Anyone using a Portable fridge in their boot??

http://www.amazon.com/ARB-10800472-Fridge-Freezer-Quart/dp/B002Q1INDM/ref=pd_sbs_la_2

Thinking about getting one of these for an upcoming roadtrip... wondering if anyone has any/some experience with them...

May or may not circumvent the rear plug to always hot, the fridge is suppose to use intelligent software to kick off if line voltage drops too low, so in theory should be able to leave it always hot and not worry about battery discharge... (It says the software has 3 diffferent settings with a different voltage cutoff for each one)

With only drawing .7 amphours while maintaining temp, it wouldnt drain the battery too quickly

Anyone know what kind of voltage drop the rear 12V plug experiences?? (reading their reviews/forum, the input line voltage can be an issue, not sure what gauge wire VW used of the rear 12V)

.7 amps shouldn't be a problem for at least half a day at a time without the engine running.

$800 bucks for that unit??? Wow. You could eat at some really good restaurants
on the road for that amount of money.

That is the coolest fridge I have ever seen (pun intended). I concur with scdevon.

Unless your camping in death valley, I would think the coleman or igloo coolers for just over $100 would be good enough. Sure they don't get to as low of temp (35-40F below ambient), but what are you trying to keep frozen?

I use this one. It is ultra-cheap, but 1.5 years later it still works perfectly. It can cool 30-35F below ambient and heat also (just reverse the plug's polarity):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...1&sr=1-1&keywords=koolatron+p95&condition=new

Tec80 said:

I use this one. It is ultra-cheap, but 1.5 years later it still works perfectly. It can cool 30-35F below ambient and heat also (just reverse the plug's polarity):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...1&sr=1-1&keywords=koolatron+p95&condition=new

Click to expand...

I would go for the real refrigerator not this one. Where I live 30-35 degrees below ambient in the summer would only turn a hot drink into a warm drink. Air temps in the summer are usually between 100 and 115 and temps in the trunk can easily be above 160 degrees if the car is sitting in the sun. These piezo-electric coolers just don't have the power to be effective here.

Have fun!

Don

I looked at the disimilar metal coolers too, but the cooling potential turns me off...

Yes 800 bucks is a huge initial investment, but being able to not worry about ice, mess with the watery lunch meats, soggy egg cartons... May be worth the initial investment if the cooler last years....

I will also be off grid for a few days at a time JTree and Moab, without the ability to pickup extra ice, etc....

I haven't fully made up my mind on this yet, but don't want to buy it and then it won't run due to low voltage in the rear, or rapid battery voltage drop, etc.

Dollar menu.... 800 times. Hmm.

(and then skip the extended trip to the boonies, of course)

Bill

Coleman cooler and dry ice would work just as well I think

that's some serious coin for that unit, but seems like a great little product

No dollar menu in Jtree...

40X40 said:

Dollar menu.... 800 times. Hmm.

Bill

Click to expand...

Other 12 volt goodies that are available:

http://fortheroad.hcpus.com/12-volt-appliances-c-75.html?zenid=6325586831e6840e6f61eea97d9c17fa

Bill

I do not suggest the coleman model which is similar to what you are looking for. its $2-300 and is cheaply built and doesn't work very well at all. I had bought one for a 2-week road trip so we didn't have to keep topping up on ice for the food we were bringing along. Once we hit warm weather in southern California it basically just made noise and didn't work any more. I've read many similar reviews.

Also, keep in mind, the heat has to go somewhere and that means heating up the cabin to a degree which is not needed when you are in hot weather (like the 115 we hit in vegas on our trip).

This unit appears to be a bit better than the coleman that I had purchased, but I would avoid any of these units which rely on Peltier cooling as it isn't really efficient for this type of use.

I have an Engel 35qt fridge I use in my Land Cruiser, haven't used it yet in the TDi but will this year. It is essential to follow the wiring recommendation for the specific model - for example, Engel recommended no less than 10 ga for the length of run from the battery to mounting location in my Cruiser with the fuse as close to the battery as possible.

I can easily leave mine plugged in the Cruiser for 5-7 days with no appreciable strain on the battery. A couple of days won't be noticeable, esp if you 1) keep it out of direct sunlight and 2) use the insulating cover (which I have for my Engel).

Many friends use the ARB fridge as well with excellent results. It is a high-quality, dependable fridge.

My Engel makes a nice beer cooler in the garage when not in the Cruiser.

I will say that having dry, properly cooled food and drink is priceless. Even more so when my wife is happy because of it!

joebird said:

I have an Engel 35qt fridge I use in my Land Cruiser, haven't used it yet in the TDi but will this year. It is essential to follow the wiring recommendation for the specific model - for example, Engel recommended no less than 10 ga for the length of run from the battery to mounting location in my Cruiser with the fuse as close to the battery as possible.

I can easily leave mine plugged in the Cruiser for 5-7 days with no appreciable strain on the battery. A couple of days won't be noticeable, esp if you 1) keep it out of direct sunlight and 2) use the insulating cover (which I have for my Engel).

Many friends use the ARB fridge as well with excellent results. It is a high-quality, dependable fridge.

My Engel makes a nice beer cooler in the garage when not in the Cruiser.

I will say that having dry, properly cooled food and drink is priceless. Even more so when my wife is happy because of it!

Click to expand...

Exactly, not messing with ice (and water) and a little piece of mind that the beer is always cold, and the steaks are always chilled....

Thanks for the insight....

Digging up another old thread...

I’ve been using the ARB 50 QT fridge in the back of my Touareg for the past year. I commute to other cities for work 3-5 days per week and like saving money and eating better quality food.

I wired the outlet in the cargo area to be hot all the time, for the most part it has worked out great. On really hot summer days in Phoenix I have to crack the windows on the Touareg or the battery protector on the fridge will kick in and allow my food to warm. I use a sunshade and sometimes would put a towel over the rear window to minimize the heat in the truck. Using the fridge in the covered bed of my Cummins truck I never have the battery protector come on regardless of temps, so the stock VW battery and wiring isn’t really adequate. The truck has a 1/0 line to the rear for a trailer winch, so plenty of fridge power.

I have to buy a shorter fridge to fit in the trunk of my Passat, I will be adding a second battery (either Optima yellow top or Sears Group 65 AGM) and a dedicated charge circuit. I’m just trying to figure out if I need the 37 QT or the 63 QT, they both look like they can fit in the trunk.