Hello everyone, our last camping trip into the Eastern Sierras where the temp stayed near 92 for a week and a half has caused my to look into buying a 12v freezer/fridge cooler. Such as: Dometic CFX75DZW 12v Electric Powered Cooler, Fridge Freezer. We spent a lot of money on ice, and I want peace of mind that our food won't go bad. So I was hoping to get some insight from anyone here who has experience with this type of product. We have a tent trailer with no real means for refrigeration, and so must rely on a cooler. We go for multiple weeks when we go so I think I need a cooler that is at least 75 qts, since our current cooler is around 110 qts. So what should I be looking for, any thoughts? Thank you for your help.Eric

The Amazon reviews on that Dometic product are not good. I'm having difficulty with their power consumption figures.ah/h is gibberish to me, unless you cancel the "h" and end up with a, but I find it hard to believe a cooler uses less than 1 amp. I see another user incorrectly thought that was a/h, which is also nonsense. It's just amps.

We used the older types, and cheaper ones in the past and they were never all that useful. The newer ones are very pricey, in the $600 range for the ones I've seen. And cool 30-40 degrees below ambient, plus or minus. Which does not equal freezing most of the time. I haven't really looked into it so maybe there are more effective ones out there.Our solution is a Pelican Elite 30 QT which we paids something like $130, I see that they are now $230. They keep ice for up to five days in cooler temps and three days when it gets hot. They were much cheaper than a Yeti but works as well and they have excellent customer service. We broke a latch and they sent one out no questions asked.

Thanks for the input. I spoke with a guy who does quite a bit of overlanding and he said that they really do not pull that many amps. I have seen that there are some 12v coolers that only cool to 30 or 40 below ambient. The ones I am interested in claim to be able to freeze your food. Anyway, thanks againEric

Things that cool and heat *effectively* require more power than you may think. I've seen 12v coffee makers, which, seem 'efficient' and handy, but what most people report is that the coffee takes a long time and isn't very hot.If the comparison is of any value, the typical electric RV fridge needs about 350w. That's a lot to ask of a single 12v battery, which is why propane is a better option. Yes, I'm aware the cooler is smaller.So, if that Dometic box really does use so little current, I'd be at least a bit skeptical of its cooling ability.

Well SUV Rver on YT has an episode or two on his review of 12V coolers, his was very small tho. You may want to look that up.

12v coolers | Good Sam Community

NRALIFR
Explorer
Jul 07, 2021
I’ve had one of these for about 18 months, and it’s been running continuously in my garage keeping my beer cold. It will freeze it if I set it too low.

F40C4TMP

When I first got it, I ran it at its lowest setting long enough to freeze water. This is a picture of its power consumption, according to my Kill-A-Watt. It’s displaying WATTS, and the compressor was running at the time.

Edit: I fixed the broken link. Hopefully it will stay working this time.

:):)
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Jul 07, 2021
"Powered" coolers fall into 2 categories: true compressor refrigerators/freezer and peltier coolers. Skip the second group because the don't perform well in hot weather and ca eat a lot of power.

No experience with different brands but the good ones work just like your home refrigerator. The biggest problem you will have is supplying power 24/7 for the time you are camping. I would NOT run if off the car battery unless the engine is running !
bgum
Explorer
Jul 06, 2021
Alpicool bd75. 79 quarts 60 watts $502
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jul 06, 2021
There are some that are getting downright cheap
I have one on the docks in China waiting for a slow boat
I have one in my other room This is the one in the other room

It is currently ZERO per the display. this has areas. the big area is zero (Or whatever I set it at) the small area in the rear is warmer (*Above freezing for the most part)

Power draw is less than 50 watts

I had an ENGEL (much more expensive back in 2005) same size worked well up till this summer 36 watts. IT was like 800 bucks as I recall.

The one in China is supposed to come with solar panels. I'm starting to go at lest partially solar here.
bgum
Explorer
Jul 06, 2021
There are many new frig/freezer products on the market. The better ones have a LG compressor and can freeze to -5 degrees Fahrenheit. Go into Amazon and search portable refrigerator freezer. Dometic is very expensive and no better than many. They don't draw much juice.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Jul 06, 2021
Well SUV Rver on YT has an episode or two on his review of 12V coolers, his was very small tho. You may want to look that up.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2021
Things that cool and heat *effectively* require more power than you may think. I've seen 12v coffee makers, which, seem 'efficient' and handy, but what most people report is that the coffee takes a long time and isn't very hot.

If the comparison is of any value, the typical electric RV fridge needs about 350w. That's a lot to ask of a single 12v battery, which is why propane is a better option. Yes, I'm aware the cooler is smaller.

So, if that Dometic box really does use so little current, I'd be at least a bit skeptical of its cooling ability.
k9jadon
Explorer
Jul 06, 2021
Thanks for the input. I spoke with a guy who does quite a bit of overlanding and he said that they really do not pull that many amps. I have seen that there are some 12v coolers that only cool to 30 or 40 below ambient. The ones I am interested in claim to be able to freeze your food. Anyway, thanks again

Eric
agesilaus
Explorer III
Jul 06, 2021
We used the older types, and cheaper ones in the past and they were never all that useful. The newer ones are very pricey, in the $600 range for the ones I've seen. And cool 30-40 degrees below ambient, plus or minus. Which does not equal freezing most of the time.
I haven't really looked into it so maybe there are more effective ones out there.
Our solution is a Pelican Elite 30 QT which we paids something like $130, I see that they are now $230. They keep ice for up to five days in cooler temps and three days when it gets hot. They were much cheaper than a Yeti but works as well and they have excellent customer service. We broke a latch and they sent one out no questions asked.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2021
The Amazon reviews on that Dometic product are not good. I'm having difficulty with their power consumption figures.

ah/h is gibberish to me, unless you cancel the "h" and end up with a, but I find it hard to believe a cooler uses less than 1 amp. I see another user incorrectly thought that was a/h, which is also nonsense. It's just amps.

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