I bought a cheap Chinese one, alpicool, has worked without a issue for the 2 years I've had it. For what the big name brand charges for the same thing if it dies I can replace it like a half dozen times, but so far I have not had to.
got my icle Waeco (Dometic) CF25 (Compressor) fridge back in 2008 and I still use it every day.
Permanent 12v outlet in the car means it just run's all day long, I guess when you have a 82kwh NCM battery slung under the car, you don't really need to worry about the 12v SLA battery running flat, or do you ?
What I am trying to say, is just get a compressor fridge, nothing else comes close.
I had a Halfords compressor one which was good but it di3d . Halfords were unable to replace it( end of the season so none in stock) .They gave me a refund. It had a 3 year guarantee.
We bought an Alpicool one which is excellent.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
I can see that the compressor section largely stays the same size in each of the different fridge capacities, so the form factor appears to become more efficient as the capacity increases
Quote: Originally posted by Roog on 01/5/2025
Some interesting ideas, thank you. Yes I have had my eye on the Alpicool fridges they look good.
our van came with an apicool a45. it's really good. the main issue for tent camping would be space, and the need for a 12v supply that isn't your car battery (or ehu as it comes with a 240 ac plug as well).
Best is a 3 way fridge They run on gas, 12 volt in car or 230 volt mains when on hook up. They operate on the absorption principle which is the same as the fridges fitted in caravans.
They are also absolutely silent in operation unlike compressor fridges.
I've just bought one from ebay, a Quest 40 litre in good condition for £156.00. I tried it on mains when I collected it and the bar inside got cool. I ran it on 12 volt in the car on the way home and it was really cold. I ran it on 230 volt mains at home after it had cooled and it again got cold.
After that I released the collection code as I was satisfied so that payment could be released to the seller via paypal.
Got an Outsunny 16 litre 12v/240v fridge/freezer (similar to Alpicool) recently and run it off a power pack. Would have gone for an Alpicool but the outsunny was on offer (£103). Purchased for days out and long journeys towing the caravan. The caravan 3 way fridge takes several hours to cool and combined with a 7 hour journey meant any chilled food was getting a bit too un-chilled for my liking (also tried cool bags with freezer packs). Even when I cooled the caravan fridge overnight before the start of the journey, fridge was not chilled after driving 7 hours. Now I just use the Outsunny for the journey and for several hours after arrival until the caravan fridge has cooled.
Found the outsunny to work really well. Cooling is highly effective - kicks in a couple of minutes every 20 mins or so. Not completely silent but at bedtime you could just stick it in the car if it bothers you.
Quote: Originally posted by navver on 08/7/2025
Best is a 3 way fridge They run on gas, 12 volt in car or 230 volt mains when on hook up. They operate on the absorption principle which is the same as the fridges fitted in caravans.
They are also absolutely silent in operation unlike compressor fridges.
I've just bought one from ebay, a Quest 40 litre in good condition for £156.00. I tried it on mains when I collected it and the bar inside got cool. I ran it on 12 volt in the car on the way home and it was really cold. I ran it on 230 volt mains at home after it had cooled and it again got cold.
After that I released the collection code as I was satisfied so that payment could be released to the seller via paypal.
I've got a venerable Electrolux (now Dometic) 3 way camping fridge, that I acquired s/h a long while ago (circa £60 IIRC), and I love it's versatility, and it's certainly been used on all power sources to great effect and rather a lot, even got used as an overflow fridge at home come Xmas and the like. But I have to admit, as much as I love it and am loath to part with it, it's rather too power hungry on 12v! It's really only usable on 12v in a vehicle with the engine running (same as a caravan/MH fridge!), as on battery power alone it'll kill a decent 100Ah battery in mere hours!! Mine's the rather rare higher powered version, so will freeze, JUST! Except overnight, when ambient temps drop, where it'll freeze all too readily if you don't remember to adjust the fairly crude 2 level gas setting/240v thermostat (12v just runs at full power continuously!) - breakfast can be interesting, block of orange juice anyone? … crunchy banana …. milk 'lolly'....!
I more recently acquired a 12/240v Mobicool compressor fridge/freezer that will run off a 12v battery potentially for days, but my 3-way is retained because it'll run off gas when off grid, and in that role has served us incredibly well on many a tent camping trip.
Unless you need/want the gas powered option, the compressor fridges are the way to go. MUCH better thermostat control and low 12v power consumption.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: So..can we talk about camping fridges?
via mobile 12/5/2025 at 12:16pm
