THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR CAMPING FRIDGE

What do you need to consider when you buy a new camping fridge?

The decision to buy a new camping fridge often starts with the question, “What volume should I get?” Next, you might look at value (what features does the fridge offer?), build quality (how long will the fridge last?) and back-up service (how well is the product supported?).

However, the question of size is often the toughest to answer. If you’re a regular camper, you probably know your needs already; but if you’re new to the camping scene, or if you’ve never owned a 12V fridge before, you may be unsure of which size to get.

Camping with a 12V fridge is quite different to camping with a cooler box. Usually, a cooler box requires the thickest insulation possible and, because you have to pack it full of ice (thereby sacrificing volume), you’re often forced to buy the biggest, bulkiest cooler you can fit into your vehicle.

In contrast, a camping fridge is self-cooling; which means that although insulation is important, it’s not as critical as it would be in the case of a cooler box. In most cases, you can get away with a fridge size that’s significantly more compact than the cooler box you’re currently using.

THE MOST POPULAR FRIDGE WORLDWIDE

If you’re unsure of the size of camping fridge you need, perhaps the answer lies in the global average.

For many years, National Luna’s research has shown that up to 60% of the 12V fridge market worldwide is made up of 50-litre sales. Incidentally, that statistic coincides with their own unit sales.

This information played an important role in their decision to launch the 50-litre Weekender back in 2005. As the name suggests, the Weekender was designed for weekend campers: travellers and families who go on holiday often, but usually for two to five days at a time. The unit was designed in such a way that the fridge (40-litre) and freezer (10-litre) portions are set in a fixed ratio. In other words, if you set the fridge section to 5°C, the freezer will maintain an approximate temperature of -5°C – roughly 10°C less than the fridge portion.

This setup works well, but is not as versatile as some of their other dual-control units (such as the NL60 and NL90), which allow you to set the temperature of the fridge and freezer sections independently. This means that you can use the unit as a fridge and freezer, or as a dedicated fridge, or as a dedicated freezer.

Unfortunately, there was just no way of doing the same for the 50-litre volume, not without escalating costs and making the unit too expensive.

Until now…

THE FIRST OF ITS KIND

In 2002, National Luna was the first company worldwide to introduce Dual-Control Technology: the ability to run two compartments, each with different thermostats and controls, on one compressor. It took eight years before this unique National Luna technology was adopted by competing brands.

Thanks to recent valve developments, compressor technology, and overall better insulation, National Luna is proud to announce the introduction of their new Dual-Control NL50 Legacy fridge – the most advanced and versatile 50-litre unit in its class!

Today, National Luna boasts five fridge sizes that utilize Dual-Control Technology, as well as another six Single-Control units.

BACK-UP SERVICE

Another notable feature of the new NL50 Legacy is that, because the fridge uses National Luna’s very own proprietary compressor, they were able to keep manufacturing costs down, and thus ensure that the NL50 boasts the best “value-formoney” offering in its class.

The fridge also features extra versatility in its dual-opening lid (which may be opened either lengthways or along the unit’s width), as well as a comprehensive three-year warranty. In addition, the NL50 boasts a world-first eightyear compressor warranty, as well as a service network of more than 400 approved National Luna stockists.

Although the 50-litre fridge volume may be the most common worldwide, the ability to control two compartments within a 50-litre unit is unique to the NL50 Legacy, where portability and functionality are supremely combined.

National Luna’s fridges are designed, developed and manufactured in South Africa, making them the only locally produced camping fridge brand. Today, this proudly South African company globally exports the world’s largest selection of 12V camping fridges and freezers, from 40-litre units right up to 125-litre capacity.

In the case of the dual-control unit, the fridge’s two compartments can be set independently of one another, which in 2002 was a technological first that took more than eight years for competing brands to replicate.