A camping refrigerator can be the difference between enjoying fresh food and beverages and going hungry on an outdoor adventure. They can also be used to keep medicines and other important items cold and close at hand in case of an emergency, or even as a secondary fridge at home.
The deciding factors when choosing the right camping fridge for you will come down to size, whether you need a freezer, and if you’ll be using it on the go or at camp. Also, you’ll want to consider how much power you need to use, as well as what ambient temperatures you will be using it in.
Dometic has some of the best camping fridges in the world, with incredible customer satisfaction and rock-solid durability. Their designs are geared to the roughest conditions, with options like their fully weatherproof ARB Elements or the slightly more affordable ARB Zero Refrigerator for Camping.
These portable camping fridges rely on compressors and refrigerant gases to reduce the temperature inside. Most use refrigerants that don’t contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which have been linked to climate change and depleted ozone levels in the atmosphere.
The best camping fridges will be able to run off either DC or AC power, which can make them compatible with almost any power source from solar panels and generators to common household plugs. Their low power consumption figures mean that they can run for days without needing a recharge. They’ll usually state an average consumption figure per hour, which you can then divide by the battery capacity in amp-hours to get an estimate of the fridge’s run time.