Doing a local trip about 6 hours one way. Want to bring some burgers, eggs and such and don't want to store an extra cooler. In the past for shorter trips, I just put on the fridge at my house coldest setting for a couple days, then pack it and go. What do you all think about leaving meat, eggs and such in the refrigerator (off) when traveling for 6 hours (give or take). I can reconnect once I arrive of course. Will it stay cold enough? Will it spoil?

OK, I'll be the first to start the debate! First, what kind of refrigerator do you have? Is it a residential or an RV style.If residential, why can't you run it on an inverter powered through your camper battery?If an standard RV type, why don't you run it on gas?So here now starts the great "to run or not to run your RV refer when on the road debate!"We have an RV refer and never shut it off. It runs on gas when traveling. We have no problems. Ice Cream stays frozen that way!But, to answer your question a little closer, assuming you have an RV refrigerator and you choose to not run it when in transport, how long will food stay safe?Bottom line, that depends upon the outside temperature. More than likely, things in the refer will be OK after 6 hours. Even without refrigeration, meats can usually sit unrefrigerated over night, sometimes 10-12 hours. Eggs can go for days without refrigeration. Milk will go get warm, and spoil within a couple hours. Ice Cream will melt immediately. Frozen foods will be pretty much thawed out in 6 hours, even a 20 pound frozen turkey will be almost thawed in 6 hours. So really, if you have no power to your refrigerator at all, it really depends upon the outside temperature and how much cold-loss the refrigerator suffers before the inside gets above a safe level, and then it will take a few hours before things begin to spoil.No one can really say. You can test the refrigerator with a sacrificial cup of milk inside a cold refrigerator, then kill the power. See how long it takes to spoil.

Yes, if the RV refer has to be completely cold when you left the house. Just taking cold food from the house refer and putting it in a warm or hot RV refer for six hours isn't going to work.Why are you not traveling with the RV refer on or at least pre-cooled?Bill

I'm curious ... why isn't your RV's refrigerator running while traveling?FWIW, my DW would never allow our RV's propane refrigerator to NOT BE turned on and cooling continuously whenever there's food in it we intend on eventually eating. This applies except for when fueling up at a gas station - the refrigerator's ignitor circuit gets temporarily turned off for safety while that's happening.We once owned a 1969 motorhome in which when traveling the wind would sometimes blow out the propane refrigerator's pilot light, but our modern propane RV refrigerator always keeps operating when underway. However, I guess that folks who use a 120V AC residential refrigerator in their rig would need an inverter powering it in order to keep it running while going down the road.

IMO 6 hours will be fine for cold soaked fridge and food if the door is never opened.However I run my fridge in transit.

Yes, I will pre-chill the RV fridge for a couple days before the trip. I did state that, but it may not have come across that way. It is a small RV fridge (21ft trailer) think college dorm fridge. It does not have propane ability, hence why I posted my situation. Never thought of inverter, but right now that is not option. So meats (hot dogs, hamburger, eggs) will be OK, but I should just buy milk locally? I think the forecast this weekend is high 70's, low 80's.

How long will refrigerator stay cold when in travel?

38 Replies

drsteve
Explorer
May 24, 2017
+1 for dry ice.
TyroneandGladys
Explorer
May 24, 2017
turbojimmy wrote:
DutchmenSport wrote:
Here's an idea for you if you "really" don't want to run your refer when traveling. Click here.

Very cool! I always wondered how well those things worked. I was skeptical given the low amperage, 12V draw. Looks like a good investment.

We have this unit And it works great just keep in mind it only cools at most 40 degrees under ambient temp.
As far as using your refrigerator with out it running for 6 to 8 hours with you pre chilling the unit and if you can freeze a lot of what you are going to take you should be fine.
downtheroad
Explorer
May 24, 2017
delete my "run it on gas" suggestion too, since the OP up-dated his original post to say that he doesn't have a gas option.
(would have helped a lot of us to have that info from the get go)
pennysmom09
Explorer
May 24, 2017
95jersey wrote:
Doing a local trip about 6 hours one way. Want to bring some burgers, eggs and such and don't want to store an extra cooler. In the past for shorter trips, I just put on the fridge at my house coldest setting for a couple days, then pack it and go. What do you all think about leaving meat, eggs and such in the refrigerator (off) when traveling for 6 hours (give or take). I can reconnect once I arrive of course. Will it stay cold enough? Will it spoil?

Cold food into a cold refer will Be fine for 6 hours. We do it regularly. Also keep in mind you could keep it running on propane while you travel.
mike-s
Explorer
May 24, 2017
WVbassmistress wrote:
Something my husband and I have gotten into a habit of is freezing the bottled water we are going to take anyway.
Yes. This.

If the OP doesn't want to run the reefer while traveling, treat it like a cooler. Water frozen in plastic bottles (squeeze them a little before freezing so they can expand) is like ice in a cooler, but no need to deal with water from melted ice.
2012Coleman
Explorer II
May 24, 2017
I'd buy an RTIC roto-molded cooler which is half the price of a YETI, and use that. Much better than your thin walled dorm style mini fridge.

BTW - I have the 65 quart RTIC to kep my refreshments (beer) cold. Sits outside the camper, and no ice required for 6 days.
F1bNorm
Explorer
May 24, 2017
WVbassmistress wrote:
Something my husband and I have gotten into a habit of is freezing the bottled water we are going to take anyway. The solid mass of ice keeps everything around it cold and doesn't make a water mess when it melts. Maybe you could stick a few frozen waters in there.

This works for us. It's our routine when camping in the summer heat. Often the RV fridge can't keep up. We sometimes get a bag of ice and put it in a plastic tub, place on the bottom of the fridge. Zip lock highly perishables and place them on the ice. Basically, making your fridge an ice chest.

Norm
Chrisatthebeach
Explorer
May 24, 2017
Most grocery stores sell dry ice. A small block of that in the freezer compartment will do nicely. When travelling without the RV years ago we would make a six hour trip from home to the beach house and would put a block in the bottom of the big cooler and it even kept frozen food frozen.
turbojimmy
Explorer
May 24, 2017
korbe wrote:
2oldman wrote:
Read Forrest, read.

Oh, you mean read about the OP stating that the frig doesn't have a gas option, or any cooling method while traveling? :B

In all fairness, the OP didn't put that in his OP.
turbojimmy
Explorer
May 24, 2017
DutchmenSport wrote:
Here's an idea for you if you "really" don't want to run your refer when traveling. Click here.

Very cool! I always wondered how well those things worked. I was skeptical given the low amperage, 12V draw. Looks like a good investment.

Forum Discussion

How long will refrigerator stay cold when in travel?

38 Replies

About RV Tips & Tricks

Related Content

Travel Trailer

My Travel Trailer Fell Down

Refrigerator

Long route travel plans

Residential refrigerator travel lock