Energy is limited when camping and efficiency is something most RVers, van dwellers, car campers, and travelers are looking for. The Koolatron electric car cooler is a good choice for those going on a family picnic or camping trip. Designed like a handbag, transporting it is easy and stylish. The digital temperature displays on portable 12V fridges/freezers are not known for being super accurate.

Alpicool C20 Car Mini Fridge 20 Litre 12/24v Refrigerator Alpicool C20 Car Mini Fridge 20 Litre 12/24v Refrigerator

I previously assumed the smaller fridges would be the most efficient and use the least amount of power. Turns out that’s not entirely true. Designed with two temperature settings, the fridge cools down to 2ºC in half an hour and heats up to 60ºC. It has a 24-liter capacity, a 7-foot DC power cord, and a heavy-duty handle. It offers plenty of space as it's capable of fitting about 25 cans of soda. The plastic material is light and easy to carry, but take caution as it can slide around in your car. Pros

Best Value Large Capacity

You can save the top part and use it to better insulate your portable 12V fridge when it’s hot outside. It’s a question that everyone is asking and an important thing to know. Especially if you are running your 12 volt fridge with solar power. This will largely depend on the model itself, but the majority of portable refrigerators make little noise. In fact, many sound just like a regular household refrigerator.

Alpicool K25/18L Mini Portable Car Fridge for Camping Alpicool K25/18L Mini Portable Car Fridge for Camping

Some people have found a neat way to insulate the lid by cutting out foam insulation that fits over the top of the unit. Of course, setting the portable fridges/freezers to freezing temperatures means they will use more power but it shouldn’t be that much more used on average once the freezer has gotten to the correct temperature and everything inside has frozen solid. So Which Brand Of Portable 12V Fridge Should I Buy?

Customers' Choice

Therefore, you can open the fridge and freezer sides separately. If you live in a van or an RV full-time, you might prefer this larger version. When it comes to the types of refrigerators, various cooling technology is used. There are two primary technologies you will generally find: Compressor

Alpicool C15 Car Mini Fridge 12v 15L Portable Quiet Camping Alpicool C15 Car Mini Fridge 12v 15L Portable Quiet Camping

Overheated parts only take away from the cooling abilities of fridges and cause them to use more power.

In fact, Alpicool has hidden settings you can access to change the temperature on the display to try and make it more accurate. CAR BATTERY PROTECTION. Alpicool Car Fridges have temperature memory function and 3 different levels for battery protection: Low, Med and High to protect your vehicle battery without run down. Cold & Warm 8L Fridge】You can switch between cooling and Heating according to your needs. Minimum cooling temperature: 22°C-25°C below ambient temperature. Maximum heating temperature: 65°C. Our fridge are great for skincare and cosmetics - and are big enough. Can extend the shelf life of all your skincare by 40%. SUPER ENERGY SAVING. Two different modes can be adjusted as needed, MAX & ECO MODE. The refrigerating system will stop operating when the car freezer reaches the set temperature and will restart to operating when the temperature in the box has risen a few degrees Centigrade/Fahrenheit.

Alpicool Portable Fridge Freezer - Cheaper, but Better? Alpicool Portable Fridge Freezer - Cheaper, but Better?

Generally, it is best to leave it plugged in to get the most use out of it. Some maintain the temperature for a little while after being unplugged, but leaving it hooked to a power source ensures the temperature. Read more... EASY TO MOVE. With the durability of the wheel and Magnetic foldable handle, this cooler could be protected in good condition even on bumpy roads, you can take it everywhere easily. Thermoelectric coolers sound like a great option. They are cheaper, the cooling mechanism is smaller than a compressor, they are much quieter than a compressor, they use less electricity, and there is no refrigerant contained in them.

Portable Fridges Compared

Second, you can adjust the cooling temperature to act as either a refrigerator or a freezer. In other words, you can use it for different purposes on different occasions. When comparing each brand and model according to the numbers I’ve found it’s not fair to do a 100% comparison using just the numbers given in the tables. SUPER ENERGY SAVING. Two different modes can be adjusted as needed, MAX & ECO MODE. The refrigerating system will stop operating when the car freezer reaches the set temperature and will restart to operate when the temperature in the box has risen a few degrees Centigrade/Fahrenheit. Similar to Dometic, Costway electric coolers will cost you more than the Alpicool. However, they offer an extra-large version that has 2 separate lids. Taking into account things like affordability, size options, and features Alpicool has some great small options that are still very energy efficient.