Best Camping Fridge

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Thermoelectric Coolboxes

1. Vivo Electric Coolbox

  • 26L capacity
  • Cools to -15C
  • Warms to 50C

The Vivo electric coolbox is versatile camping fridge that not only cools food, but also keeps it warm, making it a fantastic option for family day trips and picnics. As an electric cooler it does require a power source to operate, and you have the choice of both a car cigarette lighter and plug socket.

This allows the cooler to be used indoors as well as outdoors - perfect for those special occasions where you run out of fridge space or need to keep some food warm!

A 26L capacity is enough for most day trips too, capable of holding a 1.5L bottle of juice in an upright position.

2. Campingaz Powerbox Classic Thermoelectric Cool Box

  • 36L capacity
  • Rubber seal for enhanced cooling performance
  • Cools to -16C below ambient temperature

The Campingaz Powerbox is an impressive 36L thermoelectric cooler suitable for those large day trips out with family or friends.

With a whopping 36L capacity, this cooler has enough space for plenty of food and drink, holding up to three 1.5L bottles.

A rugged build is ideal for outdoor adventures, while the thermoelectric cooling system is operating using a 12V dc car power outlet, so it’s easy enough to charge with your vehicle, providing a nice cooling temperature of up to -15C.

For added convenience, the hinged lid features cup holders and offers easy access to the cooler.

Passive Coolboxes

3. Coleman CO 70QT Xtreme Coolbox

  • 66L capacity
  • Foam insulation cools for up to 5 days
  • Lid features cup holders and is a suitable seat or tray

The Coleman CO 70QT Xtreme Coolbox is a fantastic cooler perfect for camping trips. Using premium foam insulation, the camping fridge will keep items cool for as long as five days, making it a fine choice for those longer camping excursions.

It also has a very impressive 66L capacity and can hold three 1.5L bottles upright. There’s space for plenty of food and drink, and the lightweight design (it weighs just over 5kg) ensures easy transport when out and about.

The lid doubles as a seat or serving tray, with moulded cup holders for keeping your drinks safe. In fact, it’s tough enough to use as a seat, although you may require some form of cushioning!

4. Thermos Cool Box

  • 32L capacity
  • Polystyrene insulation
  • Cools for up to 8 hours

Anyone seeking a reliable camping fridge for a day trip, be sure to check out this great cool box from Thermos.

A 32L capacity offers ample space for food and drink, while the eight-hour cooling period is perfect for picnics and day excursions.

The lid locks into place to ensure no contents accidently fall out, while the overall construction is robust yet lightweight, so it shouldn’t be too heavy to transport. For the best cooling performance possible, try to use 2 x 1kg ice packs or 2 x 800g freeze boards.

Absorption Coolers

5. Dometic Combicool RC2200 3-Way Portable Absorption Cool Box

  • 41L capacity
  • Cools to 33C below ambient temperature
  • Aluminium body
  • Gas or electric operating

The Dometic Combicool RC2200 is the perfect camping fridge for longer trips, offering plenty of space and high-quality cooling around the clock. It’s powered using either a 12V vehicle power outlet, mains electricity, or gas, giving plenty of options for your camping trips.

An impressive 41L capacity can hold up to 8 x 2L bottles of juice in an upright position, highlighting just how much storage space this camping fridge offers.

The aluminium housing is stylish yet strong, while the cool box operates silently as it cools up to 33C below ambient temperature. It even includes an ice cube tray for even more luxury when camping!

6. Waeco B40 Hybrid Portable Fridge/ Freezer/ Cooler

  • 38L capacity
  • 230V compressor cools from +12C to -15C
  • 12V thermoelectric cools up to 20C below ambient

The Waeco B40 is a versatile piece of camping hardware capable of operating as a fridge, freezer, or cooler, making it the perfect addition to your camping equipment. There are various ways to power the cooler, with a 12V power outlet offering 12C below ambient temperature.

If you want to go cooler, you’ll need a 230V outlet, which allows the coolbox to cool from 10C to -15C. To do this when out camping, a 600W or 1000W inverter allows the cooler to operate on a 12V outlet.

This is certainly worth it if you want some serious cooling power for camping and other day trips!

Compressor Fridges

7. Waeco CDF-26 21L Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer, 12v/24v

  • 21.5L capacity
  • Cooling from 10C to -18C
  • 12V and 24V operation
  • Digital display

The Waeco CDF-26 is a compact fridge-freezer combo that will make your camping and day trips that bit better thanks to its exceptional cooling performance. If you want to keep food fresh and drinks cool, be sure to check out this powerful coolbox.

A dual fridge-freezer function allows various cooling temperatures for maintain your food and drink during trips. With a temperature range between -18C and 10C, you can cool or freeze anything you require, providing you have access to a 12V or 24V charger.

It even comes with a digital temperature display to let you know how cool the inside is at any given time.

8. Waeco CFX-35 32L Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer

  • 32L capacity
  • Cools from 10C to -22C
  • 12V, 24V, and 240V operation

The Waeco CFX-35 is powerful compressor coolbox that refrigerates and freezes as required. Better still, you can enjoy this impressive performance even on a 12V outlet, while it can also be used on 24V and mains outlets.

It features an intelligent auto cooler system that rapidly cools the contents, and when set to freeze mode the coolbox freezes down to an incredible -22C, even with extreme outside temperatures. This is some seriously impressive performance, highlighting just how good this camping fridge-freezer is.

For added convenience, you can charge small electronic devices on the USB outlet included on the cool box, and the electronic thermostat comes with digital temperature display.

Buying a Camping Fridge Freezer or Coolbox for Your Next Adventure

In the UK, our camping adventures are often overshadowed by rotten weather and regret. However, catch the weather on a good day and it allows memories to be created between families, friends, couples, and colleagues. As long as the basics are in place, everything should be covered and this includes a tent, tools to make a fire, and food.

If you’re currently storing your food in a backpack, you’ll know how it looks far less appetising after hours in the warmth than it did when you packed it. Therefore, we recommend investing in some form of camping fridge or coolbox. This way, your food and drink can stay cool and your evening meal is something you can enjoy rather than endure. How do you know what camping fridge to buy? Luckily for you, we’ve been thinking about this a lot recently which has led to this guide. By the end, you should know all you need to make a decision for your next trip!

Important Considerations

Before we launch into the different designs you can buy these days, you need to consider your needs very carefully. Too often, we see people make sacrifices by buying camping products that don’t really suit their needs and this leads to a less enjoyable experience. If you put your needs before everything else, you can buy a camping fridge that suits you and your guests.

Space - Most commonly, this will be the biggest concern for you. If you already own some type of camping coolbox, this is a great starting point because you’ll know how close or far away you are from your needs. If you don’t have anything to work with, grab a cardboard box and do a mock pack to see what items you need. Ultimately, the biggest factor deciding the size of your fridge will be the amount of people you typically take on a trip. If you go alone most of the time, your needs will be very different to those of a family.

Generally speaking, we suggest 40 litres for a family of four whereas a couple could probably utilise a fridge half this size. Once again, think about your needs; for example, how often will you eat, how long are your typical trips, will it fit into the car, will you bring bottles of wine, what food do you plan on bringing? After answering these questions, you should have a base for what size coolbox you need.

Coolness - As strange as it sounds, how cool do you want your food and drink to remain? With this question, there are two main components;

Do you need it to stay cool or do you need it refrigerated?

Are you camping in warm or cool climates?

If you plan on camping in Greece, your coolbox will go through considerably more pressure here than in the Lake District for a few days. If you do most of your camping in the UK, you’ll have more options available because more products can cope with the conditions; in fact, you probably need fridges with strong sealing in the UK to prevent rain from getting inside.

Of course, the outside temperature will play a huge role towards the temperature inside the coolbox with most models. This being said, there are some compressor coolboxes (which you’ll see later) that keep a constant temperature. As you might expect, these will be more expensive so it’s a case of balancing your needs and finding the one that best suits your typical trips.

Power - As you drive, you’ll normally be able to keep your camping fridge plugged in to keep the contents cool but do you normally have access to electricity when camping? If you’ve taken an interest in Glamping recently, this won’t be an issue but it could prove a stumbling block for traditional campers.

In order to keep the contents of your coolbox at a good temperature, there are two things you can do; buy a product with good insulation and keep the fridge door shut as much as you can. Although you can probably plug the fridge into the 12v supply of your car, this will eventually drain the battery and cold food probably isn't a good trade-off for no ride home.

If you camp regularly and have some money to invest, you could look towards the expensive side of the market since they offer solar power fridges but this will require a solar setup on your tent or camper van. If you cannot justify the cost, we recommend looking for fridges with good insulation and keeping the door shut.

Noise - Finally, we have a consideration that won’t directly affect the performance of the fridge but will certainly have an impact on your experience. At first, this decision seems a little trivial but we’ve seen (and heard!) some models that provide a constant hum through the night. Not only will this annoy the campers around you, it also takes away from the camping experience when it should be about getting away from the electronics and immersing yourself with nature.

With absorption coolers, these are generally silent but they should remain well away from your sleeping area since they can run off gas. To maintain temperature, compressor coolboxes will turn on/off as required while thermoelectric boxes will offer a constant fan noise. Ultimately, we recommend reading previous customer reviews before you buy and ask if you can test the fridge in the store. This way, you can see how loud a model is when in use.

Types of Camping Fridge /Coolbox

With these considerations in mind, you’re now in a better position to understand the different types of coolbox and what they’ll offer you on a trip.

Thermoelectric Coolboxes

 As insulated boxes, these products can be powered using the 12v adapter in your car which also means they can be hooked up to the mains at the campsite (if you have this available!). In terms of temperature, this will completely depend on the warmth outside so the British weather can actually help. If the engine isn't running, these coolboxes will drain your car battery but they’re typically cheaper than most types and they can keep food and drink relatively cool. As another negative, we should note the noise since this can be a little disruptive.

Passive Coolboxes

As the cheapest option we have here today, these coolboxes are designed to keep food and drink as cool as possible without using electricity. Instead, you can use ice blocks and everything should remain at a good temperature. If you plan on camping for anything longer than a couple of days, you might have to refreeze the ice block but they’re available in numerous sizes and kind to the bank balance.

Absorption Coolers

 Starting at around 30 litres, these are considered the biggest option for camping and sometimes have the name ‘three-way fridges’. As silent as can possibly be, these units will run off 12v adapters or 230v electricity and are designed for big families on long trips. If you’re powering the box using gas, you’ll have to keep it in a well-ventilated area. All things considered, the lack of noise and huge size makes them a perfect option for long trips away but the cost can put some people off if there isn't enough need for it; £200 compared to the £15-£30 of the previous two options.

Compressor Fridges

 As the most expensive option of the four, these are seen as the premium option because you can actually set a temperature for your food and this won’t be affected by the weather outside in any way. If the weather is hot, the unit will certainly have to work harder but the temperature inside should remain the same.

Running on the mains and car battery, many high-end units will allow for power-saving features which is a great bonus. If you have the money and you camp frequently, some models will offer solar power catchers. Since the fridge will only turn on when the temperature starts to drop, these models tend to be less energy-intensive and there’s a fantastic range of sizes available depending on what manufacturer you choose. Starting at £250, they’re mainly designed for those who camp regularly since this will see them used often and the cost is more justifiable.

Suggestions

To finish, let’s look at some suggestions based on typical camping scenarios since this should allow you to get a better picture for what you’ll need. However, don’t take this information as fact because you still need to consider your own needs as we’ve discussed all the way through.

Family of Four - If you take long weekends and short breaks around the UK, 35 litres should be your minimum and you can choose between thermoelectric or a passive coolbox. As long as the coolbox has good insulation, you should be in a good position. If you prefer to go for a longer break around Europe during the summer, absorption coolers or large compression fridges will be your best options. Unfortunately, the absorption model will not work when tilted so be sure the model can fit in your car upright before purchasing.

Couple - If for you and a partner or perhaps a best friend, a couple of weekends per year in the UK would work just fine with a passive or thermoelectric coolbox (18 to 25 litres). If you don’t go too often but like to experience Europe during the summer months, a thermoelectric or small compressor cooler would be advised.

Finally, what if you want to leave the country for several weeks? Ultimately, a compressor coolbox of 18 to 25 litres would be our suggestion. If possible, go for a model with a freezing function. If not, an insulated passive coolbox could work if you can regularly freeze the ice packs.

Solo - If you prefer to venture the world alone, weekend trips and extensive European tours would probably require you to own a small compressor coolbox.

Best Camping Fridge

Summary

If you had questions regarding camping fridges before, they should all be gone now and we hope you enjoyed our guide. Although not the most exciting topic, it can be the difference between enjoying refreshing food/drink and making your trip memorable for all the wrong reasons. Remember, your needs will always be the most important factor and, if you meet these, you’ll be set for the coming years!

4.9

Last update on 2021-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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