Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I sometimes read Expedition Portal's forum for 4 wheel drive campers. I learned about the Truckfridge AC/DC top opening portable refrigerator/freezer there. They seem to be reliably well made according to what they write. Truckfridges are much lower priced than similar capacity fridges from Engel or ARB. (update) They are made by indelB, an Italian company, and look similar to Waeco/Dometic refridgerator/freezers.

Truckfridges come in three sizes with either 1, 1.5 or 2 cubic feet of storage capacity. The smallest and middle sized ones would probably fit in many teardrop galleys. The biggest capacity one may not because its the tallest. At 23" long they are shorter than many ice chests.

They're powered both by AC and DC so you could plug one into a 12 volt socket in your car or truck and at a campsite with AC hookups. With a good battery you might go camping for a weekend just on battery power. With the right sized solar collector too you could keep your food and "pop" cold for an extended trip. I like that food would not get soggy from melting ice. Nor would you need to take time away from camping or burn gas to go buy ($) ice. Maybe you could buy your food and "pop" on the way to your camping destination.

A lengthy favorable discussion begins at http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/81797-Truck-Fridge-sale-Prices-only-visible-in-checkout Four wheelers bouncing over back country roads and trails would be much harder users (abusers) of the coolers than most any teardrop camper would. These may be a good buy for a fridge that is sized right for teardrop camping.

Post #27 in the Expedition Portal discussion:

by 77volvo
Consumption

The Truckfridge/Indel B 50l consumes .7w when the compressor is not running, when the compressor is running on ECO my amp meter says 3.5a/44w and on MAX 5.7a/71w. Although I did not record the totals consumed, my 50l performed well, connected to 40w (labelled), actual 25w peak output measured, of solar panels and 2 - 12v 100 amp deep cycle batteries over 9 days. I set up the fridge and panels the afternoon of 8/11, and disconnected them on the morning of 8/19. Temperatures during the day were up into the 90's, but down to the lower 60's at night, and I had the thermostat set at 34. The lowest the battery voltage I observed was 12.05v, and the milk was still cold when I loaded up to head home.

TruckFridge.com sells three sizes at http://www.truckfridge.com/store/page6.html.
Both the TF31 and the TF41 would probably fit easily in a teardrop galley.

TF31 SALE PRICE $399.00
Great for traveling, camping and all outdoor activities.
Portable, top opening fridge/freezer
13 ¾"W x 14 ½"H x 23"L
1.0 cu. ft.
DC 12-24 Volt / AC 115-230 Volt / 50-60 Hz

TF41 SALE PRICE $499.00
Great for traveling, camping and all outdoor activities.
Portable, top opening fridge/freezer
13 ¾"W x 17"H x 23"L
1.5 cu. ft.
DC 12-24 Volt / AC 115-230 Volt / 50-60 Hz

The taller TF51 might be a tighter fit.

TF51 SALE PRICE $529.00
Great for traveling, camping and all outdoor activities.
Portable, top opening fridge/freezer
13 ¾"W x 20 ½"H x 23"L
2.0 cu. ft.
DC 12-24 Volt / AC 115-230 Volt / 50-60 Hz

On 3/5/2014 I called Truck Fridge to inquire about the dimensions. The lengths above do not include the handles. With handles they are about 28" long, The handles are detachable. I was told they stock hundreds of the fridges.

Westy Ventures http://westyventures.com/index.html sells Truckfridges too: http://westyventures.com/parts.html

Choose the fridge option you'd like from the menu below. Shipping, as always, is free within the lower 48!

They are another Truckfridge seller mentioned in the Expedition Portal forum. With free shipping they may cost less than buying from Truckfridge.com once shipping is added on.

Evacool Evacool-usa.com appears to be another brand of the same refrigerator/freezer. They have a (pdf) brochure with photos and specifications that is helpful: USACOOLMATE You can print a copy.

AVERAGE CURRENT DRAW ON 12 VOLTS Internal Temp 40°F External Temp 70°F Approximately 0.7 amp hour/hour

bold added

Disclaimer this is information I found on the internet. I do not vouch for the sellers. Do your own homework before buying.

These look like they are made by dometic, or whoever makes it for them. The dometic is great with a one caveat.

The cold is focused on the bottom...put truly dangerous parishioners there. It tends to leave the top a little warm because of lack of airflow, not because of lack of cooling. It will get to zero, but that's not what you want while camping....I am sure a fan to move air would make a difference, but were usually packed too tight for even one of those.

Bigger is better so you have room for the airflow.

We love ours, all things considered. We routinely bring beef and milk....it's nice to know it hasn't sat at 50 degrees for hours. Peltier type coolers on a hot day won't do that. Ice takes runs to the overpriced camp store or an hour drive into town....not to mention soggy everything.

Watch camping world. When they go on sale, the really go on sale...we got ours for almost half off!

This looks like a re-badged Waeco/Dometic The handles and Danfoss compressor being the giveaway, they appear to be smaller ones. We certainly love ours and it was powered by the solar panel on Compass Rose for our eight day stay on the shore of Lake Superior. The one criticism/advantage is that it stratifies, colder at the bottom than the top. Nancy has learned to use this to our advantage, things she wants to stay more or less frozen at the bottom. All of our food had to go with us when we went to Lake Superior Provincial Park. I added a reflective jacket to ours as it rides in the back of our Subaru when traveling. One note of warning, The power point in the back of the Subaru is on only when the ignition is on so I had to run a line to the battery.

We picked up the middle unit (TF41) last year and we LOVE it. Just got back from another weekend where we used it in refrigerator mode. Took a longer trip (8 days) this summer and used it as a freezer with a traditional cooler and cycled frozen milk jugs in and out. It also kept the ice for our cocktails nicely chilled. We couldn't be happier with ours!

-Mike W.

Mike W., Thanks for sharing your good experience camping with a TF41.

There is a discussion thread on Expedition Portal http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/70116-Indel-B-Travel-Box-Fridge-Test-and-Comparison "Indel B Travel Box Fridge Test and Comparison" that says the Truckfridge is made by Indel B, from Italy.

Test report - Indel B Travel Box (7 page pdf) http://www.equipt1.com/Company%20Product%20Images/Indel%20B/Downloads/Indel%20B%20Travel%20Box%20Test%20and%20Comparison%20Report.pdf

IndelB.com http://www.indelb.com/products/automotive

Travel box

Travel Box is a line of portable compressor-operated refrigerators for the after-market, designed for a variety of different uses: in industrial vehicles and buses, for leisuretime and nautical activities, as well as with electro-medical facilities and for transporting food during trips. The Travel Box portable refrigerators are not merely small in size, but designed to satisfy any need that might arise while on the move, including driving safety, energy savings and living comfort in the space in which they are transported. The Secop (formerly Danfoss) compressors installed in our portable refrigerators grant excellent performances.Given their sturdiness and functional flexibility, The Travel Box portable refrigerators make for “inimitable travel mates”.

Equipt1.com sells Travel Box fridges from indel B, without the Truckfridge re-badging. Their webpage travel-box-fridges has very helpful information describing the Travel Box's features with good photos and a YouTube demonstration of the fridge.
YouTube demonstration of an Indel B Travel Box Portable Fridge



Very Informative!

"The Indel B is a portable fridge/freezer run by a Danfoss compressor. Looking at the test data I would rank this fridge solidly next to the Engel and the ARB. Compressor control is not as good as the National Luna, but is better than the Whynter. Value and performance of this fridge makes it a good competitor for the ARB and Engel, but does not match the sheer power of the National Luna." GJ

National Luna Fridge/Freezers are very efficient and come in a wide range of sizes.

Overland Journal "Editors Choice", 2007 & 2010 Fridge Comparisons
The National Luna Freezer/Fridge line is arguably the best portable refrigeration available in the world. The 40L Aluminum Model won the 2007 Overland Journal Fridge Comparison Editors Choice Award for its quality and performance. The Weekender 52L Stainless Steel model won the 2010 Editor's Choice Award for the same reasons. Their combination of design, durability, and energy economy is second to none. National Luna is the choice of Overlanders in Africa, Australia, and Europe. And now we are proud to offer it to you here is the United States.

National Luna Fridge Freezers were originally designed to meet the needs of the World Health Organization and other medical relief agencies in refrigerating medicines for the remote African continent. Three critical requirements: specific temperature settings, run on very little power, and withstand traveling over the harshest terrain on the planet. The National Luna Fridge Freezers excel at all three requirements.

Outdoor Warehouse from South Africa http://www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za/indel-b-41l-fridge.html

Temperature Range: 20 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees Celcius

4WD1.com http://www.4wd1.com/fridge.htm in Australia sells the Ironman badged version.
YouTube of demonstration of an Ironman fridge/freezer A quick look at its features.



YouTube How To Assemble Ironman 4x4 Fridge Slide Informative and looks very handy.



NorthernFridge.ca http://www.northernfridge.ca/ in Canada sells Truckfridges http://www.northernfridge.ca/collections/portable-fridge-freezers

It seems that prices, features and warranties vary with different badgings, and sellers, of the indelB fridges.

Equipt1 will go to my bookmarks. Looks like they've got really good pricing! Dometic looks the same and is made from the same compressor etc, so I'm willing to wager these all come off the same production lines....and dometic is VERY proud of their name.

My only complaint, is that I would like a manual thermostat (dial know controlling a temp sensor instead of a transistor/IC main board.) I think it would be slightly more rugged. and no one seems interested in those any more.

I bought a 50 qt ARB and am so very happy with it. My meat stayed frozen for the week I was camping, my cokes were cold and I even purposely froze some bottles of water so I could have some really cold water in the heat. At the camp, I ran an extension cord to it in the Escape, and just plugged it into the 12V plug on the rear of the console while driving.

The Wander The West forum http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/6446-truck-fridge-portable-fridge/ discuses the
Truck Fridge Portable Fridge at length (currently seven pages). Its a friendly, sharing, discussion. On the fifth page good clear photos are shown of the inside and outside of the refrigerator and the indelb branded shipping box it came in. Members share ideas for powering the fridge with battery and solar power. They also discuss how to unscrew the factory handles and replace them with homemade hold downs to secure a fridge well and to save room...with more helpful photos. The ideas and tips shared there could work well for a teardrop.


BTW I updated the first page a little...added information that indelb from Italy is the maker of Truckfridges.

Other choices for an AC/DC fridge / freezer priced lower to higher:

EdgeStar AC/DC Portable Fridge / Freezers from Compact Appliance EdgeStar

EdgeStar 43 Quart 12V DC Portable Fridge/Freezer - Grey

Keep your foods and drinks chilled or frozen while traveling with the EdgeStar 43 Quart 12V DC Portable Fridge/Freezer (FP430). For ultimate portability, the EdgeStar 43 quart portable compact refrigerator freezer runs off standard household voltage, or easily connects to the cigarette lighter outlet in your car. This portable refrigerator freezer features a full range digital thermostat that is adjustable from -8 to 50 degrees F and will hold a stable temperature under most conditions. The FP430 may be powered via AC (0.75A) or DC (5.4A @ 12V DC / 2.7A @ 24 DC) power and comes with cables for both applications. This portable refrigerator freezer is great for boaters, campers, hunters, medical transportation/storage, recreational vehicles, cabins and all your outdoor applications.

Occasionally their other web site http://www.openboxdirect.com/ sells them for less.

Quality Open Box / Scratch & Dent Products. OpenBoxDirect.com is the top rated source for preowned appliances and housewares.

Dometic CoolFreeze (Waeco) Portable Freezers & Refrigerators



pplmotorhomes.com is one seller Portable Freezer Refrigerators

Portable compressor freezer/refrigerator

Composed of a high impact polypropylene cabinet, the CF-40 can refrigerate or freeze to 0 degrees F (-17 degrees C). Enhanced by a quick chill/turbo function that runs the compressor at maximum performance until the desired temperature has been reached. Memory feature will maintain preset settings if the system is turned off. And the 3-stage battery monitor has a low voltage shut-off to protect against a dead battery.

Includes a coated wire grid divider to keep foods from adhering to the interior walls. Convenient carrying handles aid in transport and can be easily removed. Interior light helps quickly find contents in the dark.

ARB Fridge Freezer ARB Fridge Freezer



Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/ARB-10800472-Fridge-Freezer-Quart/dp/B002Q1INDM
TRDParts4u ( All > 4x4 & Offroad > Expedition > FRIDGES ) http://trdparts4u.toyotaofdallas.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=-83 arb10 may be a usable discount code for a 10% discount - discount information was shared in Expedition Portal discussion

ARB Fridge Freezers are the ideal way to keep your food and beverages chilled or frozen on your 4x4 adventures, regardless of ambient conditions.

Not to be confused with less effective 12 volt 'coolers', the ARB unit is a true refrigerator/freezer. Own one and you'll never again find your lunch water- logged by shifting ice, and there'll always be a cold drink on hand during the sweltering summer months. Two separate power cords are included, one for AC operation (120 volt) at home, and one for DC operation (12/24 volt) in your vehicle. The all-new 37 qt model is able to maintain sub-freezing temperatures in 90° f heat, while only drawing an intermittent 1.35 amps per hour from a 12 volt power source. That's less than a single headlamp draws!

Nova Cool

Nova Kool manufactures more than 20 quality refrigeration products for mobile and off-power grid applications such as Marine, RV and Trucking. Nova Kool products include DC and AC/DC models of refrigerators and freezers in single door, two door, side by side and upright configurations. Sizes range from 1.2 to 9.1 cubic feet.

NovaKooler chest type model specifications (pdf)
Did a quick search for a seller of the NoveKool chest type refrigerator/freezers and this is the first one found:NovaKooler need to scroll down to see them.

Engle fridge-freezers



Engle portable top-loading fridge-freezers

Ask anyone who’s owned one and you’re likely to hear the same refrain. “I love my Engel.” Being able to keep foods frozen or refrigerated during extended travels makes for better eating and happier campers. After all, who wouldn’t like a frosty dish of ice cream after a long day at sea.

Proven after 50 years in the field, and with sales approaching 4 million units, you can understand why Engel fridge/freezers have earned the title “A Legend In Reliability.”

GerryS wrote:The cold is focused on the bottom...put truly dangerous parishioners there. !

At my church, we keep the truly dangerous parishioners at the front where we can keep an eye on 'em.

Mike showed how to add YouTube videos. So, now many of the fridge/freezers have one. Sight and sound sure helps.

CarlLaFong wrote:

GerryS wrote:The cold is focused on the bottom...put truly dangerous parishioners there. !

At my church, we keep the truly dangerous parishioners at the front where we can keep an eye on 'em.

LOL!!!! I love auto correct on my ipad!

just bought a Truckfridge TF51 from http://www.westyventures.com/parts.html , no body else could beat the price thanks to free shipping.

Good price on that. We just received a TF130 for the 6x12 CTC; the only model westy does not carry.

Camping world has the dometic on sale...save $200. I love ours!

We've been using a very small fridge for the last couple of years and then augmenting it with a cooler. It's a Dometic 19qt/18L CF18.

Our rule is that anything that is perishable (cheese, meat, milk, eggs) goes in the fridge. The cooler is for those things that are "nice" to have cold (soda, beer, water) but that won't spoil if they warm up.

We have had a bit of an "issue" with eggs freezing solid, and the small Dometic doesn't have a temp gauge, so I got a cheap fridge thermometer to put in it.

I had not stopped to think about the airflow issue until I started reading this thread. it does give me some pause to think about how to pack the small fridge, since ours is usually packed tight.

Given all that, I may put the CF-18 up for sale and move to a bigger 41 quart size. The nice thing about that is that it would give me the option of leaving the cooler at home (although there's a "just in case" part of me that wants to keep a cooler in the event that the fridge fails.)