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This combination of features, options, and value makes portable compressor fridges the best option for van life, camping, and long road trips. If you don’t have a lot to spend on a vanlife refrigerator (or if you just don’t want to shell out the equivalent of a month’s rent for one appliance), then BougeRV deserves a hard look. In addition to solar, it’s a good idea to install a battery isolator or DC-DC charger, which allows you to charge up your batteries from your alternator while driving. This is a great way to keep your batteries topped off when you’re in the woods or in cloudy environments. And if you’re on a budget, you may be able to meet most of your charging needs with just a battery isolator. You can always add solar power as your budget and your needs evolve. In our years as a full time vanlife couple, our 50L DC refrigerator had plenty of space for about a week’s worth of food, plus some kombucha and beer. For several day camping trips with our toddler, a 35L fridge has more than enough space for food and cycling in beer as needed. Single Zone vs Dual Zone It's best not to open your fridge excessively while keeping your insulin inside of it; this helps maintain a consistent temperature.
Adding solar power to your van will allow you to stay off-grid while keeping your batteries charged up. We have detailed information on system sizing, installation, and just about everything else you need to know in our epic electrical post. Side-hinge lids need less overhead clearance to fully open, and it may be easier to view and reach the contents. But the best lid direction for you will depend on your specific setup. In our first van, we had our rear-hinged ARB Classic fridge between the front seats – so having the hinge at the rear actually made it easier for us to access everything. Standard Features and Extra Features Bottom Line: Chest-style fridges are more efficient, rugged, and practical for most van builds. However, upright-style fridges may fit better into your layout – it all depends on your preferences. Size (Interior Capacity)
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We think the Dometic CFX3 line of 12V portable fridge/freezers are the top high-end choice for a vanlife refrigerator. Dometic (or Waeco, as they’re also known) has always made solid fridges, but their newest models are setting the bar for the 12V portable refrigerator class. There are a few different options for keeping food cold in your van, but 12V compressor fridges are by far the best option. Let’s briefly go over the different types of van life refrigerators. If you’re a full time vanlife couple, you will be best served with a campervan fridge that is at least 45L.
A portable 12V refrigerator can really amp up your van life, camping, or RV experience. But these units arenot cheap, and it’s important to know that the 12V fridge you’re getting will fit your needs. We hope all the information we’ve presented here has been helpful – but please let us know in the comments if you have a question or you think we left something out. AC/DC POWERED】AC (220V) adapters for standard wall outlets, DC (12V) adapters for cigarette lighters in vehicles. With these two kinds of adapters, small refrigerators can be used in bedrooms, offices, dormitories, nurseries, classrooms, and cars. Running a 12V fridge in your van requires a camper van electrical setup that consists of (at a minimum) a 12V outlet connected to an auxiliary battery (not your starting battery), and a means to charge it. But how much power do you need for a van fridge? Determining Your Battery Capacity If you are looking for the best insulin pen travel cooler, look no further, this is the best you could get your hands on. This insulin cooler uses 3 cooling methods and keeps your insulin cool and safe for up to 72 hours. It can fulfill all your traveling needs. We offer a variety of compressor fridges from suppliers like Dometic, Vitrifrigo, Inlander, Thetford Adventurer, and Webasto. Our fridges come in various sizes and capabilities, and are available as either fridges, freezers, or a combination of the two. An alternative to 3 way absorption fridges?This Reddit thread includes some more details on this process. Turn a chest freezer into a highly-efficient van fridge The BougeRV E-Series only comes in a single-zone configuration, and the size range is rather limited. Sizes include 32L (34Qt), 40L (42Qt), and 50L (53Qt). BougeRV also makes other cheap vanlife fridges that are worth a look. What to Look for in the Best Portable Refrigerator
Compressor fridge freezers, sometimes referred to as "2-way fridges" or 12V fridges, are the ideal solution for your campervan, caravan, motorhome, or boat. They can run efficiently on 12V and 24V DC systems, and have many features that make them ideal, such as rapid cooling, low power consumption, and the ability to operate on an inclination up to 45° and in temperatures up to 40°C. Energy efficiency. Alpicool uses efficient LG compressors in their camper van fridges. While this is a different compressor than the standard SECOP used by many other manufacturers, average power consumption is still very good. Independent user tests of the CF45 put the power consumption between 1A and 1.25A per hour, which is comparable to other efficient 12V refrigerators of this size. If you need a fridge for short camping trips, a fridge in the 35L range should be plenty, even for a small family. Inside you'll find large glass shelves that make cleaning a breeze and lets you store everything from food to beverages and medication without taking up too much space. Storage features include two cans on the top shelf and liter bottles an additional door compartment right by your side for storing insulin and keep your insulin safe. Energy efficiency: The VL Pro series is fairly energy efficient, but it falls behind our other recommended fridges. The 35L-45L units draw upwards of 1.76A per hour, when most competing fridges draw less than 1.25A on average. Again, not a deal breaker, but you need to make sure to account for this when planning your electrical system. ( Note: Iceco is the rare manufacturer that actually publishes *accurate* consumption numbers, so you can look at the specific power draw of any model you’re looking at).
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Alpicool uses LG compressors in their campervan fridges, which should hold up just as well as the typical Danfoss SECOP compressors found in other fridges, and it’s tough to beat the price on these. Many van lifers have used Alpicool fridges without issue, and these are a solid choice for any budget camper van build. Over the course of one day (24 hours), a 12V fridge drawing 2.0 Amps per hour will drain 48 Ah from your battery. As much as we like Iceco VL Pro series refrigerators, its higher cost and lower energy efficiency kept it out of the top spot. In our testing, the VL Pro used over 40% more power than the VL Series (about 0.5A per hour). This won’t make or break your battery system, but it’s definitely something to think about in your planning. Still, if you have the battery capacity, these refrigerators are a solid choice and a much better value than anything from high end brands.
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