DOMETIC ICEBOX
PRICE: £174 CONTACT: amazon.co.uk
FRIDGES are nice to have but sometimes an icebox is just cooler, like when taking a multi-day paddling trip or if driving a Series I across the desert without a dual battery system. Good ice boxes can provide you with ice and cold drinks for several days and this new NATO green 42-litre box from Dometic definitely falls into that category. In fact, it surpassed our expectations Firstly, it’s the right colour and secondly it’s made to last and be thrown about. It’s a bit like that red Toyota Hilux they once tried to destroy on Top Gear by blowing it up and then burying it in the ocean. We have been unable to break our Dometic ice box though someone did suggest driving over it.
The box uses thick refrigeration grade foam insulation. Couple this with its seamless roto moulded design and you know the heat will stay out and the cold will stay in. At the recent Kelmarsh Land Rover Show I filled it with ice and beers on the Friday and when the show finished there was still lots of ice left.
The handles are made from polyethylene and best of all they can also act as tie down points if you need to secure the box in the back of the Land Rover. I just love the quality and robustness of the Dometic ice box. When the lid is closed it seals like a fridge and way better than a Defender door. The rubber handles that you use to close it are pretty heavy duty, too. Then if you need to get rid of some water or melted ice just loosen the drainage plug, which still remains attached during this process, so it won’t be left behind. After use it only takes a minute or so to clean with some soapy water.
Our Dometic ice box has seen a fair bit of action this summer and it still looks brand new except for the couple of ‘travel’ stickers we’ve attached. It’s become an important part of the LRM road trips and unlike some of our rides, it has yet to let us down.