Best Fridge / Battery Setup for JKU ?

[Blewyn]

Planning to go camping for 3-4 days, in the past always used coolboxes and ice. Thinking of investing in a fridge / battery setup. What do you experienced Aussie outbackers recommend ?

[MidnightMods]

A big question with many answers..
I run 2 yellow tops with a jarcar isolator and engel 40lt

[piglet]

I run a large yellow top optima under the bonnet for car & accessories, & a small yellow top optima in a battery box that is cut threw the floor that also houses the redark BCDC1220 battery booster (it pushes 100% charge to the battery) the box also houses my locker compressor, & a big TJM air compressor for the tyres. over the top of this box are Blackwidow draws storage with a fridge slide. I never turn the fridge off. the fridge I have is a shitty old Waeco, but I would like to go to either an Engle or Evakool as they draw even less power & hold their temperature better due to their construction (Engal metal or Evakool fibraglass) the plastic fridges will do the job fine but dont hold the cold aswell & use more battery power to sustain it.
I hope this has helped.
cheers piggy.

[warod]

None of you people drink enough piss ??



Sent from my talking bone using white fella magic

[task82]

Originally Posted by Blewyn

Planning to go camping for 3-4 days, in the past always used coolboxes and ice. Thinking of investing in a fridge / battery setup. What do you experienced Aussie outbackers recommend ?

I run a Waeco CFX-40 fridge and I have a Lion 100ah battery in a battery box stored behind the fridge. I went to Little Desert earlier this month and the battery easily ran for 3 days straight in the 38 degree heat. In the future I will be getting a CTEK D250S to keep the auxiliary battery charged whilst on the road.

For all your battery and charger needs, contact Battery Business. They are a vendor on here and will give you the best deal on batteries and chargers, not to mention answer any questions you might have about what set up to run.

All the best mate

[Clarky]

I ran my Ironman (40 litre) fridge on –20 C for 3 days on my main battery only driving 30min each day.

Its a Braille B7548, 945CCA & 75AH with a 5 year warranty at $400 its not cheap but is cheaper then a second battery set up (including a second battery).

I have had this battery for less then 6 months and an impressed with its performance thus far.
To be on the safe side I also carry a 900amp jump pack but have not had to use it since I got the battery (touch wood).

I do plan to fit a second Braille in an Ark power pack when I have the $$

The Ironman fridge works great and fits 1.25 bottles standing up.
One issue it has is that the lid isn't removable, it can be a pain if you don't have the overhead room to open the lid fully

+ 2 on Battery Business

[Loggio]

Depends on your needs/wants... I thought long and hard about all this a while back as I wasn't happy with the thought of running a fridge on battery on my longer camping trips, as I knew this would mean I would have to get
1) second battery
2) isolator
3) take up more space space having a second battery and having to take a generator with me
5) possibly a solar kit

conclusion, totally not worth it just to keep some drink and food cold.

So I went with a three way option. All I need to bring with me is a gas bottle and this fridge/freezer will run for a month. It keeps everything cold and frozen, even in 39 degree heat. As long as you keep it in the shade, being a fridge and all.

I also got a small Waeco thermo electric fridge that stays in the back of my jeep, I use this to keep things cold/hot on day trips and I find this works great and was only about $100.

And for one or two day trips, honestly... just stick with an esky and some ice. It isn't worth all that cash to keep a fridge running when you're only going to be there for a couple days anyways.

Bottom line, compressor fridges run on battery, batteries last a few days (and you're constantly checking on them to make sure they're on), then they need to be charged, so you either need to go for a long drive or get the generator out. Generators are big and run on fuel, fuel costs money. You can see where I'm going with this. But they do what they claim to do, and they do it well.

Three way fridges last a long time on gas, will run on 12v, run great on 240v but won't work as great as a compressor fridge... though this is debatable in some cases because mine was freezing water on 39 degree heat.

Thermo electric, really only good to keep things cool for a day trip or a trip where you're on the road a lot.

Just my thoughts anyways. Lots of people disagree however.

Cheers,
loggio.