Well done brother. I'm 72 years old and have been car camping for 50+ years using ice in my coolers. Last year I switched to an ICECO JP30 and recently bought their APL35. Trips to the cabin and other tent camping trips are 3 to 4 days and I camp 5 -6 times a year. I use an EcoFlow Delta 2 and extra battery for the fridge and other small charging needs. Game changer...no more ice for me. I camp twice a year with 8 - 10 high school buddies, all of them use coolers with ice.
I have a bodega 48qt fridge off amazon. It has a built in cutting board and lights inside. Its duel zone but can set both to fridge or freezer, usually just fridge on both. It has pull out baskets inside so you don’t have to dig for things in the fridge just pull the basket and take it to your cooking area to get what you need. It has wheels and an extendable handle. You can also purchase a battery so if its unplugged can still run for like 6-8hrs. It also has plug in for phone and a solar panel. I have been using it for about 3yrs or so and its great. I got it on a black friday for 360$. Id never spend a 1000$ on a fridge… also, I use a ecoflow to plug it into and like you said make sure its charging while driving. Im going to be hooking up a solar panel to a battery charge controller that will keep my AGM Odyssey topped off.
I have the same recently did a 15,000Km trip and not 1 bag of ice, even was able to freeze fresh fish we caught on the one side. I have the Bluetooth model which is great for keeping an eye on fridge temps while in the cab etc. Saved a lot on buying ice and cooler doesn't fill with melted ice water. Running on 100Amp hour lithium battery pack which charges off of the alternator when driving and or solar. I also use it on my boat. All this is a game changer.
Dude thanks for the overview, loved it! I have enjoyed 12-volt fridges and currently have a 62L dual compartment Wynter that we like. The lesson I have learned though is not to rely on one power/battery source to keep it topped off. We have a Buetti EB3A 268Wh battery pack that we were using and just barely balancing the demands of the fridge power needs with charging it via solar during the day...until the incident happened... A cousin hooked his laptop up to our battery pack to charge in the evening without verifying if it was okay with us and it COMPLETELY drained the portable battery dead. I was frantic coming up with a solution and ended up just having to charge the battery pack off of my vehicle over a few hours to give our fridge enough juice on eco mode to have safe temperatures until the next sunny day. Definitely a story that stays in my mind!
My Iceco lives in my truckbed covered by my GFC. Hooked up to a Goal Zero Yeti hooked up to solar. So quick and easy whether it’s being used for an extended trip, a family picnic, or to even carry groceries home from the store. Very worth it
I LOVE my Iceco, have had it for 2 years now and no issues. Never going back to coolers for food. Controlled temp and no ice is life changing! Great video
I'm a trucker. My truck has a built in refrigerator, but I got a cheap 55L AliExpress special, set for 20F. I can buy in bulk, and freeze what I'm not going to eat in the next few days. I also have a small 17L fridge up by the driver's seat for my cold drinks. I love them!
We just got a Setpower RV45s and a BLUETTI AC180. Did a test and the battery ran it for 96 hours, eventually we will get a solar panel for unlimited run time (live in AZ with a lot of sunny days). Really excited to use it next week on our camping trip.
You can even leave out store baltwashed. Aids on the counter for a couple days. Eye water glass eggs farm unwashed eggs in a lime brine. And put him on the shelf. I'm going through eggs now. Eating on that. 's about thirteen months old.
I've had two iceco coolers, they're amazing. Got the second because I needed a different form factor and lid opening when moving from truck to 4R and sold the first one. Won't ever go back to ice. Also iceco has some of the best compressors in the biz, definitely one of the best bang for the buck brands vs the really big name $$$$ ones.
I totally recommend these icecos. Been running the go20 for 2 years straight now and the running jp40 pro non stop for over a year I use them as extra fridges at the house and of course when I go camping. To this day I never have any weird issues with them . Absolutely no issues at all.
We just went on a 9-day trip in our basic build-out camper van and used an older cooler. We went through about a bag of ice every day, which means a wasted plastic bag per day. I think it's worth it to buy a 12-Volt Fridge, just need to save up for one! Thanks for the info. Be safe and enjoy your adventures.
I bought a used Dometic CFX-IC35 on Facebook marketplace. Got it for have the price of a new one. I then got a protective jacket for it. It’s so wonderful not having to buy ice anymore and having to deal with draining the water out all the time. The thing lives in my backseat and comes in handy every single day. No more coolers!!!!
In the past, I've done the ice and dry ice coolers. Now I have an iceco dual zone. I love the fact that I no longer have to get ice of any kind. I really love being able to bring ice cream... I did however goto the expense of DIY building a LIFEPO4 400 amp-hour solar power station to power the cooler and several other things like lights, M18 batteries, heater blanket and even my winch... The power station has 3 way charging capability. 400 watt Solar, Vehicle Alternator, and 120 vac Shore Power. With this, I've been running the cooler year round for nearly a year and a half now.
I bought the BougeRV 48L dual zone w/split doors. I got the back up battery and the cover. So far I love this thing. It cools down quickly, it has the baskets, the LED lights (which are amazing) it’s quiet and with the wheels and extendable handle you can’t beat it. You can charge it via 12v, A/C, or solar. It also has a usb port and a built in bottle opener! Lol I spent under $700.00 for the whole package.
I have the Apl55 Black, I power it with my Pecron E2000LFP and I have 2 Pecron solar panels available, 200W and 330W PLUS the NEW car charger Pecron sells which converts 12V battery power to UP TO 500W of charging power from your car battery while you drive. I drive from Cali to Arizona frequently and this is my setup :)
I am in AZ and just got the Pecron car charger, glad to hear it's working well for you! Do you have it permanently installed? I've seen comments about people using alligator clips to quickly install or remove it, which would be my best option for now. Can't wait to try it for Cali trips as well 😁
@@kirk1968 Mine is permanently installed, only took about one hour total to do, I have a Chevy Avalanche and the only concern I have is my truck bed gets HOT so when I open the tailgate all I hear are the fans on the charger and Iceco cooler running. I'm going to rig my bed covers to allow airflow or just open the midgate to allow air circulation.
I’ve got the APL55 and love it. I pre ordered it last year when they were announced and have had it running in the back of my 80 series since. I use a KickAss battery box with a 100ah lithium battery. I built a custom 2 drawer slide in the back and mounted the fridge and battery back there. I never have to plug my fridge in because the battery box charges off my car when it’s driving and even in Missouris hottest months with the fridge running the freezer to keep ice cream I still get 24-36 hours off a full charge.
I managed to score a Lifetime 77qt. cooler for $71 on clearance at wally world. when camping I use frozen water bottles in the cooler. then bought an Alpicool 10 qt 12V freezer I use to refreeze and rotate out the water bottles. freezer is inexpensive, small, & works great.
I agree that these might be awesome, but comparing the costs of the coolers is only part of the story. You would also be looking at spending another thousand or more for a power station with that capacity plus hindreds on a viable solar panel with enough juice to keep you going. This also adds more and more weight to your configuation. I'm sure we are assuming that most already have a power station, but it is a factor to consider. Great video, as always!!!
Comparing price to overpriced Yeti coolers seems silly. I've been using my $80 Coleman extreme coolers for decades for weeklong Baja camping and fishing trips in 80-90 degree temps, and they work great (without having to replenish ice). I freeze water bottles for the food cooler (keeps food dry) and make blocks of ice at home for 2nd and 3rd fish coolers. Trick is to wrap the coolers with old sleeping bags for added insulation. I thought about 12v coolers but prefer the simpler (no battery, compressor, etc) and less expensive method. Appreciate your videos.
@@SOLDOZER Of course making ice is not as simple as not making it (still pretty simple though). My point is that non-electric coolers are simpler in design (no compressor, battery, wiring), and also substantially cheaper. I think my initial comment made that pretty clear.
All Great points. I like to have a few frozen water bottles in both the fridge and freezer portions to help regulate the temps. I put my fridge in the back seat like you and am trying a drawer type fridge next. It will make it so much easier to get things out and see where everything is.
I bought the APL55 for my first fridge. Two trips in and it’s great! I’ve yet to see a video on the cart, guess I’ll have to make one myself. I pull my 60% seat out to sleep inside my 100 series. Then return it when I get home and return the rig to do double duty as the family hauler. A little heavy of a seat, but like you said, it’s not hard. Only 4 bolts.
I bought an inexpensive 12V Coleman fridge a while back, mainly to travel from FL to Canada and back. Yes pre-cooling everything is the golden rule. We even had sandwiches in there. It is so practical even if you get it just for drinks.
Great video! You unwrapped a bunch of thoughts that I hadn't considered, and not just about the fridges. (making space by removing seats, what happens to a fridge or other bulky gear in an accident, etc.) I also liked the idea about freezing ice in the 12 volt fridge, then transferring it to the regular ice chest.
I switched about 20 years back. I was still shooting a lot of film - 90% film 10% digital, and had a mishap with ice, well, cold water really, and ruined 60 sheets of 4x5 Provia more than 20 exposed - now it’s all digital, but I love not having to deal with ice or blue ice blocks. I am going to upgrade as my old unit less than 1/2 of what I currently need - which is 35-40 min.
For me, a fridge would also serve as a backup during our frequent power outages/public safety power shutoffs etc here in California. Still waiting to pull the trigger on one though.
I have a Dometic CFX3-75DZ. Really wanted a dual-zone, but wished Dometic made a smaller unit. I run mine off my group-31 dual-purpose starter battery with 100W solar and it works really well off the 10A cigarette lighter adapter even with the 0.2V voltage drop. I drive every😅 day while camping so battery never really dies. I have a Noco booster in case it does.
I have been using an Engel 40 litre fridge freezer since 91. A Dometic 40 litre since 2010 now a beer fridge in my garage. In my 300 series Landcruiser I have a 30 litre draw fridge that runs for over a week on a 100 amp hour lithium battery.. I have cold drinks on hand every day. 🇦🇺🍺
Great vid. This confirms my future purchase of a portable fridge/freezer. The other thing that makes me want to buy one is that my 21 Ford F150 powerboost hybrid has 120V outlets in the back and can run in generator mode for days to power things like this.
I have been through several 110v fridge over the yrs in my offgrid setup until i purchased a 12v cooler ( vevor) it has been functioning for 2 yrs constant now with no issues the 110v used up to 600 watts at times. During winter is a big draw on a constant kick on the compressor and a good draw on the batteries in winter we started using an ice chest outside in the winter to keep food. Im currently looking at a 12v/solar upright fridge.
One advantage is many new vehicles are putting significant power on board. On my F150, I have 7..2KW in the truck bed. The new Land Cruiser has 2.4KW in the back as well. I'm getting my bed topper tomorrow, then it's getting a fridge to keep in the bed. I'm intrigued with the dual zone models. We like to take long trips (1 month/8,000 miles or more). We typically are pulling a small camper, but the old style absorption fridge does not keep food consistently cold. Why RV companies continue to put those POS absorption fridges in RVs is very sad. And I have yet to have seen a compressor fridge designed to fit in the same hole where my RV fridge is located.
You don't have to take the bed off to install power to the bed. Cut a hole and install your outlet and throw the wires to the bottom, and run through the frame with zip ties. Install your inverter somewhere inside your truck.
Surprising you had to remove your truck bed to get power to it. I got 12v to the bed of my ‘88-‘98 Chevy truck pretty easily. Would recommend that mod for a fridge. But it’s nice having it in the cab with you too.
The Toyota fan boys would like you to believe they are trail ready but they are not. They like to bash Land Rovers but my LR4 has a power plug in the back and if we need a lift there's a button to add that😂
If you have really deep pockets the iceco is nice. But for the majority of people it's way over priced. I have owned an Alpicool with the LG compressor 55 qt for 3 years and it is awesome. I also own the Uhomy 30qt for short trips or to keep inside my GMC Canyon and it was $149 and is awesome.
Yes helpful. Great idea about using freezer section to swap out ice packs. Can keep drinks and veggie/fruit in it and meats and cheese and lots of bacon in fridge.
Good stuff. I'm about to get one myself. Trying to make use of memorial day sales and getting it for my father's day present. Should come in handy for a 5 day trip up to the sierra's in June.
Except for the Bluetti fridge I have which has a 716 watt hour battery built in. I ran it this weekend for 2 full days and it still had 28 hours left when I plugged it in. And I only took it off the charger at 88 percent, and we made ice both nights. That battery was literally the reason I bought it , and I have other batteries too. I think it should be mentioned separately given it does the battery thing properly
Yeah wiring up the back of the vehicle can be a pain. I fell into the trap thinking "I'll just do it before night shift real quick" ore than once. Luckily those truck beds aren't sealed too well and with a bit of searching you'll often find suitable holes in the body where you can run cables through. I never had to take off more than a few rubber plugs or plastic covers while running the cables in my Amarok. But maybe that's just one of the quite rare incidents where VW actually thought about their customers... Just be carefull not to draw too much current from those factory 12V outlets in the back. They are often wired with way too thin cables to power more than the fridge and some minor accessories and in some vehicles they are only powered when the ignition is on.
I have that exact iceco fridge. My silver is so scuffed from the soft feet of the battery. Then, lol, the dust came. Now it’s like an intentionally scuffed metal look. It’s crazy how sensitive that metal is.
Good video. Been looking at these for a while. I’m gonna buy two. I want a freezer for my travel trailer. I just moved into it, and my fridge is decent sized, but I’m having to put my freezer from my house at my parents house, and it’s chuck full of steak, and it’s 30 minutes from where I’m at. Probably going to go for the big Iceco 75. For my Suburban (and I’ll just move it to and from the Sub to the F350 whenever I put a camper on it) I’ll go for a duel zone one around 55-60 liter.
Great video with great tips, I have a Setpower 37 quart that I use as a freezer in the cab of my truck. There's nothing better than being able to have ice cream along while boondocking, along with premade frozen meals.
Gotta say, I loved this video! Been considering a fridge for a while, and planned on building a slide out drawer system for the back of my 4Runner for it. But really liking the idea of removing the 70 portion of the 2nd row and placing it behind the drivers seat.
I have the Anker 12v, it uses a 300wh battery and has about 30h of life in my suv. But I do agree it’s kinda pointless. I have a 500wh solar generator that’s plenty of capacity. I’m about to install 3.6kwh in the suv and will probably look for a different fridge
The yeti 75 tundra cooler has a storage capacity of 60 quarts. FYI. I just wanted to add that as your video starts off with incorrect information. The yeti 65 has a storage capacity of 50 quarts. Why does yeti do this? I have no idea but it is true and you can look it up.
Once the ice starts melting on the cooler enjoy your soup sandwich, LOL. I bought a Setpower fridge RV45D, it's cheap and good enough for a weekend warrior like me, IMO.
Great advice once again on a simple convenient item that is a must I think on the road! I have the 75 l Iceco and am very happy with it! I went large because I never know how long I might be out and for how long! lol My duel zone allows me to do that. with one large side and one med. you have the choice of on off freezer fridge.. it was a no brainer for me.. nice to also have just a beer side or fridge. LOL . love it!
After 25+ years of dry ice/ice camping with a finite passive system .I recently purchased my new power station/fridge combo..my worry is just that ...that's more maintaine checking power ,solar ,battery ..idk ...if I can stay out longer it will be worth it ..
9:42 I wish someone would make a strap that uses child seat LATCH anchors. Currently I’m securing my EcoFlow battery with a seatbelt and the fridge with a generic strap.
You mentioned pluging your fridge into your power station and power station into the car. It would be great if you could explain further how you do that. Do you have a DC to DC charger? Most power stations dont charge very quickly off of a standard 12v plug do they? Thanks for the video. Always good info.
Im going on a road trip and will have the fridge plugged into the 12v while driving. While the car is off, how long will the fridge stay cool, will it be ok overnight? Maybe I should use this as a freezer (ice bottles) and bring a regular cooler for the food? Otherwise I guess I need to get an expensive power station?
Great video. I have not seen anyone cover the one problem I have, which most overlanders don't seem to have. When I'm cruising through the whoops with my LT, everything in my truck goes flying if I don't secure it like I'm going to sea. Everything in the cooler goes into blender mode. It's ok if I pack a cooler tight, but eventually as you use things, it allows internal movement. Has anyone made a good solution to clamp things down tight in a fridge (or any other drawer/container) so things don't get all messed up when doing real offroading?
Thanks Nate! Just bought the ICECO, that same generator and one of your hats! Question though..if I precool fridge… how long will it last on generator if I don’t have solar panel backup?
You said you purchased a fridge with your own money. Curious as to what you bought. I bought a Dometic CFX3 35 portable fridge and freezer combo. What are your thoughts on it? It’s just a tad bit more money than this one. Also have the Bluetti AC180 as well as the Bluetti PV200 solar panel. Again, would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Oh! I should get my Dometic fridge sometime towards the end of next week. Thank you
I’m still trying to wrap my head around why you would need to remove the bed of a truck to run 12 V back there. I’m a ham radio operator I’ve run all kinds of wires all over all kinds of vehicles and never have I ever had to take a body panel or a bit off to do it.
Taking a bed off is real easy… and when you are wiring a whole truck definitely worth it… if you are running 1 antenna cable… sure… no problem… but that wasn’t what we were talking about.
Great video. I am planning to have my fridge in the back of truck but I don't have a tonneau cover so I am worried about elements like rain and dust. What 12v fridge will you recommend that is economical and will this cover help? I am not sure the dust or rain will get into the compressor vents.
The cover will help for sure with efficiency. I have run one in the truck bed open on a big trip with lots of rain and had no issues… but that was just one trip.
I have 3 kids… and every trip is different. Sometimes I go with one kid, sometimes we go on hard enough trails we take two vehicles to help with recoveries or if we break something. I pack accordingly. My youngest is 2 so she goes out less then the older two.
I have a tundra crewmax like yours. I want to do a 2/3s seat delete system that goose gear makes for the 2nd gen tundras. If i go with that fridge in your video is it worth it to have a slide out mounted so the fridge can be pulled out thru the back drivers side door. Or is it not nessicary? Wasnt sure if the side opening design is enough to get stuff out or if the slide would make it better? Awesome video btw!👍👍👍
Dude! 🤔Not that I've done it, but I think you're exaggerating the difficulties of getting 12 volts into the bed of a truck? Please tell me you didn't take the bed off your truck just to run 12 volt into it? I can't think of one good reason why the bed would have to come off the frame? Just run a wire from the battery, along the frame rail and through a drilled and grommeted hole into the bed. The ground wire wouldl just go to the frame rail withl a self-tapping screw. (With a pilot hole) You could probably just hang a receptacle under the top rail of your bed with a bracket) or (worst case) with a hole saw, just install the 12-volt receptacle on the interior wall of the bed and Wal La, you've got 12 volts in your bed!
Too late. I bought a Vevor one for only $230 CAD. It makes me so happy when I'm doing forestry work and eating ice cream and drinking smoothies. Runs on the truck on the way there then on a tiny power station for about 6 hours maintaining -22C at about 40C inside the truck. I looked at the ICECO with dual chambers so you can run fridge and freezer at the same time and dude they're nice! But totally unnecessary to spend $1100 for me. Maybe if I lived full time in my rig. Your power station does pass thru charging? That is sick. That would be very useful. I have to correct one mistake here - there is a persistent myth that a full fridge or freezer is more efficient but if you look it up, it's a myth. You can pre cool the unit empty, then fill it up at the last second, it only takes me about an hour. "Seat Delete" is an awesome term! And about the ultimate 4Runner mod! That's how I fit a bed inside (front passenger "seat delete")!
The empty fridge thing is based on use... not initial cooling or just running a fridge. If you have a fridge largely full of air it is easy to lose cooled air every time you open the door... air will also have a faster heat exchange then a fully cooled liquid... so it isn't a myth that it is more efficient to have a full fridge... if you plan on ever opening the door...
@@OutdoorAuto that is the controversy to which I'm referring, I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm not sure how you're testing it and I haven't done a scientific test of it myself, but everything I've read tells me that it makes no difference since the contents of the fridge take an equivalent amount of energy to cool compared to the amount of energy they conserve. They say that cold air rushing out is quite a small loss of efficiency since air has a low thermal mass. And that seems consistent to my experience. So I'm still pretty sure it's a myth. Anyway my freezer is -22C and running on like 35 watts, so I think it's working.
Another tip for pre cracked eggs, you can crack them into a bottle, the form factor of a less likely to accidentally open/ spill and likely slots in to already present bottle spaces in the fridge Also makes it easier to pour the eggs into the pan when cooking
LOL $900?! Ya right. Finally these are coming down in price! I remember 5 years ago I was pricing out "good" 12v fridges and they were $900!!! Now you can get a dual zone fridge/freezer for $250. Iceco is over priced. Just get a SetPower, it has a three year warranty. Even if it only lasts 3 years you can buy another one and it will be cheaper than buying an Iceco. Shop around even BougeRv has a better option than this.
Cool video. For those of us that have more of a backpacking background and already own a yeti cooler, I’m not sure it’s worth a fridge plus a 1000 watt hour battery plus solar panel plus vehicle modifications.
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Well done brother. I'm 72 years old and have been car camping for 50+ years using ice in my coolers. Last year I switched to an ICECO JP30 and recently bought their APL35. Trips to the cabin and other tent camping trips are 3 to 4 days and I camp 5 -6 times a year. I use an EcoFlow Delta 2 and extra battery for the fridge and other small charging needs. Game changer...no more ice for me. I camp twice a year with 8 - 10 high school buddies, all of them use coolers with ice.
I have a bodega 48qt fridge off amazon. It has a built in cutting board and lights inside. Its duel zone but can set both to fridge or freezer, usually just fridge on both. It has pull out baskets inside so you don’t have to dig for things in the fridge just pull the basket and take it to your cooking area to get what you need. It has wheels and an extendable handle. You can also purchase a battery so if its unplugged can still run for like 6-8hrs. It also has plug in for phone and a solar panel. I have been using it for about 3yrs or so and its great. I got it on a black friday for 360$. Id never spend a 1000$ on a fridge… also, I use a ecoflow to plug it into and like you said make sure its charging while driving. Im going to be hooking up a solar panel to a battery charge controller that will keep my AGM Odyssey topped off.
I have the same recently did a 15,000Km trip and not 1 bag of ice, even was able to freeze fresh fish we caught on the one side. I have the Bluetooth model which is great for keeping an eye on fridge temps while in the cab etc. Saved a lot on buying ice and cooler doesn't fill with melted ice water. Running on 100Amp hour lithium battery pack which charges off of the alternator when driving and or solar. I also use it on my boat. All this is a game changer.
Dude thanks for the overview, loved it! I have enjoyed 12-volt fridges and currently have a 62L dual compartment Wynter that we like. The lesson I have learned though is not to rely on one power/battery source to keep it topped off. We have a Buetti EB3A 268Wh battery pack that we were using and just barely balancing the demands of the fridge power needs with charging it via solar during the day...until the incident happened...
A cousin hooked his laptop up to our battery pack to charge in the evening without verifying if it was okay with us and it COMPLETELY drained the portable battery dead. I was frantic coming up with a solution and ended up just having to charge the battery pack off of my vehicle over a few hours to give our fridge enough juice on eco mode to have safe temperatures until the next sunny day. Definitely a story that stays in my mind!
My Iceco lives in my truckbed covered by my GFC. Hooked up to a Goal Zero Yeti hooked up to solar. So quick and easy whether it’s being used for an extended trip, a family picnic, or to even carry groceries home from the store. Very worth it
I LOVE my Iceco, have had it for 2 years now and no issues. Never going back to coolers for food. Controlled temp and no ice is life changing! Great video
The no ice thing really is amazing.
I'm a trucker. My truck has a built in refrigerator, but I got a cheap 55L AliExpress special, set for 20F. I can buy in bulk, and freeze what I'm not going to eat in the next few days. I also have a small 17L fridge up by the driver's seat for my cold drinks. I love them!
4 years with my iceco living in my truck all summer long. Cold water, cold lunches, and its there and ready for camping trips.
That’s good to hear… no issues with mine as well.
We just got a Setpower RV45s and a BLUETTI AC180. Did a test and the battery ran it for 96 hours, eventually we will get a solar panel for unlimited run time (live in AZ with a lot of sunny days). Really excited to use it next week on our camping trip.
Just as good for less than half the price. SMART!
dude, getcha fresh unwashed eggs. they keep for a couple months unrefrigerated. great vid. will be getting a fridge soon. very apropos.
Anything less than farm fresh is just uncivilized
Dude lives on a farm, he must have chickens no 🤷♂️
Only Americans refrigerate eggs...lol
You can even leave out store baltwashed. Aids on the counter for a couple days. Eye water glass eggs farm unwashed eggs in a lime brine. And put him on the shelf. I'm going through eggs now. Eating on that. 's about thirteen months old.
My 2 favorite moochdocking sites come with 🐓 wake up calls and fresh eggs 😂
I've had two iceco coolers, they're amazing. Got the second because I needed a different form factor and lid opening when moving from truck to 4R and sold the first one. Won't ever go back to ice. Also iceco has some of the best compressors in the biz, definitely one of the best bang for the buck brands vs the really big name $$$$ ones.
I totally recommend these icecos. Been running the go20 for 2 years straight now and the running jp40 pro non stop for over a year I use them as extra fridges at the house and of course when I go camping. To this day I never have any weird issues with them . Absolutely no issues at all.
We just went on a 9-day trip in our basic build-out camper van and used an older cooler. We went through about a bag of ice every day, which means a wasted plastic bag per day. I think it's worth it to buy a 12-Volt Fridge, just need to save up for one! Thanks for the info. Be safe and enjoy your adventures.
I bought a used Dometic CFX-IC35 on Facebook marketplace. Got it for have the price of a new one. I then got a protective jacket for it. It’s so wonderful not having to buy ice anymore and having to deal with draining the water out all the time. The thing lives in my backseat and comes in handy every single day. No more coolers!!!!
The water in your food is the worst part of coolers… soggy boxes and eggs…
In the past, I've done the ice and dry ice coolers. Now I have an iceco dual zone. I love the fact that I no longer have to get ice of any kind. I really love being able to bring ice cream...
I did however goto the expense of DIY building a LIFEPO4 400 amp-hour solar power station to power the cooler and several other things like lights, M18 batteries, heater blanket and even my winch... The power station has 3 way charging capability.
400 watt Solar, Vehicle Alternator, and 120 vac Shore Power.
With this, I've been running the cooler year round for nearly a year and a half now.
I bought the BougeRV 48L dual zone w/split doors. I got the back up battery and the cover. So far I love this thing. It cools down quickly, it has the baskets, the LED lights (which are amazing) it’s quiet and with the wheels and extendable handle you can’t beat it. You can charge it via 12v, A/C, or solar. It also has a usb port and a built in bottle opener! Lol I spent under $700.00 for the whole package.
Bought the euhomy 55L fridge a few years ago for my camper van. Now it’s being used in my house powered by solar only. Has been a damn good fridge
I have the Apl55 Black, I power it with my Pecron E2000LFP and I have 2 Pecron solar panels available, 200W and 330W PLUS the NEW car charger Pecron sells which converts 12V battery power to UP TO 500W of charging power from your car battery while you drive. I drive from Cali to Arizona frequently and this is my setup :)
I am in AZ and just got the Pecron car charger, glad to hear it's working well for you! Do you have it permanently installed? I've seen comments about people using alligator clips to quickly install or remove it, which would be my best option for now. Can't wait to try it for Cali trips as well 😁
@@kirk1968 Mine is permanently installed, only took about one hour total to do, I have a Chevy Avalanche and the only concern I have is my truck bed gets HOT so when I open the tailgate all I hear are the fans on the charger and Iceco cooler running. I'm going to rig my bed covers to allow airflow or just open the midgate to allow air circulation.
@@code3k5 Thanks brother, that sounds like a good plan. The charger looks to be quite a good addition.
I’ve got the APL55 and love it. I pre ordered it last year when they were announced and have had it running in the back of my 80 series since. I use a KickAss battery box with a 100ah lithium battery. I built a custom 2 drawer slide in the back and mounted the fridge and battery back there.
I never have to plug my fridge in because the battery box charges off my car when it’s driving and even in Missouris hottest months with the fridge running the freezer to keep ice cream I still get 24-36 hours off a full charge.
I managed to score a Lifetime 77qt. cooler for $71 on clearance at wally world. when camping I use frozen water bottles in the cooler. then bought an Alpicool 10 qt 12V freezer I use to refreeze and rotate out the water bottles. freezer is inexpensive, small, & works great.
As for lights, i picked up 2 packs of motion sensor lights with magnetic backs on Amazon for inside cabinets but they would work in a fridge also
I agree that these might be awesome, but comparing the costs of the coolers is only part of the story. You would also be looking at spending another thousand or more for a power station with that capacity plus hindreds on a viable solar panel with enough juice to keep you going. This also adds more and more weight to your configuation. I'm sure we are assuming that most already have a power station, but it is a factor to consider. Great video, as always!!!
You clearly know nothing about power stations or Lithium prices. Hundreds on solar panels? LOL No.
Comparing price to overpriced Yeti coolers seems silly. I've been using my $80 Coleman extreme coolers for decades for weeklong Baja camping and fishing trips in 80-90 degree temps, and they work great (without having to replenish ice). I freeze water bottles for the food cooler (keeps food dry) and make blocks of ice at home for 2nd and 3rd fish coolers. Trick is to wrap the coolers with old sleeping bags for added insulation. I thought about 12v coolers but prefer the simpler (no battery, compressor, etc) and less expensive method.
Appreciate your videos.
You can make all the blocks of ice you want for your cheapo coolers. Its still not more simple than a 12v fridge.
@@SOLDOZER Of course making ice is not as simple as not making it (still pretty simple though). My point is that non-electric coolers are simpler in design (no compressor, battery, wiring), and also substantially cheaper. I think my initial comment made that pretty clear.
@@SOLDOZER
I see where my initial comment was unclear. I should have said simpler "design", not simpler "method". My bad.
All Great points. I like to have a few frozen water bottles in both the fridge and freezer portions to help regulate the temps. I put my fridge in the back seat like you and am trying a drawer type fridge next. It will make it so much easier to get things out and see where everything is.
I bought the APL55 for my first fridge. Two trips in and it’s great! I’ve yet to see a video on the cart, guess I’ll have to make one myself.
I pull my 60% seat out to sleep inside my 100 series. Then return it when I get home and return the rig to do double duty as the family hauler. A little heavy of a seat, but like you said, it’s not hard. Only 4 bolts.
All great points. We have one. Works in the truck and the boat. Game changer for us. We do not need to manage ice anymore.
I bought an inexpensive 12V Coleman fridge a while back, mainly to travel from FL to Canada and back. Yes pre-cooling everything is the golden rule. We even had sandwiches in there. It is so practical even if you get it just for drinks.
Great video! You unwrapped a bunch of thoughts that I hadn't considered, and not just about the fridges. (making space by removing seats, what happens to a fridge or other bulky gear in an accident, etc.) I also liked the idea about freezing ice in the 12 volt fridge, then transferring it to the regular ice chest.
I switched about 20 years back. I was still shooting a lot of film - 90% film 10% digital, and had a mishap with ice, well, cold water really, and ruined 60 sheets of 4x5 Provia more than 20 exposed - now it’s all digital, but I love not having to deal with ice or blue ice blocks.
I am going to upgrade as my old unit less than 1/2 of what I currently need - which is 35-40 min.
Been rocking 12v fridges since 2015. 2 Dometics (one ARB). Powerstations have made things a lot easier, but nothing beats always having cold drinks.
Love my fridge! Getting away from ice is a game changer!
Ice soup is the worst.
For me, a fridge would also serve as a backup during our frequent power outages/public safety power shutoffs etc here in California. Still waiting to pull the trigger on one though.
I have a Dometic CFX3-75DZ. Really wanted a dual-zone, but wished Dometic made a smaller unit. I run mine off my group-31 dual-purpose starter battery with 100W solar and it works really well off the 10A cigarette lighter adapter even with the 0.2V voltage drop. I drive every😅 day while camping so battery never really dies. I have a Noco booster in case it does.
I have been using an Engel 40 litre fridge freezer since 91. A Dometic 40 litre since 2010 now a beer fridge in my garage. In my 300 series Landcruiser I have a 30 litre draw fridge that runs for over a week on a 100 amp hour lithium battery.. I have cold drinks on hand every day. 🇦🇺🍺
Great vid. This confirms my future purchase of a portable fridge/freezer. The other thing that makes me want to buy one is that my 21 Ford F150 powerboost hybrid has 120V outlets in the back and can run in generator mode for days to power things like this.
I have been through several 110v fridge over the yrs in my offgrid setup until i purchased a 12v cooler ( vevor) it has been functioning for 2 yrs constant now with no issues the 110v used up to 600 watts at times. During winter is a big draw on a constant kick on the compressor and a good draw on the batteries in winter we started using an ice chest outside in the winter to keep food. Im currently looking at a 12v/solar upright fridge.
One advantage is many new vehicles are putting significant power on board. On my F150, I have 7..2KW in the truck bed. The new Land Cruiser has 2.4KW in the back as well. I'm getting my bed topper tomorrow, then it's getting a fridge to keep in the bed. I'm intrigued with the dual zone models. We like to take long trips (1 month/8,000 miles or more). We typically are pulling a small camper, but the old style absorption fridge does not keep food consistently cold. Why RV companies continue to put those POS absorption fridges in RVs is very sad. And I have yet to have seen a compressor fridge designed to fit in the same hole where my RV fridge is located.
My ARB has been running nonstop for 10+ years. Buy once cry once.
You don't have to take the bed off to install power to the bed. Cut a hole and install your outlet and throw the wires to the bottom, and run through the frame with zip ties. Install your inverter somewhere inside your truck.
Surprising you had to remove your truck bed to get power to it. I got 12v to the bed of my ‘88-‘98 Chevy truck pretty easily. Would recommend that mod for a fridge. But it’s nice having it in the cab with you too.
I wanted to wire it in on the back of the bed really nice so I probably made it harder than I needed to
The Toyota fan boys would like you to believe they are trail ready but they are not.
They like to bash Land Rovers but my LR4 has a power plug in the back and if we need a lift there's a button to add that😂
@@raymondclark1785My 01 crv has a plug in the back lol and a picnic table
If you have really deep pockets the iceco is nice. But for the majority of people it's way over priced. I have owned an Alpicool with the LG compressor 55 qt for 3 years and it is awesome. I also own the Uhomy 30qt for short trips or to keep inside my GMC Canyon and it was $149 and is awesome.
Yes helpful. Great idea about using freezer section to swap out ice packs. Can keep drinks and veggie/fruit in it and meats and cheese and lots of bacon in fridge.
Good stuff. I'm about to get one myself. Trying to make use of memorial day sales and getting it for my father's day present. Should come in handy for a 5 day trip up to the sierra's in June.
Except for the Bluetti fridge I have which has a 716 watt hour battery built in. I ran it this weekend for 2 full days and it still had 28 hours left when I plugged it in. And I only took it off the charger at 88 percent, and we made ice both nights. That battery was literally the reason I bought it , and I have other batteries too. I think it should be mentioned separately given it does the battery thing properly
Yeah wiring up the back of the vehicle can be a pain. I fell into the trap thinking "I'll just do it before night shift real quick" ore than once. Luckily those truck beds aren't sealed too well and with a bit of searching you'll often find suitable holes in the body where you can run cables through. I never had to take off more than a few rubber plugs or plastic covers while running the cables in my Amarok. But maybe that's just one of the quite rare incidents where VW actually thought about their customers... Just be carefull not to draw too much current from those factory 12V outlets in the back. They are often wired with way too thin cables to power more than the fridge and some minor accessories and in some vehicles they are only powered when the ignition is on.
I have that exact iceco fridge. My silver is so scuffed from the soft feet of the battery. Then, lol, the dust came. Now it’s like an intentionally scuffed metal look. It’s crazy how sensitive that metal is.
Good video. Been looking at these for a while. I’m gonna buy two. I want a freezer for my travel trailer. I just moved into it, and my fridge is decent sized, but I’m having to put my freezer from my house at my parents house, and it’s chuck full of steak, and it’s 30 minutes from where I’m at. Probably going to go for the big Iceco 75. For my Suburban (and I’ll just move it to and from the Sub to the F350 whenever I put a camper on it) I’ll go for a duel zone one around 55-60 liter.
Great video with great tips, I have a Setpower 37 quart that I use as a freezer in the cab of my truck. There's nothing better than being able to have ice cream along while boondocking, along with premade frozen meals.
Great info! Love my fridges - one in the teardrop, one in the back of my SUV. May only use the small portion of the suv fridge for ice.
Gotta say, I loved this video! Been considering a fridge for a while, and planned on building a slide out drawer system for the back of my 4Runner for it. But really liking the idea of removing the 70 portion of the 2nd row and placing it behind the drivers seat.
Great review! My small yeti works fine for my 2-4 day trips but I’m ready to make the switch! Wish they made a smaller model though.
Iceco makes smaller models... and I am pretty sure my coupon works on most there stuff... might be worth looking.
Never look back. Soggy food with ice is the worst
I have the Anker 12v, it uses a 300wh battery and has about 30h of life in my suv.
But I do agree it’s kinda pointless. I have a 500wh solar generator that’s plenty of capacity.
I’m about to install 3.6kwh in the suv and will probably look for a different fridge
If you have that fridge and you use those yellow egg cartons. Clip the handle. They fit perfectly on the ledge.
Smart!
The yeti 75 tundra cooler has a storage capacity of 60 quarts. FYI. I just wanted to add that as your video starts off with incorrect information. The yeti 65 has a storage capacity of 50 quarts. Why does yeti do this? I have no idea but it is true and you can look it up.
Once the ice starts melting on the cooler enjoy your soup sandwich, LOL. I bought a Setpower fridge RV45D, it's cheap and good enough for a weekend warrior like me, IMO.
Loved my Iceco during 9 day trips, even freezing some game birds caught during the trip. Size is hard to judge when starting new. 🇨🇦
Love your videos and I’ve used them to build out my FJ Cruiser to overland!
Great advice once again on a simple convenient item that is a must I think on the road! I have the 75 l Iceco and am very happy with it! I went large because I never know how long I might be out and for how long! lol My duel zone allows me to do that. with one large side and one med. you have the choice of on off freezer fridge.. it was a no brainer for me.. nice to also have just a beer side or fridge. LOL . love it!
After 25+ years of dry ice/ice camping with a finite passive system .I recently purchased my new power station/fridge combo..my worry is just that ...that's more maintaine checking power ,solar ,battery ..idk ...if I can stay out longer it will be worth it ..
I have a SetPower, but I want to upgrade to this model so it was cool to see it on the channel.
9:42 I wish someone would make a strap that uses child seat LATCH anchors. Currently I’m securing my EcoFlow battery with a seatbelt and the fridge with a generic strap.
fantastic idea! so simple but yet a no brainer! stores eggs in a secured bottle! PERFECT!! thanx!
Also take into consideration how loud a fridge is during the night If you use iit in a RV
Always learn something cool (no pun intended) from this channel ❤
Puns and dad jokes are encouraged on this channel... its all I have to work with.
You mentioned pluging your fridge into your power station and power station into the car. It would be great if you could explain further how you do that. Do you have a DC to DC charger? Most power stations dont charge very quickly off of a standard 12v plug do they? Thanks for the video. Always good info.
great video, we don't go anywhere without our 12 volt fridge, the pre-cracked eggs is a great idea thanks!
Im going on a road trip and will have the fridge plugged into the 12v while driving. While the car is off, how long will the fridge stay cool, will it be ok overnight? Maybe I should use this as a freezer (ice bottles) and bring a regular cooler for the food? Otherwise I guess I need to get an expensive power station?
I use a dometic..definitely better then messing around with ice
Great video. I have not seen anyone cover the one problem I have, which most overlanders don't seem to have. When I'm cruising through the whoops with my LT, everything in my truck goes flying if I don't secure it like I'm going to sea. Everything in the cooler goes into blender mode. It's ok if I pack a cooler tight, but eventually as you use things, it allows internal movement. Has anyone made a good solution to clamp things down tight in a fridge (or any other drawer/container) so things don't get all messed up when doing real offroading?
On your connection with a 12V like cigarette can that be enough while driving to keep things frozen of cool for ICECO?
12V fridge is a game changer.
Totally worth the expense if you’re out for more than 3 days.
Love your videos. Keep it going bud. Great stuff for the newbies!
Thanks Nate! Just bought the ICECO, that same generator and one of your hats! Question though..if I precool fridge… how long will it last on generator if I don’t have solar panel backup?
It’s going to depend if you can plug it in when you are driving and how full it is and how often you open it.
Buy a Setpower for less than half the price. They offer a wide variety of products and sizes. No need to over spend.
Just what I have been waiting for!
Awesome... Hopefully it was helpful.
Great video! Have you used any 12v stoves? If so could you do a video on them?
You said you purchased a fridge with your own money. Curious as to what you bought. I bought a Dometic CFX3 35 portable fridge and freezer combo. What are your thoughts on it? It’s just a tad bit more money than this one. Also have the Bluetti AC180 as well as the Bluetti PV200 solar panel. Again, would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Oh! I should get my Dometic fridge sometime towards the end of next week. Thank you
I’m still trying to wrap my head around why you would need to remove the bed of a truck to run 12 V back there. I’m a ham radio operator I’ve run all kinds of wires all over all kinds of vehicles and never have I ever had to take a body panel or a bit off to do it.
Taking a bed off is real easy… and when you are wiring a whole truck definitely worth it… if you are running 1 antenna cable… sure… no problem… but that wasn’t what we were talking about.
Great video. I am planning to have my fridge in the back of truck but I don't have a tonneau cover so I am worried about elements like rain and dust. What 12v fridge will you recommend that is economical and will this cover help? I am not sure the dust or rain will get into the compressor vents.
The cover will help for sure with efficiency. I have run one in the truck bed open on a big trip with lots of rain and had no issues… but that was just one trip.
Well presented and good details.
what do you think of the 12v Everchill that Jayco is putting in their trailers? Anybody have any good luck with this thing?
Got gel packs to show? Best size that fits the ICECO ALP55?
I’m considering getting the VL45 for my camper trailer conversion…what’s the typical lifespan of one of these before I can expect to replace it?
All the Iceco’s have the expensive type of compressors… so they seem to last a long time… I have never had one die yet
Traditionally, great detailed review 👍
Thanks a lot 🤝
How many kids do you have? Removing the back seat limits personnel capacity to 3. Do you take 2 vehicles everytime you go out?
I have 3 kids… and every trip is different. Sometimes I go with one kid, sometimes we go on hard enough trails we take two vehicles to help with recoveries or if we break something. I pack accordingly. My youngest is 2 so she goes out less then the older two.
I have a tundra crewmax like yours. I want to do a 2/3s seat delete system that goose gear makes for the 2nd gen tundras. If i go with that fridge in your video is it worth it to have a slide out mounted so the fridge can be pulled out thru the back drivers side door. Or is it not nessicary? Wasnt sure if the side opening design is enough to get stuff out or if the slide would make it better? Awesome video btw!👍👍👍
With that long single door on the fridge I have no problems getting to everything. I am tall but so is my truck and it’s easy to use without a slide.
Dude! 🤔Not that I've done it, but I think you're exaggerating the difficulties of getting 12 volts into the bed of a truck? Please tell me you didn't take the bed off your truck just to run 12 volt into it?
I can't think of one good reason why the bed would have to come off the frame? Just run a wire from the battery, along the frame rail and through a drilled and grommeted hole into the bed. The ground wire wouldl just go to the frame rail withl a self-tapping screw. (With a pilot hole) You could probably just hang a receptacle under the top rail of your bed with a bracket) or (worst case) with a hole saw, just install the 12-volt receptacle on the interior wall of the bed and Wal La, you've got 12 volts in your bed!
I would love a fridge, but $900 is crazy. There has to be good budget options...
Too late. I bought a Vevor one for only $230 CAD. It makes me so happy when I'm doing forestry work and eating ice cream and drinking smoothies. Runs on the truck on the way there then on a tiny power station for about 6 hours maintaining -22C at about 40C inside the truck. I looked at the ICECO with dual chambers so you can run fridge and freezer at the same time and dude they're nice! But totally unnecessary to spend $1100 for me. Maybe if I lived full time in my rig. Your power station does pass thru charging? That is sick. That would be very useful. I have to correct one mistake here - there is a persistent myth that a full fridge or freezer is more efficient but if you look it up, it's a myth. You can pre cool the unit empty, then fill it up at the last second, it only takes me about an hour. "Seat Delete" is an awesome term! And about the ultimate 4Runner mod! That's how I fit a bed inside (front passenger "seat delete")!
The empty fridge thing is based on use... not initial cooling or just running a fridge. If you have a fridge largely full of air it is easy to lose cooled air every time you open the door... air will also have a faster heat exchange then a fully cooled liquid... so it isn't a myth that it is more efficient to have a full fridge... if you plan on ever opening the door...
@@OutdoorAuto that is the controversy to which I'm referring, I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm not sure how you're testing it and I haven't done a scientific test of it myself, but everything I've read tells me that it makes no difference since the contents of the fridge take an equivalent amount of energy to cool compared to the amount of energy they conserve. They say that cold air rushing out is quite a small loss of efficiency since air has a low thermal mass. And that seems consistent to my experience. So I'm still pretty sure it's a myth. Anyway my freezer is -22C and running on like 35 watts, so I think it's working.
How have the vevor been working so far? I'm thinking of buying one too... is there a 12v battery pack for it?
@@damnitdang so far so good after a few weeks of use. It only uses 35 to max 50 watts so you could use any half decent power station.
Another tip for pre cracked eggs, you can crack them into a bottle, the form factor of a less likely to accidentally open/ spill and likely slots in to already present bottle spaces in the fridge
Also makes it easier to pour the eggs into the pan when cooking
😂😂😂 what that's just stupid seriously 😂😂😂😂 is
LOL $900?! Ya right. Finally these are coming down in price! I remember 5 years ago I was pricing out "good" 12v fridges and they were $900!!! Now you can get a dual zone fridge/freezer for $250. Iceco is over priced. Just get a SetPower, it has a three year warranty. Even if it only lasts 3 years you can buy another one and it will be cheaper than buying an Iceco. Shop around even BougeRv has a better option than this.
are they peltier based??
Cool video. For those of us that have more of a backpacking background and already own a yeti cooler, I’m not sure it’s worth a fridge plus a 1000 watt hour battery plus solar panel plus vehicle modifications.
Great info - thank you
Thanks for watching!
Super helpful, thx!
I got a 60L fridge. I put my groceries in it when i go shopping 😂.
Thanks Nathan
Thanks
Thank you 😺
You did not add the weight of you power supply + 12 volt fridge to cooler ice.
I carried a power supply way before I carried a 12V fridge so that wouldn't make sense for me... Maybe it would for you.
Totally worth it! But I can afford the space & funds! LoL