FINDING THE IDEAL FRIDGE TO KEEP YOUR BEERS COOL IS LIMITED BY MANY FACTORS, NONE MORE SO THAN SPACE

SIZE MATTERS

FINDING the ideal fridge to keep your beers cool is limited by many factors, none more so than space. Depending on your rig, what you pack, and your individual setup – perhaps you head bush sans roof rack, for example – it can often be difficult to find ample space for large items.

“Consumers first need to decipher what size fridge is suitable, both from available space and a litre-age perspective, and then research features to decide what suits their lifestyle,” says Shannon Diedrich. This is why all fridge manufacturers have a range of sizes in their catalogues – from 30L right up to 105L. What size you pick is entirely dependent on your individual requirements.

A neat design attribute that can also save space are flushmounted carry handles. “These nullify potential breakages and allow for extra packing space,” says Darren Sloan, product manager at MYCOOLMAN, of the brand’s sturdy flush-mount handles. Remember, sturdy, foldable, flush-mount handles can also double as tie-down points.

There’s another way to maximise space in your cargo area, and that’s by mounting the fridge on a fridge slide with a fridge barrier. This not only opens up space around it for more storage, but it also keeps it secure and makes accessing contents a lot easier.

POWER STRUGGLE

ONCE settled on the size and style of portable fridge that best suits your needs, the next vital aspect that needs to be researched is how much power the fridge will use to maintain optimum cooling. We’ve all seen and heard the terms 12V, 24V and 240V-mains bandied around when talking about fridge/ freezers, and multi-voltage (being able to use 12V, 24V or 240V) functionality is a key cog in making a system more user-friendly, by enabling different means of power options. Also look for multiple 12V/24V DC entry points for convenience.

A fridge’s current draw is measured in amps per hour, and the specs sheet will typically read something like 12V = 1.2Ah, which means the fridge will draw 1.2amp per hour over a 24-hour period. A portable fridge will typically run somewhere between 1.0Ah and 5.0Ah. “Low power is key!” says Adam Craze.

Theoretically you could run your 12V fridge using your vehicle’s starting battery, but we’d strongly recommend you don’t if you don’t want it to go flat. Instead, the smarter choice is to opt for a dual-battery system and run all of your electrical gadgets off the auxiliary battery.

As well as your vehicle’s alternator, solar power is also a great option to maintain charge of the auxiliary battery.

Battery Management Systems such as Redarc’s Manager30 are also handy, as they monitor and manage how much juice is being delivered to accessories and ensure batteries stay alive. Some fridge/freezers also have Bluetooth and/or Wi-fi connectivity, which allows the consumer to easily monitor the voltage of a battery, as well as cabinet temperature. Some of these also offer remote control.

A fridge will draw plenty of power while cooling a warm cabinet, so it pays to be smart with how you power it up. For example, run the fridge on 240V power before you leave on a trip, so that when it’s switched to 12V power it’s already cool. Plus, instead of loading it with room-temp drinks, chuck the drinks in the fridge at home to get them nice and cool before loading them into the portable fridge. Using a freezer brick and insulated cover won’t hurt either.