few gallon ziplock bags with water and freeze that?

If you have the fridge you'll use it more than you think, day trips, camping, grocery store runs. I think REI is having their garage sale this Saturday. I haven't been the past few times they've had it but the REI in West Hartford, CT had 3 ARB fridges marked down over 50% off msrp at the garage sale I went to at the beginning of summer.

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[DanW]

If you have the fridge you'll use it more than you think, day trips, camping, grocery store runs. I think REI is having their garage sale this Saturday. I haven't been the past few times they've had it but the REI in West Hartford, CT had 3 ARB fridges marked down over 50% off msrp at the garage sale I went to at the beginning of summer.

You are right! I use it all the time! In fact, I bought a smaller one because most of the time I don't need the Snomaster's 35 liter capacity and it takes up a lot of cargo room, so I picked up a small 20 liter Alpicool for 200 bucks off Amazon. Bangood.com just advertised them at $169 and I think you can get 20% off that, too. Anyway, it is a cheap Chinese unit but had good reviews and supposedly is engineered to run when tilted up to 45 degrees and to be able to handle bouncing. The downside is that I've got to figure out a better way to hold it down. It tends to slide around. With cargo and clothing bags, it won't be an issue, but just by itself it does move. It also doesn't cool as fast as the Snomaster and I don't think it is insulated quite as well. I may remedy that by making a bag for it or putting some kind of insulation on it, with a moving blanket over the top. We'll see. It ultimately does get nice and cold, though. It is also very easy to access with its side door.

You can see the difference. This one will be mainly for daily use, and the Snomaster will be for longer trips, unless I have a Jeep full of kids and need the cargo space.

Here is the Snomaster...Keep in mind I now have to turn it sideways thanks to my Tuffy tailgate box, which takes up some room. The Alpicool is short enough to stay perpendicular to the back seat, which frees up a TON of space.

....And the Alpicool.

The Snomaster can't go lengthwise unless turned around. (In the Alpicool pics, you can see the line in the carpet where the Tuffy box extends.) If turned around, the lid can't be opened without leaning the rear single seatback forward. I like to maintain access while moving so the kids can grab drinks on long trips. The cord sticking out is the problem with fitting the Snomaster this way. It bumps the Tuffy box, so I'm afraid it will damage it. Its height bumps the 12v plug, too. Also, the shorter height of the Alpicool allows it to be forward more, it won't bump the 12v, and the tilt of the seat allows breathing space for the vents and the power cord input. The longitudinal lid on the Snomaster also can be a limitation.

I'll report back on how the Alpicool does. The Snomaster is certainly a better performer, with better insulation, much faster cooling, a quieter compressor, and more accurate temperature control. It also has a 7 year warranty, compared to 1 for the Alpicool. (It was also a helluva lot more expensive, though, too!)

As for capacity, I can still get a number of drinks in this thing (cans stack 2 high) and plenty of lunch meat w/ condiments. That's all I really need. You just replace drinks as you use them to keep the cold ones coming. There are 14 drinks in there, not counting Capri Suns. I could have gotten 3-4 more cans and 1 or two more water bottles in there, too, as well as more small stuff. (I like my Peanut M&M's cold!)

 

[WranglerAdvs]

I just took this picture. Its the 50qt ARB fridge with cover. I could place it a little more to the left but not all the way because the jeep's tailgate won't close. Hope this helps.

 

[KansasJL]

I just took this picture. Its the 50qt ARB fridge with cover. I could place it a little more to the left but not all the way because the jeep's tailgate won't close. Hope this helps.

Without the camp kitchen bag would you be able to place it all the way over to the left?

 

[intentsrig]

Without the camp kitchen bag would you be able to place it all the way over to the left?

I have the same fridge. It won’t fit. The tailgate hits the fridge because of the way it indents on that end.

 

[KansasJL]

I have the same fridge. It won’t fit. The tailgate hits the fridge because of the way it indents in on that end.

Thanks. With traveling with a large dog I would prefer to keep it all the way to the left so he has more room.

 

[trav87]

Does the back handle come off? I have a 54 Qt Costway on a slider all the way to the left. Fits when I remove the back handle.

 

[IronScott]

Does the back handle come off? I have a 54 Qt Costway on a slider all the way to the left. Fits when I remove the back handle.

Your setup looks great. I have the same fridge. Do you have any other pics of how you mounted your slide? I have a slide but haven't done anything with it yet.

 

[trav87]

Your setup looks great. I have the same fridge. Do you have any other pics of how you mounted your slide? I have a slide but haven't done anything with it yet.

It's a slide and base plate from American Adventure Labs https://americanadventurelab.com/product/jeep-jl-mass-storage-platform/

 

[Jeff1]

Thanks. With traveling with a large dog I would prefer to keep it all the way to the left so he has more room.

I have the 37qt model and it fits. I assume the recline of the back seat pushes the taller 50qt into the tailgate. Mines pushed over due to the plug

View attachment 245905

 

[WranglerAdvs]

Without the camp kitchen bag would you be able to place it all the way over to the left?

I could try fitting it all the way to the right and post a picture.

 

[KansasJL]

I could try fitting it all the way to the right and post a picture.

If it isn’t too much of a hassle I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[tjeeper]

Without the camp kitchen bag would you be able to place it all the way over to the left?

You can get the 50QT ARB to about 2 inches of the wheel well. That is as close as it will fit because of the door. It is close enough that I had to install a new 12 volt plug for power.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Looking at a very small fridge. 15-25 qt. So far, I've just read the spec pages on the Dometic site. My primary use is day hunts with 2 people. Just a couple drinks each and some lunch. any recommendations?

 

[KansasJL]

You can get the 50QT ARB to about 2 inches of the wheel well. That is as close as it will fit because of the door. It is close enough that I had to install a new 12 volt plug for power.

Thanks you for the picture.

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