Hi, I am away camping in my Freelander and have a halfords electric coolbox. This has worked well for keeping a small amount of food and drinks cold, with a few of those freezer blocks in.

Some campsites I have been too however, do not have electricity. I am therefore, looking for a solution to run the coolbox overnight. I guess a leisure battery but can anyone offer any advise.

Also I may upgrade to a fridge next time. I have been looking at the bearmach ones but would be happy to take advise on other possibilities, or recommendations based on your own usage. Thanks.

I have a spare leisure battery and when camping without the trailer, I took it camping inside a box, added 12v sockets and a voltmeter etc

Click image to enlarge

I have two 26Ah gel batteries for my extra super insulated 26 litre Waeco fridge. I run it extra cold -10°C while driving if I know we are staying put for a few days then change it to +3°C while parked. On the last holiday used the solar cells at the end of fourth day. Compressor fridges are very efficient, more so if covered with a sleeping bag, except vent! http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic31435-30.html

Cover fridge with anything to increase insulation & keep it out of the sun. Keep it full as possible. If you are only travelling up to a week an Esky will by fine. Pre freeze large blocks of ice in your freezer, easiest is 1.5 litre water bottles. Half the volume of the Esky should be ice. Pre freeze anything that can be frozen. Pre cool the Esky. Use powdered milk if you need milk. Wrap veggies in insulation & keep at top of Esky at one end further from ice. Cover Esky in sleeping bags when not sleeping in them.

A well packed Esky for a week is easier to manage than a fridge. You only need a fridge for longer periods. Bought ice is a waste of time.

More fridge info here: http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic29388.html Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Compressor fridges do use a lot less energy than the cooler types plus they keep things cooler. I too use a separate battery in a box with multiple plugs and usb ports for charging most things electrical. I have a battery charger that disconnects the main main cranking battery from the second battery when the engine is off so that the fridge won't drain the main cranking battery overnight. I've also got solar panels to keep the second battery charged when camped for several days without mains power or when the car engine isn't being used. Fridges are a necessity in Australia even in winter time.

I think the electronic fridges are using about 4 amps continuously, so about 0.048 kW per hour. You will flatten a battery in no time!

My 28 litre compressor fridge per hour, ambient 35°C, fridge set at +2°C
0.0140 kW/h The uncovered fridge.
0.0132 kW/h Standard cover.
0.0116 kW/h 30mm XPS foam.
0.0082 kW/h 60mm XPS foam.

So cover up your fridge, except vent, & keep it out of the sun. If you have to run it in a locked car leave the windows open a few mm. I can get my fridge to 45°C below ambient temperature & it still does not use that much electricity. A well packed & covered fridge you can turn off for a day without too much increase in temperature. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Thank you for the help. Iguana that set up looks really handy and perfect for my requirements. Did you solder the wires onto the battery or just wrap them round? I will be looking to recreate something like this when I get home.

Lightwater and mikehzz thanks also for the tips. I will research more into compressor fridges and are gel batteries better for this purpose? They don't lose their charge as quick? I have a battery charger that for now I will take with me to charge the leisure batteries every few days when at a sore with electric . My ultimate aim being to add a portable solar panel to help with the charging.

The only reason I am thinking fridge is my freezer blocks melted and it is hard to get them refrozen. Some sites will do it for you and some sites won't. My electric coolbox has done well, but I am not sure my model likes running all the time the connection is getting hot and working loose. I also thought a fridge might be easier in the long term as we are camping currently for three weeks. Lightwater I can see from your post the importance of thermal protection from the outside elements especially when left in the boot of the car. Very impressive setup too.

a100ian wrote:

Thank you for the help. Iguana that set up looks really handy and perfect for my requirements. Did you solder the wires onto the battery or just wrap them round? I will be looking to recreate something like this when I get home.

They were clamped onto the battery (I had some spare battery clamps), then the main cable (+ & -) from the sockets/box was bolted on the battery clamps

I actually had an inline fuse, which then lead to a small auto fuse box, overkill I know, but belts and braces

You don't need a box with the battery inside, you could create a panel, and run the cable from the back of the panel to the battery, but I just thoughts it looked neater with a box, and I had that old toy box spare. It also means that I could store all my little 12v lights, charging cables etc...etc.. in the box also

The reason my setup is as complex as it is, is that we sleep in the car & need the foot wells for water as you can't get water where we travel. I would have preferred a 100 Ah battery but the only battery that would fit is two 26 Ah batteries. I could have put two more under the driver's seat but I have two compressors there.

If you don't use a box for the battery make sure the terminals are covered so there is no chance of a short.

Spend the extra & get fridge that can freeze properly. Not just a lower cost compressor fridge, but the better quality freezer.

Get enough solar as the stated figures are for ideal conditions & even then they are over exaggerated, & allow for bad weather when you don't get any solar power.

Use 50 amp Anderson connectors with 6g lugs, a 120 watt soldering iron is needed, 6g wire for longer runs & no thinner than 8g for short runs, use heatshrink tube after soldering. Drill & massage a hole in a block of wood so the Anderson lug will fit standing up to make it easier to solder.

Put new heavier wires on the back of the solar panel to connect it to the battery. Make up an extra 6 metre Anderson extension lead so the solar panel will reach sun, 6 gauge! It would be better to use a new solar controller closer to the battery & not the one stuck on the back of the panel, but maybe see how you go first time using the one on the back of the panel.

Get a cover for the fridge & cut up a 10 mm foam camping mat to stuff down the sides of the fridge cover for more insulation. It makes a considerable improvement for little cost. As stated before cover the fridge except vents with your sleeping bags during the day. Easy things like this reduces power consumption conciderably.

When opening the fridge have an official fridge door opening person, it sounds silly but it helps keep the fridge door open as shorter time as possible & there are more hands to quickly juggle items in & out of the fridge. As the fridge gets empty before you buy new food stick in a few bottles of water to maintain thermal mass. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18