The wife and I are trading up from our trusty old 2004 Rockwood 1940LTD popup to a 2022 Wolf Pup 14CC. We're pretty excited, we went the the Cleveland RV show last weekend after browsing a bunch of small travel trailers, and we fell in love with this Wolf Pup. Got a good deal and a deposit on it, and the dealer called to say we can pick it up next weekend. I'll miss my old popup since it was my first camper and I've made a lot of improvements in it. I won't miss the set up and take down, and we won't miss the mad dash to the bath house when nature calls in the early AM.I saw that it has a 12 volt compressor refrigerator (and a freezer!), are they good? I'm inclined to think they'll cool off a little faster than the absorption fridge, just wondering if there have been any teething difficulties since they seem to be a relatively new thing compared to the tried but true absorption refrigerators.

It should work better than an absorption fridge does and just about as good as the one in your house.

It's not new technology. 12v compressor fridges are industry standard in the boating world for decades...of course, that doesn't mean they put a quality unit in an RV.We have one in our 2021 Gray Wolf 22RR. Everchill is the brand. So far with around 18 months of use (full time usage except for 7 months last winter), it has worked well. It has pros and cons:Cons: - If you are off grid, you will need to upgrade the battery bank and solar (or plan to run the generator a fair bit). - Ours came with a 50w solar panel from the factory. It's not enough for off grid camping. It does sound like they may have upgraded on newer units to 100-150w which may be enough if you keep your other consumption down. (the single stock battery is still likely not enough)Pros: - The mechanicals are drastically smaller, with the net result that for the same cabinet space, you get around 50% more storage space. - Yes, it cools faster. - If you have a seasonal site where you pay for electricity used, it only pulls about 50w when running vs 300-400w for an absorption fridge on electric. - No roof or wall penetrations needed, so reduces chances for water damage.For camping with shorepower, it's a nice option.For off grid camping, you need to plan at least on upgrading the battery bank and preferably the solar (if it's a shady site, expect you may still need to run the generator)Overall, we are happy with it so far.

With ample batteries and solar recharging, you’ll be in great shape. Congratulations on the new rig.

sparkydave,The 12 volt compressor fridge has been around in RV's as early as 1991.I think they are a factor of 10 better than an absorption unit.

sparkydave wrote:I saw that it has a 12 volt compressor refrigerator (and a freezer!), are they good? I'm inclined to think they'll cool off a little faster than the absorption fridge, just wondering if there have been any teething difficulties since they seem to be a relatively new thing compared to the tried but true absorption refrigerators.Ok, when I got my Motor home I picked up a 12/120 volt Compressor type Refrigerator/Freezer (you turned the knob to one or the other temps) chest type.. IT was small cost less than 1,000 lasted 16 years. and ( now have a new one of the same type here in the apartment.They work very very well and draw less than 50 watts door closed (Seems strange to have to say Door Closed. but hey that light bulb.. if it's not an LED 20-25 watts) I would seriously consider one if I got a new RV.> heck I would like to have one in a Residential model (Imagine less than 1/4 the power consumption, over time that adds up)

Compressor refrigerator opinons | Good Sam Community

Rice
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2022
Bobbo wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
I think the reason you are seeing a shift is because solar systems have come down so much in cost.
That price drop may be illusory. In August of 2021 I bought a solar panel for my Airstream. (Airstream's design requires a specific panel size to fit on the roof.) At that time, I paid $290 for it. This week I priced THE SAME PANEL FROM THE SAME COMPANY at $490 each. Oof.

Is that the 90-watt panel? If so, then oof indeed. Even $290 seems kind of high.

But if it's a specialty product, there's not much you can do.

As a "past-times" data point: Seventeen years ago (in 2005), the 175-watt solar panels I bought were $675 each. I bought more a little less than a year later, and they had gone up to $825 each. Ouch. I decided to just enjoy the fact that I had an appreciating asset on my RV.
Sionel09
Explorer
Sep 29, 2022
12 volt compressors are definitely becoming more popular in small travel trailers. I think they do tend to cool off faster than absorption refrigerators, but I haven't heard of any major teething difficulties. I'm sure you'll be happy with your new camper!
charlestonsouth
Explorer
Sep 24, 2022
sparky, hope I found the right floor plan. Is the entrance at the back end of the camper? Like it! Split bathroom with john privacy, great! What cu. foot frig is it? You are going to love it, but the feel of towing will be different after towing the popup so long. You'll get use to it. Don't ask me how I know.
AllegroD
Nomad
Sep 24, 2022
Lwiddis wrote:
With ample batteries and solar recharging, you’ll be in great shape. Congratulations on the new rig.

^^^ This ^^^
Sionel09
Explorer
Sep 23, 2022
Yes, 12 volt compressors are becoming more popular in small travel trailers. They have a few advantages over absorption refrigerators, such as being able to cool down faster and being more energy efficient. However, there have been some teething problems reported with them, such as noise level and durability. If you're considering a 12 volt compressor refrigerator, make sure to do your research to see if it's the right choice for you.
valhalla360
Navigator
Sep 19, 2022
Bobbo wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
Anything airstream has an inflated price, so not really a good example but even $490 is much cheaper than you would have paid 10-15yrs ago.

Not bought (nor priced) from Airstream. This was HTTP://AMSOLAR.COM but made by Zamp to fit an Airstream.

Yeah, but if they know it's for an airstream, they know they can inflate the price.

But again, that's still dirt cheap compared to 20-30yrs ago for a solar system.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 19, 2022
A friend had a Truckmate installed when he bought his brand new '99 Pete. Truck and fridge 12 YO, and well over a million miles on it when he parked in a Dallas area truckstop, in Aug. He had to catch the bird home. The truck had been there for 4 days when I got there to deliver the load. I knew he only had the same starting batteries I had, so I was planning on jumpstart. When the Cat fired up, I knew the fridge must of shut down. Grabbed a trash bag to clean it out. Opened it up, stole a fudge bar, and pulled out.
I don't know much about the power demands, but there is no shade in a truckstop, if the fridge can work on starting batteries under that condition I can't see where RV with solar would have problems.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Sep 19, 2022
I am open to other venders if you have one to suggest.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 19, 2022
Ridiculous pricing at Amsolar.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Sep 19, 2022
valhalla360 wrote:
Bobbo wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
I think the reason you are seeing a shift is because solar systems have come down so much in cost.

That price drop may be illusory. In August of 2021 I bought a solar panel for my Airstream. (Airstream's design requires a specific panel size to fit on the roof.) At that time, I paid $290 for it. This week I priced THE SAME PANEL FROM THE SAME COMPANY at $490 each. Oof.

Anything airstream has an inflated price, so not really a good example but even $490 is much cheaper than you would have paid 10-15yrs ago.

Not bought (nor priced) from Airstream. This was HTTP://AMSOLAR.COM but made by Zamp to fit an Airstream.