How To Choose The Best Portable Camping Fridge Buying Guide

There's nothing quite like kicking back in your camp chair and taking in the serenity with an icy cold drink in your hand. What's more, fresh food cooked on the campfire or camp stove is going to beat canned or prepackaged food hands-down every time. And all you need to make this happen is a decent cooler or camping car fridge. If you're new to camping, or looking to upgrade your existing setup, knowing how to choose the right camping fridge or cooler for your needs can be a bit of a minefield.

This buying guide will walk you through how to choose the best portable fridge for your next adventure.

Quick Links

• What are the benefits of a Portable Camping Fridge
• Key factors to look for in a Camping Fridge
• Portable Camping Fridge features to look for
• What size Portable Car Fridge do you need?
• Types of Camping Fridges
• What Are The Best Camping Fridge Brands?
• How To Power Your Camping Fridge
• How Do You Optimise Power Consumption And Efficiency For Your Camping Fridge?
• How To Choose Which Camping Fridge Is Best?

What Are The Benefits Of A Portable Camping Fridge

A camping fridge is a game-changer for outdoor adventures, offering convenience and freshness, allowing you to stay fuelled anywhere. Key benefits include:

Keeps food and drinks cool and fresh with precise temperature control

Thanks to the technology of a portable fridge, you can keep your food chilled at the temperature that you want. This prevents things from freezing when they shouldn't and keeps food frozen depending on your needs.

Durable and easy to transport:

Portable camping fridges are designed to be tough and deal with the outdoors. They are a size that can be transported anywhere and carried with ease.

No need to buy ice:

A portable camping fridge chills through electricity, preventing the need for ice, so you can avoid the inconvenience of buying ice and the messy water after the ice has melted.

Key Factors To Look For In A Camping Fridge

A key requirement for a camping fridge is that it keeps your food and drinks cool while withstanding the harshness of the Australian outdoors. Here's what to consider to maximise these when buying a camping fridge:

Coolness and Insulation

More insulation keeps things cooler for longer and uses less power. A cover is available separately for extra insulation to keep everything cool and may be worth investing in. Vents will allow heat to escape, so more vents mean more efficient cooling. Make sure there's enough space around the vents for air to flow freely.

Toughness and Material Composition of the Camping Fridge

Camping fridges are generally made from polypropylene plastic, one of the most durable plastics you can buy. You can be assured it will last for years to come.

Additionally, check to see if the fridge's lid can withstand the weight of someone sitting on it, and also find out if/how you can buy replacement parts if needed one day.

Portable Camping Fridge Features To Look For

Different camping fridges and coolers have different features for extra comfort and convenience such as:

• Fixing Kit: Secure the heavy fridge in your car for safety if there's an accident.
• Battery Protection: Automatically turn off the fridge before your car battery dies.
• Drain Plug: A plug you can pull out to drain the water instead of tipping it over.
• Slides: Slide in and out of the car with the fridge on top so it's easy to access.
• Digital Display: This makes it easy to set and see the thermostat temperature.
• USB Port: A handy plug socket that can be used to charge everyone's phones.
• Wi-Fi Connectivity: So you can see and control the temperature using your phone.

What Size Portable Car Fridge Do You Need?

The size of the portable fridge you need depends on factors such as how many people it needs to store food and/or drinks for, how many days or weeks' worth of meals it has to hold and whether it's going to go in a big 4WD or a smaller car.

When determining what size fridge to purchase, it is a good idea to measure the space available in your car boot or ute tray. Keep in mind you will need a 12V socket in the boot or ute tray to power the fridge.

Another thing to consider is what you want to put inside the fridge. It might help to list everything it needs to fit such as drinks, food and any other necessities for your trip.

A bigger fridge means you can go for longer before needing to get more supplies from the shops. However, a larger fridge will take up more space in your car and will be heavier to move around.

A camping fridge's size is measured by how many litres it can hold. For reference, we have used cans as a comparison.

Car Fridge Size Comparison Chart

What Types Of Camping Fridges Are There?

There are two types of camping fridges:

• Single Zone Fridge/freezer: This can be used as either a fridge or freezer (but not both at the same time).
• Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer: Two separate compartments, you can use one compartment as a fridge, and the other as a freezer - or both compartments as either a fridge or a freezer. To learn whether you should purchase a dual zone fridge/freezer, read our guide about choosing between a single or dual zone fridge.

The method that keeps what's inside cold also divides fridges into two other camps:

Compressor Fridges

Compressor fridges are one of the most popular and efficient options on the market. They can be powered in two ways: 240V electricity or 12V battery. The speed of the motor adjusts according to the temperature. Compressor fridges are a suitable option for Camping, 4WDriving or as an additional Fridge/Freezer option at home.

Aside from camping fridges, there are also a few other options for keeping your food and drinks cool:

• Thermo Cooler: Maintains what's already cold (or hot) relative to the surrounding temperature. Connects to and is powered by a car battery, so perfect for people who drive a lot. You can't set a specific temperature so it's best for drinks, snacks or one meal.
• Ice Bricks: Ice bricks, cubes or packs keep food and drinks cold for hours or a few days.
• Cooler: A soft cooler is light and easy to carry (or wheel along), perfect for drinks and snacks. A hard cooler is great for parties, picnics and fishing and doubles as a seat. It can also be used without ice to store all your non-perishable pantry food.

What Are The Best Camping Fridge Brands?

Anaconda stocks some of the leading brands that develop camping fridges. When you shop at Anaconda you have access to fridges from Dune 4WD, Dometic, Igloo and Ecoflow which provide exceptional performance in rugged Australian conditions.

How To Power Your Camping Fridge

There are a few different ways to power your camping fridge. You will need to consider how you'd prefer to power yours.

• 240V Power: Plug your fridge into the 240V power point at your home, powered campsite, or generator.
• 12V Power: You may choose to plug your fridge into your car's 12V power socket. A dual battery system is best to ensure you have adequate power for the fridge and to still run your car.
• Solar Panels: If running your fridge on 12V power, it's a great idea to harness the power of the sun via solar panels to maintain the charge of the external battery a compressor fridge runs off.

It is best to compare how much power different camping fridges use and how fast they drain your battery. Drawing 3 to 4 amps per hour drains a battery faster than a fridge drawing 1 to 2 amps. Remember that you'll need a battery charger if you're running the fridge off a 4WD 12V battery. When it's a sunny day, remember that a fridge in a hot spot works harder to stay cold, which chews through your battery. And finally, always store your camping fridge somewhere shady and cool (preferably not in a hot car).

How Do You Optimise Power Consumption And Efficiency For Your Camping Fridge?

To prevent any problems with powering your fridge, use methods that run your fridge efficiently. You can do the following:

• Choose an energy-efficient fridge: Look for fridges with high energy ratings and lower power draw so that your food and drinks will stay fresher for longer.
• Pre-cool the fridge: Pre-cooling your fridge will create a cool environment for when your drinks or food are placed. If you don't pre-cool, it will take longer and use more power to cool to the optimal temperature due to the heat of the products inside it.
• Minimise changing of temperature and limit door openings: Anytime the door is opened or temperature is changed, it requires power for the fridge to readjust the temperature. Keeping these to a minimum will prevent any unnecessary power usage.

How To Choose Which Camping Fridge Is Best?

When you're weighing up which fridge to buy, think about quality versus cost. When it comes to how much you should spend on a fridge, consider the cost per use and how much you intend to be running it.

A camping fridge with an excellent compressor uses power efficiently (so it won't chew through your battery as fast) and will be reliable for many camping trips. Also factor in the cost of any accessories you might need such as a cover for insulation, a fixing kit to keep the fridge secure in your car, a dual battery system or additional wiring for your car. You get what you pay for, so think about how many years you want it to last. If you want ice-cold drinks and great food on camping trips for years to come, it's worth spending a bit more on a good-quality fridge.

Everyone's different, and like many things in life, the best fridge for one person might not be the best for the next. The best portable fridge for you depends on your particular needs.

Here are a few important questions you will need to ask yourself:

• What you'll use it for (camping, fishing, parties, picnics, festivals, the beach or lunch?)
• Where you'll be using the fridge (how hot or cold it will be where you're going?)
• How long will you be using it for at a time (a few hours, days or weeks at a time?)
• How far away from supplies you'll be (close to shops or in the middle of nowhere?)
• How much space is there in your car (for the fridge and all your other gear and bags?)
• How much control do you want over the temperature (cold or just cooler than outside?)
• Where do you want to store it when camping (inside your vehicle/4WD or in your campsite?)
• How easy do you want it to be to empty and clean it (both essential to avoid mould)
• How long do you want it to last (for a few short trips or many years of camping?)

Top Recommended Car Fridges

Top Car Fridges for Short Trips, Singles and Couples:

1. Dune 4WD Frontier 30L Single Zone Fridge/Freezer.
2. Igloo ICF 18L Single Zone Fridge/Freezer

Top Car Fridges for Overnight and Medium Length Trips and Small Groups:

1. Dune 4WD Frontier 50L Single Zone Fridge/Freezer
2. Dune 4WD 45L Single Zone Fridge/Freezer

Top Car Fridges for Families, Long Trips and Large Groups:

1. Dune 4WD Frontier 80L Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer
2. Dune 4WD 95L Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer
3. Dometic CFX2 75L Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer

Find The Best Camping Fridges and Freezers At Anaconda Today

No matter what kind of camper you are, if you're away for more than a couple of days the ability to keep your food and drinks cold is an absolute necessity. Whether it's a powered camping fridge or a quality cooler, having fresh food and cold drinks on hand can take a holiday up a notch.

Once you've found the right unit for you, all that's left to do is stock it with everything you need, throw it in the car and get ready for the good times. Before you head out though, make sure you check out our Adventure Centre for more exciting destinations that you can visit with your friends, family and loved ones. If you liked our list of camping hacks, then you might also like some of our other helpful articles such as:

• Why Every 4WDer Needs A 12v Fridge
• 5 Main Features & Why You'll Love The Dune 4WD Fridge Range
• Dual-Zone Vs Single-Zone Dune 4WD Fridges

Find your local Anaconda store and check out our extensive range of camping fridges/freezers for your next outdoor adventure.