Whether you're looking to buy your first camping fridge or need to upgrade your old one, there are a few important things you should know first when looking at camping fridges for sale:
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1. Portable Fridges Don't Need As Much Power As You Might Think
We've all been brought up with the idea that fridges are energy-sucking beasts and the one and only cause of your high power bills. Good news campers! The same cannot be said of the latest camping fridges. Sure, every model is different and some are more energy-efficient than others. But generally, portable camping fridges for sale today consume far less power than its predecessors. Typically, most good camping fridges for sale will draw less than 100 watts! This is good news if you're relying on battery power to keep it running while you're on the road or in the outback.
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2. Portable Fridges Can Also Be Freezers
If you think there's nothing better than a few clinking ice cubes in your bevvy or ice-cream to finish your BBQ dinner, you want to get yourself a camping fridge freezer. Yes, they do exist! Some fridges switch between the freezer setting and the fridge setting, while others can be used for both at the same time (look for Dual Zone or Combi models). Dometic fridge-freezers deliver excellent cooling and freezing (down to -18°C, or -22°C in the Dometic CFX3 range!), even in high ambient temperatures.
3. A Portable Fridge Really Is Portable
You might think that your camping fridge can only be used to sit in the car, camper van or 4WD, but the fact is they are designed to be moved. So don't be afraid to take it out and about. Look for models with sturdy drop down handles, tough exterior so they can handle the bumps, and for models that have associated accessories such as fridge stands, fridge slides and fridge fixing kits. All of these things can help with either portability or provide that extra convenience a portable fridge is designed for.
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4. Camping Fridges Aren't Just For Camping
You can use them in everyday life too (go on, we won't tell anyone!) Imagine that you've just bought your weekly groceries and need to visit a friend. If you have a portable fridge, you can store your butter and steaks without a care in the world. Also popular for events/entertaining such as picnics and market stalls, as well as small business owners running food vans or coffee carts.
5. Some Portable Fridge Models Come With Wireless Monitoring
For people who like their technology, some camping fridges for sale are able to be remotely monitored - you can view the internal temperature of the fridge through the use of an app on your smartphone. A popular application of this feature is for people who want to monitor their fridge from the inside their vehicle/trailer when the fridge is in another compartment. It allows the user to monitor fridge temperature and voltage. Dometic Waeco and Evakool both offer a range of wifi enabled fridges.
6. Camping Fridges Can Last For Decades!
This fact comes with a big caveat, because the life of your camping fridge depends greatly on how you use and maintain it. To help, many manufacturers offer generous warranties for camping fridges, some as much as 5 years, but most around 2 or 3 years. We've had some customers contacting us for a replacement of their old camping fridge after 20+ years of use!
7. Not All Brands Are Created Equal
In Australia, Engel, Evakool, Dometic & myCOOLMAN are the top brands for portable fridges. Beyond this, we would warn against opting for cheaper brands without service agent support. This is where the likes of Dometic fridges really have a well-earned reputation for reliability - they provide one of the most generous warranties and have comprehensive local service agent support. Overall, Dometic is our recommended camping fridge brand, but Engel and a few others have plenty to offer as well - for a more in-depth look at the best portable Fridge Freezer Brands, you can read our article HERE.
Ready to compare camping fridges for sale? Check out our wide range of portable fridges online.
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DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
