Chevy & GMC Vans

Have you considered going to a portable 12v electric fridge/freezer? ARB sells one, and I assume others do as well. I'm not talking about those cheap coolers that can only reduce temps about 30 degrees over ambiant, but a true fridge/freezer. These things are far from cheap, but they do away with the need for ice.

http://www.4wheelsupply.com/arb/portabl ... fridge.htm

How about going to something like this - we camp for 7 to 10 days often and the little 1.9 cubic foot fridge in the tent trailer is often not enough - my parents have an OLD unit like this - I am trying to "borrow" it permanently - their's works great even on the hottest days - can even freeze beer if the evenings are right!

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... ?locale=en

I would love a bigger one however - maybe a 80L or somthing Canadian Tire WAKE UP we like beer! and cold meat! - otherwise my suggestion is to visit a RV graveyard AKA junkyard a pull a 7 or 8 cubic foot 3 way fridge - should run a couple of hundred only and carry that in the back of the van (of course take it outside to run it on propane) and instant cooler/fridge - keeps the beer on the right side on the thermo meter!

I kept running out of ice on extended camps in the middle of nowhere so I got one of these:

http://www.boatandrvaccessories.com/CF-018DC.htm

very quite (hardly noticable) and it will also freeze. I run it off solar power so I didnt want to get a very large one but they have those also.

I just use my dads 24 foot travel trailer with a nice big fridge in it for food we plug the trailer in so that is not a problem. For drinks we usually have a coleman cooler with ice in it beside the trailer. Works well but is hard on gas mileage.

Kidhauler wrote:I just use my dads 24 foot travel trailer with a nice big fridge in it for food we plug the trailer in so that is not a problem. For drinks we usually have a coleman cooler with ice in it beside the trailer. Works well but is hard on gas mileage.

Yeah, running out of ice was our problem so we bought a motorhome with a 3-way fridge! (OK, no we didn't, but I've sure become spoiled having it!)

We have a couple of the large (40 - 50 qt) Coleman Extreme coolers and for the first 3-4 years they worked awesome. They kept ice in them for up to 5 days. Now that they are 7 or 8 years old they don't keep ice for more than about 2 days. We always pre-cool everything that goes in the cooler which is now just beverages and sometimes a 2nd gallon of milk if we are going for more than a weekend.

We also have one of the Igloo 12 VDC coolers with the small fan and electric heat exchanger and will use that if we are on an electric site. It has a 110V converter so we just place the cooler on the picnic table and plug it into the outside receptacle on the camper.

Like Kidhauler and mdmead we carry food products in the 2 way fridge inside the camper. It is always at the right temp and the ice never melts...well until just before winter when we shut it down.

phr1$k37 wrote:
I feel like my thread has been hijacked to from being coolers to ... fridges ... hah ha. We got some good links for folks to surf and read. Keep them coming!

Seriously though, what about going with a propane RV fridge? Find someone parting out an RV, and you can pick it up reasonably cheap.

This is an interesting topic, and I am enjoying every ones input.

At my weekends away in the Arizona heat at the river, I walk into the back door of a large hotel and fill up my 2 large coolers with ice early in the morning, from their free ice machines located on each floor. I have a custom made "pull along" radio flyer cart on steroids which makes transporting two large loaded coolers a breeze. For my smaller coolers and for car show weekends, I use these Techni Ice freezable packs, that chill over 24 hours, they keep the beer real cold.

SoCalli V8 wrote:This is an interesting topic, and I am enjoying every ones input.

At my weekends away in the Arizona heat at the river, I walk into the back door of a large hotel and fill up my 2 large coolers with ice early in the morning, from their free ice machines located on each floor.

Smart man Darren!!

http://www.colemancanada.ca/Catalog/COO ... n.products

this is what i have with me whenever i go camping (or on long drives) I normally keep all my perishables in it and have never had any food go bad. a couple times i've found ice in the bottom next to the cooler when it's on it's side but nothing in it has frozen yet. i normally leave it in my tent when there's power at the site haven't tried leaving it plugged into the van yet

mdmead wrote:

SoCalli V8 wrote:This is an interesting topic, and I am enjoying every ones input.

At my weekends away in the Arizona heat at the river, I walk into the back door of a large hotel and fill up my 2 large coolers with ice early in the morning, from their free ice machines located on each floor.

Smart man Darren!!

Thanks mate.
I enjoy to camp at the Colorado River, (Laughlin, Lake Mohave) or at the desert (Glamis) year round, but during July, August, September, October when the temperature is 100 f - 125 f it can be to brutal on your body to be camping without no a/c, like in a hotel room. Many times my girlfriend and I would sleep at night on our lounge chairs half in and out of the cool river, and then on the beach under the stars. It`s a "nice/super hot" dry heat, with zero humidity most of the time.