Fridge or Quality cooler

[Ballenxj]

The only thing to figure out is what size of unit will work for you...

This is what I struggle with. After reading your post here, I guess bigger is better? I like to keep gallon jugs of things like Green Tea, Apple Juice, some soda's, cheese, single serving sized yogurt, cheese, frozen breakfast burritos, etc. I may have to make adjustments here and there.
I don't keep drinking water in the fridge, but instead buy the bottles in case lots.  I do keep a gallon jug of potable water laying about for those just in case times.
If and when I can afford an Engle, it will certainly only be one for quite a while.

 

[ArtW]

haha, "and I get no floating food." must not be offroading. highdesertranger

In a cooler, HDR's food is airborn, then waterborn. That's why he got a 'fridge

 

[Almost There]

This is what I struggle with. After reading your post here, I guess bigger is better?   

If you're still in a S&B then the best way to tell what size 12V you're likely to be happiest with is to do a mock up of the INSIDE dimensions in cardboard.

Then go to the fridge and start packing it in to the 12V. It may take several tries to figure out what will work.

Keep in mind that you'll almost certainly downsize certain items like condiments. I went from buying the large size ketchup bottle that lasted me months to buying the smallest one I could get my hands on. Instead of a gallon jug of iced tea you may end up buying 1/2 gallon size jugs and only refrigerating the one that's open.

I'd start with the 65 quart and work either up or down from there.

 

[mayble]

Similar to what Almost There said, I picked up a good sized plastic basket at the dollar store and keep it in my frig.  Everything I use goes into the basket, and the stuff that other family members bought and left behind - or stuff I bought and just don't use - ends up in the back of the frig.  
Turns out a 45qt frig would be plenty big enough for me.

 

[Ballenxj]

If you're still in a S&B
<----snip---->
Keep in mind that you'll almost certainly downsize certain items like condiments. I went from buying the large size ketchup bottle that lasted me months to buying the smallest one I could get my hands on. Instead of a gallon jug of iced tea you may end up buying 1/2 gallon size jugs and only refrigerating the one that's open.

I'd start with the 65 quart and work either up or down from there.

Thanks, this gives me some idea of a good starting point. I'm not in S&B's, but in a 24' TT right now, so the fridge is not all that big to begin with. In fact, the 65 quart Engle may be more comparable to what I currently have than I realize.

 

[Ballenxj]

I'd start with the 65 quart and work either up or down from there.

I looked on Engel's site and didn't see anything that big. I am eyeballing the MT45F though. (45 qt.)
http://www.engelcoolers.com/12volt-fridge-freezers.html

 

[highdesertranger]

the MT60 is 64qt, the MT80 is 84qt. highdesertranger

 

[iloozyun]

I'm starting with a 46qt Engel. I could get a large unit but not two. I will be using the Engel as a freezer and moving ice and frozen food to a Yeti knock off cooler for day to day use.
By swapping an ice pack and maybe an ice blanket back and forth every day I hope to manage with this. By keeping some mass in the cooler (extra cans of soda and beer) I hope that I can keep the temps down and mostly stable.

i did the same thing, but after a couple months of warm weather, continually rotating ice packs from my small freezer to my cooler every few days, i felt i was still experiencing too much of the 'cooler hassle', so i just took the plunge and bought a larger fridge unit.  (initially i got the dometic cfx40, which i returned, as it did not look durable for the long run, so i am now waiting for my replacement- all advice i researched said whatever you get, make sure it has a danfoss compressor).  i plan to use my small unit as a freezer on an occasional basis, and the larger new one as a constant fridge.

 

[LoupGarou]

Currently I use an ice chest. Ice has been easy to find when shopping for food and at fuel stations. Didn't have any problems sourcing it in Mexico. Someday I'll go electric, for now using ice hasn't been a problem.

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[highdesertranger]

I would like to point out freezing ice and moving to a cooler is not as efficient power wise as just using the freezer as a refer. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

LoupGarou's picture reminded me of one reason why I dislike coolers as a substitute for refrigeration:  The temperature gradient inside an ice chest is usually very large, meaning the temperature of food away from the ice is much higher than food in contact with the ice.  It is worse with the lower quality coolers, lower quality ice, opening the cooler a lot, and as the ice melts.  It is not uncommon for food not in close proximity to the ice to be over the 37º max temperature for safe food storage.  Meat and dairy products should be in close contact with the ice, unless it is high quality ice (ice frozen to 0º or lower).  Cooler and ice quality are all over the map.  The only way to really tell is to probe with an IR temp gun.

Coolers don't work very well if you want to be away from civilization for a week or more unless you have a very good cooler and are willing to spend for dry ice.

 -- Spiff

 

[LoupGarou]

^ Worked just fine down in Mexico. The bucket is easy to refill. One large or two small bags of ice is all it takes to fill it up. The melted water can be poured off for other uses.

TheBoatGalley web site has some great tips regarding using ice chests.
https://theboatgalley.com/ice-box-cooler-food-storage/

 

[stinko]

Why doesn't anybody use propane? I'm planning on getting a midsize bus and was planning on running a propane cook-top anyway. Opinions?

 

[jonsun]

They're expensive and need vented

 

[Almost There]

Stinker, you're looking at a number of us who live in vans and smaller vehicles that don't want to have to plumb in propane tanks and lines etc.

I cook with both butane (inside the van) and propane (outside the van) but use portable tanks. The cost of plumbing in a horizontal tank, body working a fill location, putting in a regulator and plumbing the lines is just not cost efficient.

Propane refrigeration is great if you've got a full size commercially built RV but other than that - 12V compressor fridges are the bomb!

 

[highdesertranger]

most here use propane or butane for cooking. those in manufactured RV's use propane for refrigeration. those in homebuilt's mainly use 12v compressor refers, because they make a lot more sense. a friend of mine just replaced his propane refer in his trailer with a 6.2 cubic ft, 12v. highdesertranger

 

[Vagabound]

I'm several months away from solar, and so, from a 12v fridge.  Still doing the cooler/ice dance. 

The biggest problem I'm having, that can be likely be reduced or solved, is food floating in melted ice water and getting ruined.

I saw in this thread that someone is using a bucket to hold the ice.  I've tried putting the ice in a thick plastic bag, but that still leaks.  I've thought of putting the ice in a dry bag to keep it isolated from the food in the cooler, but haven't tried that yet.

Any other ideas on keeping the food dry and edible vs. waterlogged?

Tom

 

[waldenbound]

I read where someone bought some organizer shelves, the wire kind. Put ice on the bottom, the shelves, put the food on the shelves, then more ice. As the ice melts, it goes to the floor of the cooler and away from your food.

I'm going to try that soon. It's getting warmer here.

 

[SternWake]

Propane/ Absorption fridges, need to remain within a few degrees of level, fore and aft and side to side. If they are run for extended periods off level not only will they not cool, but obstructions will form in the plumbing cumulatively damaging them.

Back when i was still using a cooler I found a small wastebaskets which were perfect height/width to fit within the cooler and developed methods so it could not float. I also used some internal foil backed foam panels to isolate compartments, as well as having the whole cooler encaseed within a larger foamboard cooler held together with bamboo skewers and duct tape, with the voids filled with sawdust, and this basically required me to siphon off the water rather than dump it or gravity drain it.

I was able to get about 7 days max in Baja with this setup. The ice I was buying down there was not super frozen hard. and often the blocks I would buy were so big, I could fit very little food/beer within, and dropping in warm beer as room developed seemed to eat holds in the ice block.

I still have nightmares about having to go back to block ice and a cooler, and all the effort required to keep food cold and somewhat dry. A 12v compressor fridge is a big chunck of change though, but so worth it.

 

[Ballenxj]

I read where someone bought some organizer shelves, the wire kind. Put ice on the bottom, the shelves, put the food on the shelves, then more ice. As the ice melts, it goes to the floor of the cooler and away from your food.

I just looked at a Yeti Cooler at D&B Supply today. The cost was $319.
 It comes with a wire tray that fits perfectly on the molded in rack holder, and slides back and forth. It looks big enough to hold lunch meats, cheese, etc. What I was really eyeballing was the amount of space for cold beverages, milk, etc.
My thoughts between fridge and ice chest? I just had another fridge fail, and I'm getting real tired of mechanical devices.
Do you know why most small sailboats have an ice chest? That's right, because a fridge can fail at the most inopportune times.
 At this point I'm leaning heavily towards a quality ice chest. I could be swayed back towards a fridge later, but right now................