Refrigerator space

For those running units on both AC and DC, did you have to do wiring? Just trying to figure out where to get 12V power. I believe everything that runs 12V in the trailer is hard wired.

We have an Engel refer/freezer that works on both ac or dc power. We have it on a sliding tray in the basement and use it exclusively as a freezer. It automatically switches from ac to dc when we disconnect from shore power. It only has one moving part. Not cheap but works well.

We do okay for a 3 or 4 day weekend. It's when we're on the road for 2 or 3 weeks (or months in the near future) that the small fridge becomes a hassle. That's why I'm looking for a good, reasonably priced, permanent solution. The portables do look like something we should get as well, just for the convenience in a campsite.

They sell coolers that plug in to your car that can heat or cool. Just Google "plug in cooler for car"

We use a large dorm frig for drinks at the campground & have a Coleman 12V/120V cooler for extra space traveling if need extra space (It can also be used just as a regular cooler w/o power).

fidhleir wrote:
I have a Cougar 5th wheel with a 6 cu ft refrigerator. We make most of our meals in the trailer and eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. While we get by shopping frequently on the road, it would be nice to carry more cold stuff. I suspect upgrading to an 8 ft unit would be crazy expensive both for the fridge itself and the cabinet work. Has anybody used a small add-on unit like a dorm fridge? How long do they stay cold when not plugged in (on the road)? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

other than a small amount of milk and water, we put our drinks and many of the other liquids in a cooler. Saves fridge room, saves opening and closing the fridge, with cooler outside keeps down the trips in and out of the trailer. Keeps the drinks nice and cold.

A small dorm fridge could serve the same purpose.

We found it really does free up a lot of fridge room for perishables and things you really don't want to keep in the cooler.
Have a portable ice maker to keep cooler full of ice when we have AC power.

The freezer door of my rig has some space, so I fill it up with hard-sided gel packs. Those work well in coolers, and I change them out 2-3 times a day for a set getting cold in the freezer. This allows me to also have a generic cooler full of drinks ready to go as well.

I've heard good things about Koolatron's products, although they may not keep things cold enough in warmer climates, but they can be augmented by a freezer pack or two.

We use a Coleman PowerChill Thermoelectric cooler in the bay storage area. It keeps contents 40 degrees cooler than the outside temp and does a good job of it. If you typically camp in a hot climate, this may not be a satisfactory solution.

I have a 12V/120V refer/Freezer. It can be use either way, you set the temp you want to keep it at. I have it plugged into both power sources, it switches to what is available. I have it in the lower bay storage area. I am happy with it. But, I have a battery bank that I don't have to worry about it. So far, I can go two day than I need to charge up.

What do I need to do to run a 12V fridge in the trailer? I understand plugging in when on shore power. It seems I'd have to do some wiring to run a dual mode fridge on 12V.

Also, are there any ventilation/cooling issues? Can they sit on carpet?