Defrosting the Norcold freezer/fridge

We waited until we were close to needing to shop for frozen stuff...
Emptied the few things we did still have into an ice chest.
Used a hair dryer on the freezer.

Took all of 20 minutes.

Spraying the cooling fins with a non-stick cooking spray helps to delay the frost from forming as well as speeds up the defrosting process.
Depending on where you travel, the frost may not be as big a problem as you think. When we travel out West, with the low humidity in many areas, we can go for three months or more without having to defrost.

If you can prop an electric fan so that it blows hard into the freezer or refrigerator, the defrosting goes really quick. We too put the stuff in the sinks, or a big Rubbermaid container I have in the lockers below.

When I had a propane fridge I would just wait till I got home. It was simpler that way.

Depending on the weather we can go weeks to months (we full time). When needed we turn off the frig and use a hair dryer. Use a plastic knife to help the process along (be carful). We leave the food in the freezer. We place a towel(s) under the ice bucket to catch the dripping water/ice. If the frig side needs defrosting we just remove the items below the iced up area. The job takes less than a half hour.

Before our current rig, we would defrost twice on a 8 to 10-week trip. Our current refrigerator is (almost) frost free in the non-freezer compartment. Now we only defrost the freezer once on a long trip. Of course, usage and environment plays a role. As the manual says, "Defrost as needed."

We place the frozen food in the sinks and cover with towels.

We place bowls of warm water in the two freezer compartments. The manual will warn you not to use hot water or a hair dryer - Most of the time, we do use a hair dryer on cool - heating element off.

Make sure the drain for the water catch tray under the fins is working properly. Ours has a plug on the outside that is used to keep bugs from entering, while in storage.

How long? Not really sure We do it in the evening, while watching a movie. And we're finished by the time the movie is over.

Tom