12v cool boxes

[crankedup]

Any persons had experience of 12v cool boxes? I am thinking about buying one ready for next season but are they really up to the job of keeping food/milk fresh for up to three days. Advise and comments appreciated.

[LotusMartin]

WAECO - Buy cheap - buy twice, or three times even.

My CF-25 has been absolutely faultless. Will Freeze even in ambient 35C. The new CF26 has a digital temp readout which is even easier to use.

I built a 12v power pack out of a golfcart battery and a peli case - it'll run for more than 10 hours off a charge so handy by the pool or for leaving it on in the car overnight without risking the battery.

I also built a dual temperature gauge (instead of upgrading to the CDF-26)

Edited by LotusMartin on Friday 21st October 13:40

[neenaw]

I have to agree with the Waeco, they're a pricey bit of kit but well worth it.

I went for the CDF26 last year and run it from the leisure battery in my van with no issues at all. It'll easily keep food cold for three days and with the temperature turned right down it'll freeze the stuff inside!

[crankedup]

Thank you for really helpful advise. I have just read a few reviews on the WAECO mobicool U32, this unit will likely suit my needs perfectly. The only question on my mind is how long a ordinary 12v car battery will last running this cool box 24/7. But as I mentioned three days is all I need.

[77racing]

we have been using a mobicool 45 up untill recently. it is a reasonably priced cooler but after three years and just out of warranty it has stopped cooling and we got no customer service from mobicool to get it repaired. In fact when I called there main service dealer he told me bad luck not worth repairing buy a new one. Ok it was £120 new so every three years change to a new one, I won't be doing that because of the lack of back up from them as a company.

[crankedup]

77racing said:

we have been using a mobicool 45 up untill recently. it is a reasonably priced cooler but after three years and just out of warranty it has stopped cooling and we got no customer service from mobicool to get it repaired. In fact when I called there main service dealer he told me bad luck not worth repairing buy a new one. Ok it was £120 new so every three years change to a new one, I won't be doing that because of the lack of back up from them as a company.

I have an inbuilt disrespect for companies who have disdain for their customers. Thank you for your post, they have just lost a customer

[Trabi601]

I was seriously impressed with the Waeco stuff at the Motorhome & Caravan show. The 12v / 240v compressor boxes weren't cheap - but they were impressively efficient.

[recordman]

I used to make regular visits to Nigeria and a popular 12v fridge/freezer was a Japanese brand 'Engel'. Worked superbly under very arduous conditions.

Sold in the UK by: http://www.mps-trading.co.uk/search.asp?search=eng...

[oldcynic]

crankedup said:

Thank you for really helpful advise. I have just read a few reviews on the WAECO mobicool U32, this unit will likely suit my needs perfectly. The only question on my mind is how long a ordinary 12v car battery will last running this cool box 24/7. But as I mentioned three days is all I need.

If my maths is correct despite half a bottle of wine then the u32 will consume 4 amps, and will wipe out your battery within 24 hours.
My preferred solution is to buy a decent cool box and to freeze food which will be needed later in the trip - this thaws progressively and keeps the whole box cool. 2 pint milk cartons are good for this purpose. You also get a much bigger box for the money.

[Trabi601]

oldcynic said:

crankedup said:

Thank you for really helpful advise. I have just read a few reviews on the WAECO mobicool U32, this unit will likely suit my needs perfectly. The only question on my mind is how long a ordinary 12v car battery will last running this cool box 24/7. But as I mentioned three days is all I need.

If my maths is correct despite half a bottle of wine then the u32 will consume 4 amps, and will wipe out your battery within 24 hours.
My preferred solution is to buy a decent cool box and to freeze food which will be needed later in the trip - this thaws progressively and keeps the whole box cool. 2 pint milk cartons are good for this purpose. You also get a much bigger box for the money.

Not much good if you're on the road for more than a couple of days.

We took a 12v cool box on our 2 week tour recently - alternating 2 nights hotel / 2 nights camping. A 12v peltier box was absolutely useless.

[oldcynic]

Trabi601 said:

oldcynic said:

crankedup said:

three days is all I need.

If my maths is correct despite half a bottle of wine then the u32 will consume 4 amps, and will wipe out your battery within 24 hours.
My preferred solution is to buy a decent cool box and to freeze food which will be needed later in the trip - this thaws progressively and keeps the whole box cool. 2 pint milk cartons are good for this purpose. You also get a much bigger box for the money.

Not much good if you're on the road for more than a couple of days.

Fortunately crankedup is only away for 3 days, and from personal experience there's no point messing around with anything powered for that timescale. Get an efficient 5 day coolbox and either use plenty of icepacks or just freeze some of the food; also drill into everybody that the box should not be left open needlessly, and warm food/drinks should not be added to the mix. I've had food still frozen after 5 days.

If you're really going to town you can press the fast freeze button overnight and get the ice packs/frozen food down to -25/-30 before you leave.

I use a Coleman XTreme, but avoid buying the older ones which have much thicker sidewalls for the same performance - check dimensions aginst capacity. We had an original for several years but replaced it when I spotted the difference with the newer ones.

[crankedup]

Thank you to all contributors for very helpful advise.

[FredericRobinson]

I decided against a powered box and went with a Coleman Xtreme, 2 litre bottles of water frozen before setting off still have ice in them after 5 or 6 days at Le Mans

[Mutley]

I've got one from Halfords, Mains/12v car set up. For a couple of days before travelling, power it up and cool it as much as possible, pack freezer blocks/frozen food into it. plug into the car for the journey, and it stays fresh for best of a week when.

[crankedup]

[Trabi601]

Mutley said:

I've got one from Halfords, Mains/12v car set up. For a couple of days before travelling, power it up and cool it as much as possible, pack freezer blocks/frozen food into it. plug into the car for the journey, and it stays fresh for best of a week when.

Depends on how hot it is - we saw temperatures in the mid 30s in Prague this Autumn. The cool box didn't stay cool for long.

[Mutley]

Trabi601 said:

Mutley said:

I've got one from Halfords, Mains/12v car set up. For a couple of days before travelling, power it up and cool it as much as possible, pack freezer blocks/frozen food into it. plug into the car for the journey, and it stays fresh for best of a week when.

Depends on how hot it is - we saw temperatures in the mid 30s in Prague this Autumn. The cool box didn't stay cool for long.

Yep, external temperatures do malt things rather fast, option to keep topping up the ice, or just go with it and eat quickly (done both)

[Andyblue]

Everyman to his own. I researched 12v coolbox's. Eventually went for an Aldi 12v/240v box. Sat in the boot of my Volvo and in the tent for three weeks with fantastic cooling. Temperatures between 18-36 C. Used it twice now for a total of six weeks constantly ...,,no problem's at all. Three year guarantee as well,,,,,

[C0ffin D0dger]

Another vote for the Coleman Xtreme, used ours for a three day trip over the summer, whacked a load of ice in it before leaving and it was still partially frozen at the end.