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Fridge dilemma(s)

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mnjeeper

mnjeeper

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Id say give the cooler a try. And if it doesnt work out you can always buy the fridge then.
At the end of the day, this may be where I start simply based on time. If so, and if I build the trailer...I am still curious how to size the end game. Extra space with the start is ok, too small later sucks.

As far as an electric cooler there are none that last much more than 3-5 years max if they are being banged around off road. Even the high end Engel coolers fail in harsh off road conditions.

I just buy a cheap one and replace it as it fails. Dometic and ARB are no better or worse than than the cheap Chinese BougeRV cooler that I beat up.

Now if you are taking care not to go off road, not plugging/unplugging frequently, and are careful handling and not tipping your cooler at extreme angles, then the higher end ones will last a really long time. Engel coolers are known to give over 10 years of service if taken care of.
Mine will get shaken and stirred offroad. That is the goal.

@mnjeeper Dometic and Iceco (and ARB) are not the only brands around, just the ones pushed hardest in the past few years by social media.
I'm both aware, and willing to spend for quality. Name, meh. But sometimes the leaders in the field end up there for a reason.
Maybe give some more usage examples, e.g. # days with no resupply, # days not moving, # people, recharging capability for what you are planning.
This obviously may change based on how things shake out, but my vision is no more than 3 days remote, and that would be moving daily except perhaps in somewhere like JV or Moab, then I would be more careful on supplies. If I was in a spot for 4-5 days...supplies are available. I like preparing, but I also like supporting small economies. I'm in America...it's rare to get too far from a small store.
I agree wholeheartedly with @entropy on Engel. They are rapidly becoming a forgotten brand. I have a small one (15ltr?) that lives in the jeep 99% of the time, and a larger (45ltr?) one as well. Look up the super cool Sawafuji Swing compressor that they use. Completely different technology. Lower start-up Amps and lower Amp draw overall, compared to most anything, and at least as dependable. Those are important limiting factors when it comes to boondocking.
I will look them up!
One thing no one has recommended, I prefer using a smaller sized fridge/freezer in freezer mode, then supplementing with whatever size cooler suits the trip.

Keep the unit set to freezer and fill with Engel or Yeti or other new-brand phase change 20°F or 32°F ice packs in the freezer, along with meats/ice cream/whatever. Then transfer ice packs to the cooler every morning. Then you have dual zone, without a single, expensive, heavy, enormous dual zone unit, and you can scale the cooler to whatever excursion.
Interesting and logical, not sure if I will be "away" enough to make this worthy.
Edit:
Deferring to @OllieChristopher OP should also mention what sort of trails and how he runs them. I don't think anyone really parks and spends the night at a 30° angles like the manufacturers say is possible though.

Thus far, parks. I could eat at restaurants or resupply easily. But, once I take care of a few things, there will be visiting my friend in Colorado for wheeling, Moab, etc. The wheeling is far beyond fire roads, if that helps.
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I am on my second Dometic compressor fridge in my truck camper (which is the same technology as the portable refrigerator units). The first had some immediate cooling issues and was replaced under warranty by my dealer. The second is starting to experience the same issues and is no longer under warranty. Dometic customer service has been non existent. I'm not sure if this common or just my experience. In all my research it appears that Dometic changed compressors on their units a while back. The Danfoss/Secop compressor has been the gold standard for a long time and is used in the Engles, Iceco and some other higher end units. I'm not sure what compressor ARB uses. Another company worth considering is National Luna. Their stuff looks pretty good and they claim to use a "proprietary off road compressor".

With this being said, I did have a Dometic CFX28 and it was flawless except for the time the 12 volt plug wiggled loose. So keep an eye on that. Some people change their 12 volt plugs to an Anderson type plug to avoid easy disconnects.

The CFX28 would easily hold enough food about 3 days if you store your cold drinks elsewhere. One way to maximize space is to use the small prepackaged condiments instead of bringing along full size bottles of mayo, mustard, salad dressing, etc. There are companies online that sell travel size versions of about every type of condiment you can think of. I have used this company with good results. https://www.minimus.biz/condiments.aspx

I also currently own an Iceco GO20 (with Secop compressor) and it has been flawless and can be used as a fridge, freezer or configured with both. Many of the Iceco units have separate firdge/freezer areas that would be helpful for extended trips or taking ice cream!

As far as powering the unit, consider using something like a Goal Zero or Jackery (there are others) power source. When using the appropriate size, you can run the fridge off the power source and use your Jeep(when driving) or a solar panel to recharge it and never be concerned about a dead battery in the Jeep. The power source can also be used to charge and run other items if desired. These small power units are really changing the way some people camp.

Good luck on your research and happy camping.
 
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mnjeeper

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I power off the stock OEM battery. I used the ARB wiring kit so it is on it own and wired directly to the battery.

I have a Jakery 1000 with two solar panels and I have a 200Ah Lithium battery in the camper with 100 watt solar panel. So I have some options to power the fridge, but it has always been powered by the Jeep.

Mind you we camp and wheel a lot. Like a lot a lot..... All four season, We are around 70 days this year in just camping not including the trips that we have taken that the camper stayed home. I believe my 2020 camper has approx 24,000 miles on it in the last year and half.

My ARB fridge is strapped down in the Jeep so that it does not get thrown around in the back of the Jeep.
I know you use your stuff. This matters. Nothing is perfect, but real world helps!


I've had the ARB 47 for 5 years and it's been flawless. I bought some other brand before that and it failed in 2 days. If I were building my own teardrop, and I have been contemplating that for quite a while, I would probably go ARB, but I do thing Dometic is a strong contender.
Fan favorite is when I pull out Klondike bars at lunch during 90f+ days in Moab on the trail.
Good news, but I will not be bringing ice cream since I don't eat it ;) I am not that nice! But seeing success and failure matters. I don't want to spend $300 now, and then buy the end game next year, not even the year after.
 

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Hi there Vince, you are one of the lucky ones. It is very rare to see these last more than a few years in extreme conditions. Having it plugged in most of the time is one of the contributing factors of it lasting.
I disagree, the Engels were/are very popular in the Australian outback for decades now and thats an extremely harsh environment.
I bet if you did some searching you’ll find way more people with similar experiences as mine than having the Engel fail prematurely
 

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This is another reason why I prefer a bear proof cooler:

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Jeep Wrangler JL Fridge dilemma(s) maxresdefault

Jeep Wrangler JL Fridge dilemma(s) maxresdefault


Bears get into anywhere to get food it happens. I've seen it happening. Where do you leave your fridge? inside the camper? or car?. I go to bear country a lot. 2 years ago I went for a hike to the mt. whitney area, parked on a parking lot at the trails entrance that is a famous campground for hikers. When we came back from our hike the car parked next to us looked as if it was t-boned. A bear broke in to get a bag of chips they left in the car. Ranger told us it happens every single week.
So do you chain up your cooler to your hitch or something? How do you keep the bears from ripping up your Jeep trying to get to the bear proof cooler?
 

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mnjeeper

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Engel seems hard to find smaller ones.

Another thought. Maybe I am over thinking things. The fridge/freezer combo. Do they fail more? Is it over complicating? I don't need the freezer...wondering if that helps to avoid.
 
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So do you chain up your cooler to your hitch or something? How do you keep the bears from ripping up your Jeep trying to get to the bear proof cooler?
In bear country, it's suggested to keep food like 100 feet away. You aren't even supposed to sleep in what you cooked in.
 

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In bear country, it's suggested to keep food like 100 feet away. You aren't even supposed to sleep in what you cooked in.
Sorry I’m not that experienced with bear safety. So what do you do in your example? Just plan on leaving your cooler behind? I’m guessing you’re not going to carry your cooler far from the parking lot, so is the cable-lock-to-hitch option appropriate?
 

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Here’s my MT35 Engel on a home-made slide. Perfect fit behind the drivers side seat and can access without opening the rear window or folding the seat down.
I cut out the slide base to allow access to the storage cubby that houses an ARB twin compressor and auxiliary terminals.
Oh yeah, I can easily run 36-40 hours on the stock battery without running the Jeep
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I'm almost always a buy once, cry once kind of guy. However for our fridge we went with a chineseium BougeRV 53 qt. I really think its luck of the draw with the off label units because mine has been great. Kept all our meat perfect on our 2 week Ouray/Moab camping trip in the middle of July. It went on every trail with us, including 10 BOH trails. It handled all the Moab favorites in 110° heat and never once gave us an issue even with the 30° slopes. It let us have nice cold drinks and sandwich meat on Black Bear when we had to wait 2 hours for a really sketchy recovery.

It's been going strong for quite a while now, and just got back from another CO trip where it was amazing again, but only time will tell. I will say that it seems as if they have some sort of a legitimate warranty process as opposed to other similar units.
 

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Sorry I’m not that experienced with bear safety. So what do you do in your example? Just plan on leaving your cooler behind? I’m guessing you’re not going to carry your cooler far from the parking lot, so is the cable-lock-to-hitch option appropriate?
Honestly, I haven't much dealt with it. But, Northern MN where I wheel most so far...starting to get some brave black bears. I'm more thinking much like in the cities, be a less attractive victim than those around.
 

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So do you chain up your cooler to your hitch or something? How do you keep the bears from ripping up your Jeep trying to get to the bear proof cooler?
Lol right?. No. You leave it outside. Thats bear safety. About 100 feet away from where you sleep. The bears can smell the cooler nothing you can do about it. A bear proof cooler cant be opened by a bear or it is very difficult. It is about protecting yourself and others, including the bear, not about protecting your food.
 

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Lol right?. No. You leave it outside. Thats bear safety. About 20 feet away from where you sleep. The bears can smell the cooler nothing you can do about it. A bear proof cooler cant be opened by a bear or it is very difficult. It is about protecting yourself and others, including the bear, not about protecting your food.
I got ya. What about a parking lot for a long hike? I’m serious I’d chain it outside haha
 

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Sorry I’m not that experienced with bear safety. So what do you do in your example? Just plan on leaving your cooler behind? I’m guessing you’re not going to carry your cooler far from the parking lot, so is the cable-lock-to-hitch option appropriate?
You do you hide it somewhere. Thats what i was trained to do. In black bear country i dont leave it that far away. Just away from my sleeping quarters is enough. Ive had bears come to it, they were not successful at opening it. Leaving the cooler in the jeep or outside is the same. Leaving the cooler inside your camper might deter bears from coming because you are in there. But brave bears will break in and could hurt you.
 

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I got ya. What about a parking lot for a long hike? I’m serious I’d chain it outside haha
You could chain it to the hitch. Thats not a bad idea. During the day i often take a risk and leave in the jeep. I am not sleeping there so i take the chances lol.

It is unlikely for the bears to scavange during the day but it happens.

If i had a fridge i would leave it in the jeep. Never, ever, would i have the cooler where i sleep (camper).
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