Portable Refrigerator/Freezer Suggestion Request

[CZaugg]

The Maverick I ordered will be coming with the electrical outlet in the bed. I’m looking for a “quality” portable frig/freezer that I can plug into that outlet. The main purpose for this unit is to have a place to keep food cold/frozen when I go shopping. Ice packs in the ice chest just doesn’t cut it for frozen foods that I purchase on my shopping runs. By the time I get home, the ice cream is halfway melted. Secondary use would be for taking short trips and having a place to put picnic items in. Occasional use would be for long trips to pack items for making breakfast & lunch (dinner out). I want a unit that is easy to move about for hauling into the hotel room to keep plugged in and easily assessable for food item while in hotel room. I want a larger unit that is large enough for my shopping but small enough that will fit in the Maverick bed under a lockable tonneau cover. If any of you in Maverick Land has such an item, that will fill my needs, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience and where I can find such an item.

Sponsored

 

[Maverickman74]

ARB is top of the line and Amazons stuff is at the bottom. I have a $400 one from Amazon and a $300 one from home depot(online only) they both work great. Though the home depot one is a lil thinly built(not as efficient) and it sits on the trans tunnel in my bronco so it has a uphill battle.

There is an interesting one that I want to upgrade to one day, its not as expensive as ARB but it aint cheap either. LionCooler. works like a regular fridge freezer however it has a built in battery that can run for 6 to 10 hrs and it can also be hooked up to a solar kit aswell. That to me means free renewable cooling. Sure plug it in on the drive but instead of leaving the key on forever just let the sun cool it till night then let the battery take over till morning.

I havent bought one of those but I have owned 2 cheap ass ones for years and I love em. Also they seem to run better when hooked up to AC even though they are inherently DC. Maybe thats just the cheapness?

 

[TedTX]

Have a 22 year old Engel 12v frig. Very expensive then and now but with only one moving totally enclosed part it has had no issues been running 24/7 since 2000s

 

[CZaugg]

ARB is top of the line and Amazons stuff is at the bottom. I have a $400 one from Amazon and a $300 one from home depot(online only) they both work great. Though the home depot one is a lil thinly built(not as efficient) and it sits on the trans tunnel in my bronco so it has a uphill battle.

There is an interesting one that I want to upgrade to one day, its not as expensive as ARB but it aint cheap either. LionCooler. works like a regular fridge freezer however it has a built in battery that can run for 6 to 10 hrs and it can also be hooked up to a solar kit aswell. That to me means free renewable cooling. Sure plug it in on the drive but instead of leaving the key on forever just let the sun cool it till night then let the battery take over till morning.

I havent bought one of those but I have owned 2 cheap ass ones for years and I love em. Also they seem to run better when hooked up to AC even though they are inherently DC. Maybe thats just the cheapness?

Wow! You weren’t kidding about the ARB being expensive. I found a link to the company and read up on a few. Looks like a quality company and products. I also found a dealer in my community. I’m going in to check out in person. The LionCooler looks pretty awesome and the price is better. Thanks for your recommendation.

 

[Maverickman74]

Wow! You weren’t kidding about the ARB being expensive. I found a link to the company and read up on a few. Looks like a quality company and products. I also found a dealer in my community. I’m going in to check out in person. The LionCooler looks pretty awesome and the price is better. Thanks for your recommendation.

No problem. Like I saide there is a high end and low end. I have 2 on the the low end and they have lasted for years. From what I have heard most of the compressors are the same thing from the same 2 places. Just put together with the rest of it differently by people with different skill levels.
When searching for them be sure to use "portable fridge freezer" in your searches. The high dollar ones are just like cars, you pay thie high costs for features.

 

[TedTX]

There are two trains of thought with mobile frig. If you only use it very little, use a house style got a 120 power easy.
Second, if you know it’s going to be rough buy a cheap 12v and pack blankets and insulation around it. And don’t worry it will be replaced In two years.
Then if you are like me, to the research invest in something purely simple and likely to survive a nuclear strike. Got this for Y2K.

 

[TedTX]

like this guys videos’ got my car camping Prius idea from one of his interviews.
There maybe newer reviews.

 

[TedTX]

This guy is a riot!!’

 

[Timothyd]

The Maverick I ordered will be coming with the electrical outlet in the bed. I’m looking for a “quality” portable frig/freezer that I can plug into that outlet. The main purpose for this unit is to have a place to keep food cold/frozen when I go shopping. Ice packs in the ice chest just doesn’t cut it for frozen foods that I purchase on my shopping runs. By the time I get home, the ice cream is halfway melted. Secondary use would be for taking short trips and having a place to put picnic items in. Occasional use would be for long trips to pack items for making breakfast & lunch (dinner out). I want a unit that is easy to move about for hauling into the hotel room to keep plugged in and easily assessable for food item while in hotel room. I want a larger unit that is large enough for my shopping but small enough that will fit in the Maverick bed under a lockable tonneau cover. If any of you in Maverick Land has such an item, that will fill my needs, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience and where I can find such an item.

Check this deal out on Amazon
Limited-time deal: BougeRV 12 Volt Refrigerator 12V Car Fridge 23 Quart Portable Freezer Compressor Cooler 12/24V DC 110~240 Volt AC for Truck Van RV Camper SUV Boat Travel Camping Road Trips Tailgating -7℉~50℉ https://a.co/d/ePuvePS

 

[TedTX]

Limited time = 50 mins from my post. The more useful sized one is also on flash sale
Edit: and now it’s rebound to 70 dollars more than flash sale price!!

 

[Ranch]

The Maverick I ordered will be coming with the electrical outlet in the bed. I’m looking for a “quality” portable frig/freezer that I can plug into that outlet. The main purpose for this unit is to have a place to keep food cold/frozen when I go shopping. Ice packs in the ice chest just doesn’t cut it for frozen foods that I purchase on my shopping runs. By the time I get home, the ice cream is halfway melted. Secondary use would be for taking short trips and having a place to put picnic items in. Occasional use would be for long trips to pack items for making breakfast & lunch (dinner out). I want a unit that is easy to move about for hauling into the hotel room to keep plugged in and easily assessable for food item while in hotel room. I want a larger unit that is large enough for my shopping but small enough that will fit in the Maverick bed under a lockable tonneau cover. If any of you in Maverick Land has such an item, that will fill my needs, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience and where I can find such an item.

A 12 volt compressor fridge is the best for camping. The Maverick owners manual states to not use the 400 watt inverter to run one. Probably because it's a cheap modified sine wave inverter. If you want to run a 12 volt fridge in the bed add a 12 volt power plug using one of the accessory connectors. You can use the 110 volt power brick that comes with the fridge when at home or at a hotel. Here's a link to a post showing the limitations of the inverter.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/inverter-modified-or-pure-sine-wave.5015/post-106119

 

[CZaugg]

A 12 volt compressor fridge is the best for camping. The Maverick owners manual states to not use the 400 watt inverter to run one. Probably because it's a cheap modified sine wave inverter. If you want to run a 12 volt fridge in the bed add a 12 volt power plug using one of the accessory connectors. You can use the 110 volt power brick that comes with the fridge when at home or at a hotel. Here's a link to a post showing the limitations of the inverter.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/inverter-modified-or-pure-sine-wave.5015/post-106119

Thanks for the info

 

[Greg_in_GA]

Be sure to keep in mind that the AC power outlet is only 400 watts which equates to 3.3 Amps. The typical household outlet is usually 15 or 20 amps. Many people, including myself, were disappointed to find out that it was not nearly powerful enough to run most power tools.

 

[CZaugg]

A 12 volt compressor fridge is the best for camping. The Maverick owners manual states to not use the 400 watt inverter to run one. Probably because it's a cheap modified sine wave inverter. If you want to run a 12 volt fridge in the bed add a 12 volt power plug using one of the accessory connectors. You can use the 110 volt power brick that comes with the fridge when at home or at a hotel. Here's a link to a post showing the limitations of the inverter.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/inverter-modified-or-pure-sine-wave.5015/post-106119

Thanks for the info.

 

[TedTX]

good find! However that would not apply to mobile refrigeration that has a 120v to 12v adapter to run. Peak efficiency would always favor a direct 12v source but with many 120v optioned Power adapters to DC it’s sometimes better to use a small AC strip and a small wattage 120v inverter to power it all. The high current draw 12v devices can’t run at same time of one or few shared power ports., then the AC adapters aren’t accidentally left at home. It’s so much less stressful to just carry your own AC power strip with AC adapters already plugged in to hotel/home.

Sponsored