Portable Fridge/Cooler

We would like to buy a small portable fridge/cooler to keep in the TV when travelling. Probably an AC DC one. I looked at the ones in Canadian Tire, Wal Mart, etc., but, need more info on what works best. We don't want anything too big, just one about the size of the TM fridge, but, portable. One that can keep things frozen and/or cool.
Perhaps some of you have some ideas/experience that you could share.
John
2003 Montana AWD - TV
2004 TM 3023

[Bill]

We have had a 40-quart Coleman thermoelectric cooler for as long as we've had a TM. See it (but don't buy it) at
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colem...ategoryid=8570
We got it from WalMart for a much lower price than on the Coleman web site - I think about $50 including an AC adapter. For us it has worked very well. We carry it in the tow vehicle as we travel, plugging it into the cigarette lighter, and then bring it into the TM when we reach the campground. It is a nice cooler just by itself - you could chill it with ice if you wanted to, but the plug-in feature is nice.

Advantages: Inexpensive. No need for ice. No water everywhere. Nice cooler all by itself, even if you don't have power. No moving parts except a small fan. No need for ice. No need for blue ice. No ice, no water, nowhere.
Disadvantages: It takes about 5 amps at 12 volts to run it, so it is not workable if you are dry camping. And, it cools the inside of the box to about 40 degrees below the temperature outside the box. If it is 100 degrees outside the box, it will be cool but not cold inside. If it is 50 degrees outside the box, things will (eventually) freeze inside it. We haven't found this to be a big problem - we store our "fussy" things in the TM refrig, which is temp-controlled, and use the cooler to augment it, choosing things that won't be hurt by the expected temperatures on that particular day.

Not everyone has had good luck with it. But I think the biggest problem has not been with the cooler itself, but with the kinda lightweight cigarette lighter outlet in the TM. If you search this board on the term "thermoelectric " you will learn more.

Aside from thermoelectrics, there are some small coolers that have an actual refrigerator/compressor mechanism just like your home refrig. I have had NO experience with these, but would like to hear from anyone who has. Kinda spendy, I think.

BTW, if you buy a thermoelectric cooler, BE SURE that it includes the AC adapter. You definitely will want one, and if sold separately, they are VERY expensive. On the Coleman website I linked above, the cooler itself is $78, and the AC adapter is an additional $32. Yikes! Go to WalMart!

Finally, some folks have had good luck with a small "dormitory refrigerator", about the same size as the main refrig in the TM.
Disadvantages: requires AC power to run it - no DC power option. Not really portable.

Bill

[fcatwo]

We have a large Igloo thermoelectric cooler and agree with everything bill said in his post. It isn't a fridge/freezer but still serves it's purpose. It allows us to grocery shop as opportunities permit while on the road and keep those things cool until we arrive at our destination for the night and open the TM. If we know we'll be stopping for groceries enroute we usually start the day with it plugged-in in our TV so it will be cool when we need it.

We've also found that the use of more canned foods (remember those?) helps solve the "small-fridge" problem.

We used an Igloo thermoelectric cooler on our recent trip. It worked great. We usually premake a few things and freeze them before leaving (lasagna, all our meats....) so the TM fridge and the Igloo have something already cool in them. (we drove for two days before cooking)

My only concern was the AC adaptor got really warm, so, while we were camping, we put the cooler outside under the front bed on a grooming table. We needed two plug adaptors to be able to plug the AC adaptor in (left my power strip home) because it is a chunky transformer. The cooler worked great -- my friend only unplugged one adaptor so when the shells were raised my plug cover was torn off.

I see that the March 2005 issue of Trailer Life has an ad from Camping World promoting an Evercool Thermoelectric Cooler/Warmer, 35 qt. I was looking at their web site and see another slightly bigger model 45 litres. Does anyone own one of these and how is it?
John
2004 TM 3023
2003 Montana AWD

[Bill]

No experience - but $117 + $16 shipping, and for that you don't get an AC adapter? Seems a bit high to me.

Bill