12v Refrigerator?

[JimKivi]

Having had both types, the Coleman I had with the non-compessor technology was nowhere near as good as the replacement WITH a 12v compressor. The latter will keep frozen good frozen for days. I have a solar backup to keep it running at night, and use the in-bed circuit when the truck is running.

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[sprubs]

Having had both types, the Coleman I had with the non-compessor technology was nowhere near as good as the replacement WITH a 12v compressor. The latter will keep frozen good frozen for days. I have a solar backup to keep it running at night, and use the in-bed circuit when the truck is running.

solar backup for when it's dark out?

I'm sure you mean something else unless you are at a very high latitude in the summer time

 

[JimKivi]

No, that is what I mean, though I SHOULD have written solar SYSTEM backup. "Camper shell" in pic to the left has a large solar panel on the roof, and two Lifepo4 batteries that can power the frig. Apologies for any confusion.

 

[Awesemann]

I've been looking at them off and on. A friend has one with a battery backup. So I guess it would switch back a forth depending which is needed. I'm still doing research on those. Hope this helps.

 

[Silvaire]

On my 12 volt fridge you set the temperature that you want then it's cycles like a home refrigerator.
It also has three different voltage settings so it will shut off so your car battery will still start your car. When the compressor is running mine takes around forty Watts.

 

[Dave O]

My Yeti works just fine for me, days of chilling with a 10 lb bag of ice and no electricity needed - I have a Jackery 1000 v2 to power the important stuff like my 12V DC Table-top Pellet Smoker, everything fits nicely in the bed of my Maverick…

 

[Ranko Kohime]

I have a question for anyone running a 12v refrigerator connected directly to 12v without a power station.

Does your fridge turn on/off automatically with the 12v coming from the car without having to press the power button every time on the fridge?

I have the Steel Horse 52qt that is stocked at some Buc-ees, and it will resume once power is restored.

Be careful what you buy, this unit has an actual compressor like a real refrigerator, and still only hits about 60w when running, but there are “coolers” out there that use Peltier devices, and they like to suck juice constantly, as well as being poor at the actual job of cooling. You can generally identify them by a cheaper price and “cools 40 degrees below ambient”.

 

[dumbcomputers]

I have the Steel Horse 52qt that is stocked at some Buc-ees, and it will resume once power is restored.

Be careful what you buy, this unit has an actual compressor like a real refrigerator, and still only hits about 60w when running, but there are “coolers” out there that use Peltier devices, and they like to suck juice constantly, as well as being poor at the actual job of cooling. You can generally identify them by a cheaper price and “cools 40 degrees below ambient”.

yeah fully aware of compressor refrigerators. I've used the Peltier one in the office about 15 years ago and it sucked.

 

[Robot-Wrangler]

I have one of the mini fridge non-compressor units and it has served me well keeping my insulin pack cold for long trips. It works on 12vdc or 120vac.

There are 12vdc compressor conversions available if you look for them. An appliance repair shop should be able to do the conversion. My RV has a 120vac residential fridge in it and I would like to do the 12vdc conversion now that the compressor failed. For now I just use a dorm room style fridge.

I've not seen portable 12vdc compressor refrigerators however there is a unit that fits inside a FORD pickup truck console that has a compressor and is 12vdc. It won't fit a Maverick and it's not portable.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

Here's the one I use. It does come on when it gets power w/o the need to press the power button on the fridge. You can also adjust at what voltage the fridge shuts off the save the truck battery, incase you do not trust the Mav cut off. https://a.co/d/gL1urIY

I saw that you were not interested in a power station but here is the one I run the fridge with. It charges with a USBC to USBC cable, plugged in the jack behind the center console. It is only $150 right now https://a.co/d/1uf0hjG

That towel is what I use to keep the fridge level because of the refrigerant. This one fits conveniently in that concave area behind the front seats and holds it down very well when I'm off roading. The power station fits very nicely in the area left when you lower the back seat cup holders, does not block the cup holders, and is held in with the center seat belt. The phone mount is there just because just I want to keep the suction cup clean when I'm not using it hehe

 

[dumbcomputers]

Here's the one I use. It does come on when it gets power w/o the need to press the power button on the fridge. You can also adjust at what voltage the fridge shuts off the save the truck battery, incase you do not trust the Mav cut off. https://a.co/d/gL1urIY

I saw that you were not interested in a power station but here is the one I run the fridge with. It charges with a USBC to USBC cable, plugged in the jack behind the center console. It is only $150 right now https://a.co/d/1uf0hjG

Thank you! that is exactly the info I was looking for. I am not opposed to using a power station, I actually already have one but wanted to know what my options were without it.

I looked at all the options for for many days and decided that for me personally I'm going to get a small unit only about 9-10Qt in the cabin for daily use to replace the Igloo 8Qt ice cooler I'm currently using. For camping and road trips I'll probably get a larger >=30Qt one installed in the bed of the truck.

For what it's worth, an EcoFlow River-3 + EB300 expansion ( 572Wh total) fits under the rear seat.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

Thank you! that is exactly the info I was looking for. I am not opposed to using a power station, I actually already have one but wanted to know what my options were without it.

I looked at all the options for for many days and decided that for me personally I'm going to get a small unit only about 9-10Qt in the cabin for daily use to replace the Igloo 8Qt ice cooler I'm currently using. For camping and road trips I'll probably get a larger >=30Qt one installed in the bed of the truck.

For what it's worth, an EcoFlow River-3 + EB300 expansion ( 572Wh total) fits under the rear seat.

Nice I was always afraid of putting it under the seat because of ventilation. Here's how the little Anker 521 sits in the rear center cup holder area. I have a big Anker Solix C1000 as well. That spends 98% of it's time in the house as a UPS for my desktop computer, internet, and security cameras. It does come out on the week long camping trips. I have it set up to run on a big residential solar panel when needed.

 

[710-oil-614]

Here's the one I use. It does come on when it gets power w/o the need to press the power button on the fridge. You can also adjust at what voltage the fridge shuts off the save the truck battery, incase you do not trust the Mav cut off. https://a.co/d/gL1urIY

I saw that you were not interested in a power station but here is the one I run the fridge with. It charges with a USBC to USBC cable, plugged in the jack behind the center console. It is only $150 right now https://a.co/d/1uf0hjG

That towel is what I use to keep the fridge level because of the refrigerant. This one fits conveniently in that concave area behind the front seats and holds it down very well when I'm off roading. The power station fits very nicely in the area left when you lower the back seat cup holders, does not block the cup holders, and is held in with the center seat belt. The phone mount is there just because just I want to keep the suction cup clean when I'm not using it hehe

I run a similar set up, sometimes I go long ways but have always used the towel to level the seat.

I run an Alpicool CF45LG (with an LG compressor) but I think they have some newer models I would prefer. I certainly like your side open where mine opens right to left (if using your picture as orientation).

https://www.amazon.com/Alpicool-CF4...or-Outdoor-12/dp/B0894SJHL6/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3

Regardless - mine also will kick on automatically with a 12v power source and cool to the previous set temperature. I've used it in many vehicles and it is vehicle consistent in operation but I also have a smaller power station that I'll connect it to and then the power station to the vehicle 12v so when it is dead of summer I know the contents are always cold.

 

[dumbcomputers]

Nice I was always afraid of putting it under the seat because of ventilation. Here's how the little Anker 521 sits in the rear center cup holder area. I have a big Anker Solix C1000 as well. That spends 98% of it's time in the house as a UPS for my desktop computer, internet, and security cameras. It does come out on the week long camping trips. I have it set up to run on a big residential solar panel when needed.

Originally I was worried about ventilation as well, but I realized that the rear seat doesn't seal the compartment much at all. Granted I would probably not leave the power station in the car on the peak summer months if I don't have to.

 

[notfast]

My Yeti works just fine for me, days of chilling with a 10 lb bag of ice and no electricity needed - I have a Jackery 1000 v2 to power the important stuff like my 12V DC Table-top Pellet Smoker, everything fits nicely in the bed of my Maverick…

When I was looking for mobile refrigeration options several years ago, I considered a rotomolded cooler or a compressor-type portable fridge. I went with the portable fridge since I figured:

• I could make my own electricity (run the engine, solar, gas generator, etc) but not my own ice.
• A fridge has more usable volume in its footprint since the interior of the fridge doesn't need to account for ice taking up a lot of space. The proportions improve as fridges get larger since the compressors are all basically the same size, whereas a bigger cooler needs more ice.

I've had my fridge for several years (pre-vanlife boom). Main options at the time were Dometic, ARB, or IceCo. Even used it for regular grocery runs since I could just stuff the fridge in the parking lot and not have to head home right afterward.

About two years ago, I was figuring how I could optimize my setup for time. I used to go...shopping cart > truck fridge > box or crate of some sort > house fridge. So basically packing everything three times. This also coincided with me not going on multi-day road trips anymore, so I didn't really need the fridge as much.

I then rediscovered gel freezer packs and soft sided cooler backpacks. It's the ideal solution for now. Keeps frozen things frozen for a solid 12 hours (more than I need) and cold things cold for at least double that. Unlike using ice, I don't have to deal with meltwater, and unlike a hard sided cooler or fridge, I can really stuff the backpacks and zip them shut.

The Achilles heel for the fridge was being in Las Vegas in the summer time, in the bed of the truck. My truck has a topper, but it can easily hit 130F in the bed. The fridge basically ran continuously in order to keep the interior cold, which ran down the power station, which couldn't recharge while driving due to being over temperature. The fridge and power station did fine when they rode in the cab.

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