portable fridges-coolboxes

[nogginthenog]

ok-so here's a bit of a sad question for all you die hard surf campers out there...
any suggestions regarding coolboxes/fridges!!..i've got an electric coolbox i want to take on a 2 week camping holiday but the missus doesn't think it will be any good for the job(goes to 20 degrees below ambient)
is there anyone out there who has another suggestion or a link to follow please
cheers

[rubblebags]

ok-so here's a bit of a sad question for all you die hard surf campers out there...
any suggestions regarding coolboxes/fridges!!..i've got an electric coolbox i want to take on a 2 week camping holiday but the missus doesn't think it will be any good for the job(goes to 20 degrees below ambient)
is there anyone out there who has another suggestion or a link to follow please
cheers

If its just for your beers the cooler box is ace.
The 12 volt fridge is ok for butter ,bacon stuff of that nature but it must be cold first. Dont expect it to freeze it for you.

Geoff

[Tallyman]

Hi Noggin,

I used an electric coolbox in an old caravan that I did some conversion work on because I couldn't get a fridge for it at a reasonable price. It worked Ok in the van but as you say only dropped the temp about 20c below ambient temp, so it was alright on cooler days but struggled in hot weather.

Also, if I ran it on 12v it really hit the battery, so I only used it on 12v when towing. On site I used the 240v connector and that was OK but it did need to be turned off occasionally tro let the fan cool down, so I'd usually turn it off at night.

They are really not that good for long trips, so your missus is probably right about not using one for camping, but at least they are better than nothing.

[nogginthenog]

thanks guys
better get a proper portable fridge by the looks of it!
(and keep the cooler free for beer!)

[stormrider]

Electric coolboxes

I use a Koolatron every day for my sarnies and drinks .We used it when we went down to Portugal in a swb Land cruiser without aircon and it worked fine.It kept the beer cold and the snap fresh.The Koolatron cools to 25degC below ambient ,dunno about other makes.The only problem with them is they dont have a auto shut off for if you forget to unplug them at night.Like wot I keep doin !.Some of the other makes have a voltage sensing system which turns the box off if the battery drops below a preset voltage.You can buy one from Koolatron which is built into the power lead.One day I`ll treat myself to one .Hope that helps.

[nogginthenog]

thanks
just ordered a zanussi portable fridge for 130 quid
so got both now!!

i thought camping was cheap....!
and i spent 180 quid earlier on 'stuff'
oh well

[Phil H]

I use a Koolatron every day for my sarnies and drinks .We used it when we went down to Portugal in a swb Land cruiser without aircon and it worked fine.It kept the beer cold and the snap fresh.The Koolatron cools to 25degC below ambient ,dunno about other makes.The only problem with them is they dont have a auto shut off for if you forget to unplug them at night.Like wot I keep doin !.Some of the other makes have a voltage sensing system which turns the box off if the battery drops below a preset voltage.You can buy one from Koolatron which is built into the power lead.One day I`ll treat myself to one .Hope that helps.

I had the same problems forgetting to switch things off. I bought a 3 way ciggy lighter splitter from Halfords for about £10 and it has a voltage sensor built in so you don't flatten your battery past the point of starting the engine.

Phil.

[da SLUG man]

use my halfords cool/warm box every day at work for the past year.. always been fine... left on 24/7.

takes ages to get cold at first though, esp if there's not much in it...
try www.truckstuff.co.uk for travel stuff, fridges, tv's, kettles etc... (make sure it's available in 12v though!)

[mark g8awo]

The easiest way to make sure you dont flatten the battery is to install a spur off your aux socket so there is only power when the ignition is on. Make sure you use the feed for the fridge line this has the switched relay on it.

[Silver Surfer]

The power is off on my ciggie lighter socket when the ignition iss off, and I wish it wasn't, as my sat/nav resets itself every time i stop to collect or deliver.

If you want a top notch/low power use fridge, save up and treat youself to an Engel, they're the k9s cojones.
John

[AndyLala]

you could always go a little mad....

expedition fridge freezers...

However these are designed for the job.
http://www.engelinternational.com/
http://www.minus40.co.za/
http://www.nationalluna.com/

Sorry, its late and that was a little flippant.

AndyL

[Hilux]

ice

Hi or you could go out and buy a "LANDCRUISER" like mine it has a coolbox and it also makes ice cubes.

[nogginthenog]

thanks for all the info
as usual, a mine of information from the cross section of lives on this forum!!