New camper without 12 volt fridge

[Katdaddy]

We are considering downsizing our camper. We have a 28 foot fifth wheel now. Wife really wants a smaller travel trailer. Problem we are having is that everything we see has a 12 volt fridge. We do a fair amount of dry camping. 2 way fridge would work much better for our use it seems. Do any makers use 2 way refrigerators these days or is everything 12 volt?

[dedmiston]

Grit dog wrote:
No I don’t remember. In 2005 our camper was made by Kelty. (A tent, lol)

Awesome. I gave my girlfriend (now wife) a tent for Christmas the first year we were dating.

[Reisender]

ktmrfs wrote:

Reisender wrote:
Adda about 400 watts of solar (2 panels) and some additional battery capacity and you’ll be happy with the compressor unit. They are a better fridge and will keep things cooler in hot weather.

solar is fine IF you are either parked in the sun or have portable panels in the sun or have electric hookup. A stretch of cloudy days dry camping....... another story.

yes, the do cool faster, and keep stuff colder in hot weather IF you have power for them. There are days camping where a compressor fridge would have been fine, but there have also been time camping in constant cloudy weather where compressor fridge would have meant running a generator even with all the solar we have.

You just can't beat the energy density in BTU/lb of propane with current alternatives. Weeks of fridge running on a gallon of propane.

Yah I hear ya. But with 400 watts of solar and a corresponding battery back even under cloudy skys you would probably be fine for a few days.

Anyway. Hope you find a solution. Happy camping and safe travels.

John.

[Grit_dog]

dedmiston wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
That’s really sad if LP fired camper fridges are now in short supply.

Do you remember the oven shortage back around '04 or '05?

One factory in China manufactured an orifice used by RV ovens and the factory went out of business. That was the end of RV ovens for many years. The marketing spin from the industry was "who needs an oven anyway?" and "everyone knows that convection microwaves are better than LP ovens".

It took a lot of doing, but I found an oven and put it under the tree for my wife for Christmas that year. She used the heck out of that oven and she uses the oven in our newer rig too.

The market has to bob and weave with shortages, but it doesn't make it a logical choice or a preference. It's just dealing with the current market conditions.

Hopefully the OP can put a fridge under the tree for his wife (or just himself) next year.

No I don’t remember. In 2005 our camper was made by Kelty. (A tent, lol)
I may have phrased it wrong but I meant that campers are being offered with different features now and not with LP fridges. But icbw.

[ktmrfs]

Reisender wrote:
Adda about 400 watts of solar (2 panels) and some additional battery capacity and you’ll be happy with the compressor unit. They are a better fridge and will keep things cooler in hot weather.

solar is fine IF you are either parked in the sun or have portable panels in the sun or have electric hookup. A stretch of cloudy days dry camping....... another story.

yes, the do cool faster, and keep stuff colder in hot weather IF you have power for them. There are days camping where a compressor fridge would have been fine, but there have also been time camping in constant cloudy weather where compressor fridge would have meant running a generator even with all the solar we have.

You just can't beat the energy density in BTU/lb of propane with current alternatives. Weeks of fridge running on a gallon of propane.

[dedmiston]

Grit dog wrote:
That’s really sad if LP fired camper fridges are now in short supply.

Do you remember the oven shortage back around '04 or '05?

One factory in China manufactured an orifice used by RV ovens and the factory went out of business. That was the end of RV ovens for many years. The marketing spin from the industry was "who needs an oven anyway?" and "everyone knows that convection microwaves are better than LP ovens".

It took a lot of doing, but I found an oven and put it under the tree for my wife for Christmas that year. She used the heck out of that oven and she uses the oven in our newer rig too.

The market has to bob and weave with shortages, but it doesn't make it a logical choice or a preference. It's just dealing with the current market conditions.

Hopefully the OP can put a fridge under the tree for his wife (or just himself) next year.

[Reisender]

Adda about 400 watts of solar (2 panels) and some additional battery capacity and you’ll be happy with the compressor unit. They are a better fridge and will keep things cooler in hot weather.

[Grit_dog]

That’s really sad if LP fired camper fridges are now in short supply.
Although supply and demand I suppose. What % of RVers actually need the LP side of a 2 or 3way fridge? (Used to be all 3 way fridges not so many years ago, then 2 way)
I’d like to say I’m that guy but if I’m honest, I need LP less than 50% of the time.
So the real issue is are the camper mfgs setting up the power and charging (solar) to handle a DC only fridge for an acceptable amount of time?
Doubt it. So there’s a required upgrade right outta the box!

[wa8yxm]

Katdaddy wrote:
We are considering downsizing our camper. We have a 28 foot fifth wheel now. Wife really wants a smaller travel trailer. Problem we are having is that everything we see has a 12 volt fridge.

We have a lot of new technology in the last 50 years.
We now have 12 volt "Coolers" (I won't call them a fridge) that, other than a fan, have NO MOVING PARTS.. yup. problem is they are what I vall -30 boxes (room temp - 30 F) so if its 70 they cool to 40 if it's 80 50 Not good

We have high efficiency compressor units. like LESS than 50 watts door closed. compressor running.. I have a chest freezer that is like that.

These are very good.. very efficient.. I'd love to see one in a Residential size

They are 12/120 volt as a rule (Though the 120 may be passed through a "Brick" so only 12 volt goes to the unit).

[valhalla360]

I get it, if you have a single battery and no solar, a 12v fridge isn't great for boondocking but....

Keep in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if 5-10yrs out, the support for absorption fridges is dying out.

We are in a transition currently but it seems to be moving quick as you have found. Might be worth just planning on a 2nd battery and 100-200w of solar.

[danlams89]

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a hard time finding a camper with a 2-way refrigerator. Right now there not a lot of manufactures that make campers with 2-way fridges. However, there are a few. One of the companies that makes campers with 2-way fridges is Carriage. They make campers mainly for the western US. You can check out their website here . Also, you can search for campers that are equipped with a 2-way refrigerator on RV Trader . My advice to you is to be patient. Manufacturers are coming out with newer models all the time and you never know when one of them is going to have a model that has a 2-way refrigerator.

[johnhicks]

https://www.rvtravel.com/12-volt-refrigerator-rvt-1065/

[Pbutler97]

Katdaddy wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:

agwill wrote:
The newer one have a 12 volt compressor fridge which are very good and do not use the same power as the old units that heated up and drew lots of power and killed battery. Add a solar panel or two and you are good to go.

good as long as there is sun and your parked in the sun or panels in the sun. I have a energy efficient compressor fridge in a small trailer, propane in the big one. Propane wins, mostly because propane BTU/gallon wins way out over FLA BTU/lb or BTU/volume. A gallon of propane will run my fridge for a week or more. A couple of batteries will run a compressor fridge for a few days at most.

To the OP, recently looking at trailers many that come std with electric have an option for propane and vice versa

Just a bummer that we are going to have to order one as an option. Not going to get the best deal on a new camper going that route.

That is the route where you will get your best deal, the dealer does not have to carry the unit while it sits waiting to be sold. If a dealer tells you otherwise you need to find another dealer.

[Katdaddy]

ktmrfs wrote:

agwill wrote:
The newer one have a 12 volt compressor fridge which are very good and do not use the same power as the old units that heated up and drew lots of power and killed battery. Add a solar panel or two and you are good to go.

good as long as there is sun and your parked in the sun or panels in the sun. I have a energy efficient compressor fridge in a small trailer, propane in the big one. Propane wins, mostly because propane BTU/gallon wins way out over FLA BTU/lb or BTU/volume. A gallon of propane will run my fridge for a week or more. A couple of batteries will run a compressor fridge for a few days at most.

To the OP, recently looking at trailers many that come std with electric have an option for propane and vice versa

Just a bummer that we are going to have to order one as an option. Not going to get the best deal on a new camper going that route.

[ktmrfs]

agwill wrote:
The newer one have a 12 volt compressor fridge which are very good and do not use the same power as the old units that heated up and drew lots of power and killed battery. Add a solar panel or two and you are good to go.

good as long as there is sun and your parked in the sun or panels in the sun. I have a energy efficient compressor fridge in a small trailer, propane in the big one. Propane wins, mostly because propane BTU/gallon wins way out over FLA BTU/lb or BTU/volume. A gallon of propane will run my fridge for a week or more. A couple of batteries will run a compressor fridge for a few days at most.

To the OP, recently looking at trailers many that come std with electric have an option for propane and vice versa

[agwill]

The newer one have a 12 volt compressor fridge which are very good and do not use the same power as the old units that heated up and drew lots of power and killed battery. Add a solar panel or two and you are good to go.