I'm sure others have already thought of this but for me the lightbulb just went one today. Want to hardwire a cooler/refrigerator into one side of my toolbox so instead of my beers baking in the sun then will get cold. Does anyone know if these portable refrigerators actually work or is it just a gimmick? Obviously it won't work when the engine's off but that doesn't matter.

 

I know a lot of OTR truck drivers use these and, while I don't have any actual experience with them I've heard pretty good things.

The thing to realize is that they aren't refrigerators so much as they are coolers. They are usually rated to cool to a certain number of degree's below ambient temperature. I looked at two online real quick and one was rated at 30 degree's below ambient temp and the other was rated at 40 degrees. As usual, the more they hold, and the better they cool, the more they cost and the more power they use.

 

ARB makes a great one. All the 4x4 magazines raved about it. It is expensive though, but they all seem to think it is worth every penny.

I have one I think made by Colman. I got it free with Marlboro miles way back like 16 17 years ago, that I have had good luck with. I'm sure it don't compare to the ARB one, But I don't need it to.

 

I also have the big Coleman (USA made from WalMart of all places) and it works pretty well. Reverse the leads and it also can be used as an oven to keep food warm. Not being a true refrigerator, it uses much less power than my RV unit. The trick is to load it with cold beer and it will keep it cold. It would take days to chill it down from hot.

 

Yeah I have used these for several years. A medium size(48qts??) Igloo that is still running after almost 20 years, do need to lube the fan every few months tho. Also had to replace a melted power plug this year.

I also have a Vector? medium size that even has a backup battery to keep it cool, say at a picnic, worthless, but on car power it works great. Also works great on an AC adapter and has an adjustable temperature and built in thermometer, kept my beer cool at work for many months until I got a regular refer.

Next I have a 12 pack sized I think Vector, but it works fine. A sixpack cooler, ditto. I even have a two beer can cooler in my car now.

As mentioned, these things cool about 40 degrees below ambient. A car on a hot summer day could have an ambient of over 150F, so your beer ain't gonna be too cool. But they work fine when the AC is keeping the cabin comfortable and in winter they will freeze. Never used the heat function.

Also, they draw a fair amount of power. I think my Igloo draws over 5 amps. Even the six pack cooler draws something like 2-3 amps. If you leave them running overnite or a couple days, your battery may drain flat. So be careful how long they run.

For best cooling ICE is hard to beat, but for reasonably cool, over and over, these electric coolers are OK as long as their limitations are kept in mind.

Just my experience,

Jim Henderson

 

Well been doing some googling and it does look like the ARB is the best/only one that really works well. Didin't realize they were so much, the ARB is $700. I figured they be the same cost as a home mini-fridge, like $80.

Might just stick with a 5gal bucket with ice.

 

RUBBERMAID BIG containers are the BOMB! Especially if they have wheels on one end...

 

I have one of the Omaha Steak Containers, from a relative. It will keep drinks cold for a week on one bag of ice. I would really like to find something I could easily coat the Styrofoam with, though.