Camping Fridge or Fridge/Freezer

[Curious Hound]

I have an open bed. But, so far, I've been keeping the refrigerator in the house when not needed. Mine is built to be out in the weather. It comes with an insulated cover. But it's not a cheap machine. Watch for sales.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I bought the Explorer Bear 40L fridge, now I just have to figure out how to keep it running over night while I'm camping. The 12V power supply going to the bed doesn't stay on all night. I forget how long it stays on before it shuts off. I actually extended the time, but it's not going to stay on all night.

I'd like to switch it to something else to power it overnight such as an auxiliary battery or a portable power supply. This thing pulls 2.75 amps (35.75 watts) on Eco Mode and 4.45 amps (57.85 watts) on Max Mode. But then their website says "ENERGY CONSUMPTION: 2.8AH/H AMBIENT@77F, INTERNAL@0F ".

If I use an auxiliary battery I need a way to charge it during the day when I'm driving. Either a DC to DC charger, or a dual battery solenoid like I had on TRS-1 back in the day.

A portable power supply would be nice to have, and I could use it in other vehicles or in the house if the power goes out, but then it would need charged back up during the day. I could probably just set on the back floorboard and plug it into the 110 (400 watt) outlet in the back of the center console and let it charge during the day while I'm driving. I could even add an inverter to the toolbox in my bed so I could charge it back there. I'd have to run a separate wire to it from the battery and it may seem redundant or weird versus having a battery and DC to DC charger back there, but it would free up cab space, an inverter in the bed might come in handy, and you can find them fairly cheap.

I could also look for a power supply that will charge from a USB cable. That might charge it driving around during the day.

Harbor Freight has a Predator 600-Watt power station that I think would run my fridge all night. Jackery has an 800-Watt power station that would definitely power it through the night. They actually have an 800-Watt and a 500-Watt but they're the same price.

Then there's always the solar option, but I don't really have any desire to add a big solar panel to my truck.

 

[sgtsandman]

I bought the Explorer Bear 40L fridge, now I just have to figure out how to keep it running over night while I'm camping. The 12V power supply going to the bed doesn't stay on all night. I forget how long it stays on before it shuts off. I actually extended the time, but it's not going to stay on all night.

I'd like to switch it to something else to power it overnight such as an auxiliary battery or a portable power supply. This thing pulls 2.75 amps (35.75 watts) on Eco Mode and 4.45 amps (57.85 watts) on Max Mode. But then their website says "ENERGY CONSUMPTION: 2.8AH/H AMBIENT@77F, INTERNAL@0F ".

If I use an auxiliary battery I need a way to charge it during the day when I'm driving. Either a DC to DC charger, or a dual battery solenoid like I had on TRS-1 back in the day.

A portable power supply would be nice to have, and I could use it in other vehicles or in the house if the power goes out, but then it would need charged back up during the day. I could probably just set on the back floorboard and plug it into the 110 (400 watt) outlet in the back of the center console and let it charge during the day while I'm driving. I could even add an inverter to the toolbox in my bed so I could charge it back there. I'd have to run a separate wire to it from the battery and it may seem redundant or weird versus having a battery and DC to DC charger back there, but it would free up cab space, an inverter in the bed might come in handy, and you can find them fairly cheap.

I could also look for a power supply that will charge from a USB cable. That might charge it driving around during the day.

Harbor Freight has a Predator 600-Watt power station that I think would run my fridge all night. Jackery has an 800-Watt power station that would definitely power it through the night. They actually have an 800-Watt and a 500-Watt but they're the same price.

Then there's always the solar option, but I don't really have any desire to add a big solar panel to my truck.

The 300 watt battey bank I have is just enough to keep mine running all night in eco mode as a refrigerator. I haven't tried it as a freezer. As far as the charging, I've been doing the same thing. Plug it in the 110 port in the back of the console and charge it while driving around.

I do eventually want to install a house battery setup but the battery bank works for now.

 

[Curious Hound]

First, charging a separate battery supply through USB is not what you want. USB is only 5 volts and very low current. So it would be slow and inefficient to recharge. 120v is viable while driving, since you already have it. But it has inefficiencies since it has to convert the power back to 12v, roughly, for charging. While driving, it doesn't matter. Your truck is already set up to do that. Getting a big enough portable power bank is a great idea if you want to move it from truck to truck to jag to house for use in different situations.

That last note about the 2.8AH at 77 degrees is just saying, "This is a rough average" so you know what to plan for. If ambient temperature is higher, it will use a little bit more, because it has more work to do in order to overcome ambient losses. Lower ambient means less losses and less power usage. The engineers designed it around that temperature range.

The 2.8ah or 2.75 amps in eco mode is not continuous usage, either. The compressor and fan cycle just like any other refrigerator. They run and get thevtemperature slightly below setpoint. Then shut off. Temperature slowly rises to above setpoint. Then they turn on again and bring it back down. 2.8AH technically means 2.8amps for one hour. Batteries also have that rating. My gp31 house batteries are 100AH each. So they can put out 100amps for one hour or 2.5amps for 40 hours or 200amps for 1/2 hour. That's how to calculate how much storage you need for the loads you are powering.

Last week, my refrigerator used 150AH out if my house batteries over 2 1/2 days, with the solar panels replacing about 80AH during that time. ( in the shade, with long periods of cloudy rainy weather)

 

[sgtsandman]

Keep the refeigerator in the shade if you can, it will use less energy than if you let the sun hit it.

 

[Rick W]

Keep the refeigerator in the shade if you can, it will use less energy than if you let the sun hit it.

Wouldn’t you have to set up a little light, and then some kind of shield/shade, to keep it in the shade at night when he’s using it?

Never mind, no need to answer…

 

[Rick W]

I bought the Explorer Bear 40L fridge, now I just have to figure out how to keep it running over night while I'm camping. The 12V power supply going to the bed doesn't stay on all night. I forget how long it stays on before it shuts off. I actually extended the time, but it's not going to stay on all night.

I'd like to switch it to something else to power it overnight such as an auxiliary battery or a portable power supply. This thing pulls 2.75 amps (35.75 watts) on Eco Mode and 4.45 amps (57.85 watts) on Max Mode. But then their website says "ENERGY CONSUMPTION: 2.8AH/H AMBIENT@77F, INTERNAL@0F ".

If I use an auxiliary battery I need a way to charge it during the day when I'm driving. Either a DC to DC charger, or a dual battery solenoid like I had on TRS-1 back in the day.

A portable power supply would be nice to have, and I could use it in other vehicles or in the house if the power goes out, but then it would need charged back up during the day. I could probably just set on the back floorboard and plug it into the 110 (400 watt) outlet in the back of the center console and let it charge during the day while I'm driving. I could even add an inverter to the toolbox in my bed so I could charge it back there. I'd have to run a separate wire to it from the battery and it may seem redundant or weird versus having a battery and DC to DC charger back there, but it would free up cab space, an inverter in the bed might come in handy, and you can find them fairly cheap.

I could also look for a power supply that will charge from a USB cable. That might charge it driving around during the day.

Harbor Freight has a Predator 600-Watt power station that I think would run my fridge all night. Jackery has an 800-Watt power station that would definitely power it through the night. They actually have an 800-Watt and a 500-Watt but they're the same price.

Then there's always the solar option, but I don't really have any desire to add a big solar panel to my truck.

All kidding aside…

When I was building the Road Ranger, I put in a second battery behind the cab in a toolbox. I used a pretty big marine battery, I got it used for $35, and you know they’re very good for a slow draw.

Some of the guys yelled at me, but I ran a twisted pair of 10 gauge industrial electrical wire (the kind you run in conduit) from the positive on the front battery to the disconnect. You don’t want to be using it for jumping a car that’s totally dead and you’re going pull a tremendous amperage in a short period of time, but for trickling energy back-and-forth between the batteries, it works just fine. If you think about it, most battery chargers, the wire is only about a 16 gauge stranded in a lot of insulation. And of course, it automatically charges when you head down the road, right off the alternator, the most efficient way..

I ran the cable to a manual disconnect, and then later I put that in series with one of the automatic disconnects. The concept to both is that as the second battery drains, you can disconnect it from the front battery, or it will disconnect itself from the front battery when it drops below 12.4 V (if I remember correctly), so you never run the risk of running the truck battery dead and not being able to start. My manual on off switch is mounted right on the side of my toolbox where I don’t have to open it to open and close it.

I like this set up because you basically do it once and then you forget about it. I don’t run a little fridge, but I’ve got all my strobe lights and flood lights and old-fashioned motorized beacon on the roof, etc., and this set up has never failed me. It’s not that hard to put together either. I also have a 110 inverter that I run off the back battery with grinders and who knows what, and I’ve never had a start issue.

And if you don’t have a toolbox in the back, you could probably fabricate a little cover to stick in the corner of your bed or maybe even underneath the truck.

As always, my two cents, hope it helps

 

[Curious Hound]

Wouldn’t you have to set up a little light, and then some kind of shield/shade, to keep it in the shade at night when he’s using it?

Never mind, no need to answer…

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I bought the Explorer Bear 40L fridge, now I just have to figure out how to keep it running over night while I'm camping. The 12V power supply going to the bed doesn't stay on all night. I forget how long it stays on before it shuts off. I actually extended the time, but it's not going to stay on all night.

I'd like to switch it to something else to power it overnight such as an auxiliary battery or a portable power supply. This thing pulls 2.75 amps (35.75 watts) on Eco Mode and 4.45 amps (57.85 watts) on Max Mode. But then their website says "ENERGY CONSUMPTION: 2.8AH/H AMBIENT@77F, INTERNAL@0F ".

If I use an auxiliary battery I need a way to charge it during the day when I'm driving. Either a DC to DC charger, or a dual battery solenoid like I had on TRS-1 back in the day.

A portable power supply would be nice to have, and I could use it in other vehicles or in the house if the power goes out, but then it would need charged back up during the day. I could probably just set on the back floorboard and plug it into the 110 (400 watt) outlet in the back of the center console and let it charge during the day while I'm driving. I could even add an inverter to the toolbox in my bed so I could charge it back there. I'd have to run a separate wire to it from the battery and it may seem redundant or weird versus having a battery and DC to DC charger back there, but it would free up cab space, an inverter in the bed might come in handy, and you can find them fairly cheap.

I could also look for a power supply that will charge from a USB cable. That might charge it driving around during the day.

Harbor Freight has a Predator 600-Watt power station that I think would run my fridge all night. Jackery has an 800-Watt power station that would definitely power it through the night. They actually have an 800-Watt and a 500-Watt but they're the same price.

Then there's always the solar option, but I don't really have any desire to add a big solar panel to my truck.

I got you covered. Should be shipping out today. As long as i can remember haha

 

[Jim Oaks]

The 300 watt battey bank I have is just enough to keep mine running all night in eco mode as a refrigerator. I haven't tried it as a freezer. As far as the charging, I've been doing the same thing. Plug it in the 110 port in the back of the console and charge it while driving around.

I do eventually want to install a house battery setup but the battery bank works for now.

I found this video below interesting and right now Amazon has the 500 on sale for $298 (40%) and a 1000 on sale for $445.

 

[Curious Hound]

I found this video below interesting and right now Amazon has the 500 on sale for $298 (40%) and a 1000 on sale for $445.

Looks like a good choice. Might want to ask Robbie what he's shipping or preparing to ship. Compare the 2. I do believe I have seen someone else say good things about Jackery. But I don't remember specifics at the moment. It all comes down to "exactly what do you want it to do?".

 

[Jim Oaks]

I just need something to run my fridge at night. I never camp and not drive somewhere during the day, so I could charge everything else when I'm driving.

The other thing is that I want to mount my Smittybilt compressor in my tool box and an auxiliary battery in the bed would keep me from having to run power up to the main battery.

 

[sgtsandman]

Jackery is a good brand. I've seen a lot of good comments on them. The same with Ecoflow, though Ecoflow tends to lean toward the larger size from what I've seen.