Just looking into these for our next trip. They say they cool to between 12 and 20 deg below ambient. So to keep food below 5 deg, the ambient would have to be below 17 to 25 deg. I'm sure in our tent, on a hot day, it's way more than that? Any thoughts/recommendations? We need it to run from 240v. Thanks!
We were advised against a coolbox for our trip through Europe as they don't really reach low enough temperatures. We bought a Waeco 3 way fridge which runs on gas or mains electric and 12v while travelling. More expensive, but worth its weight in gold. You can't beat a cold G&T with ice after along drive and tent pitching.
I just invested in a 3 way fridge - 35lt ( 240v, 12v and lpg ), which ment I could keep it going while I was driving to the site. Once there I ran it off the gas, perfect!
If your need is only 240v no worries but it might make it more flexable if you have the options.
hi daisytent.
Both the 12volt Tec cool boxes and the 3way absorption coolers are reliant on ambient temperature as to how cold it keeps the fridge The better the insulation the better the cooler the only real difference between the too is that you can control the absorption fridge on gas and mains. But the tec cooled 12volt one always runs flat out. This is the reason that when you wake up after a cold night your milk may have ice in it.
If you want a fridge that will stay below 3deg C all the time and his fully controllable you need to by a small domestic fridge designed for the home these use the compressor and gas system and will always stay cold.
hope that helps.
We have found that the Igloo make are as good as any.
of the tec ones but we only take it when we have an EHU
The rest of the time we use a three way chest cooler.
Rex
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
We bought a cool box from Wilkinsons £20 and a £10 12v/240v adpater. (Woolies do similiar that will operate either built in). We were away for the good wekk of summer (yeh the one good week when it were really hot to dry up all the flooding)
Think if this as a cooling box and not a fridge. We used ours to keep the butter/sausages/milks etc from going off and it worked. The box says ablient-16 so anything more than 20degs would means its hotter than a standard fridge which should run at 4degs. We never had any problems except we threw some ham away after 4 days becuase it was ?????. But you need to consider how quickly stuff would go off without a cool box.
Mike J
(PS - keeps the beers cool)
------------- It'll work out in the end!!!!
I didn't do it !! Nobody saw me do it !! You can't prove anything !!
We recently bought the electric coolbox from Aldi, a complete waste of money. Don't get me wrong it works well enough, but unless you have a trailer of small truck I think they are too big to be packed practically.
We have just purchased the Campingaz Isotec 10 Litre coolbox, an excellent piece of kit well worth it (It apparently keeps stuff cool for 17 hours). It only required Icepack changes in the mornings.
They do larger sizes which claim to keep food cool for 24 hrs (I don't doubt it). The 17litre version I have only found at John Lewis though.
Our milk etc always remained Ice Cold (the butter was never spreadable though).
Quote: Originally posted by Elegant mess on 16/8/2007
Hi daisytent,
We recently bought the electric coolbox from Aldi, a complete waste of money. Don't get me wrong it works well enough, but unless you have a trailer of small truck I think they are too big to be packed practically.
We have just purchased the Campingaz Isotec 10 Litre coolbox, an excellent piece of kit well worth it (It apparently keeps stuff cool for 17 hours). It only required Icepack changes in the mornings.
They do larger sizes which claim to keep food cool for 24 hrs (I don't doubt it). The 17litre version I have only found at John Lewis though.
Our milk etc always remained Ice Cold (the butter was never spreadable though).
Hi EM
Have you seen the claim of the ICEY TEK cool boxes in the forum shop 10 days they say they will keep cool without any power, check them out. they must be good to claim that sort of insulation.
Rex
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
Ours does well even when hot although I do the "its not a fridge" thing and basically dont expect stuff to last as long as it would at home. It does condensate though and get water in the bottom which I posted about and it seems that is how it is. We left a thermometer in it once and results were good. (it is a elec cool box) we just bought a towsure 36lit one and it works the same. My F/I/L maintains if you set a fan heater to cool near the air intake it redices temp of air going in so will cool better. I am not convinced but perhaps some one else will confirm/deny.
Thanks everyone. Perhaps a better coolbox would be the way to go? Ours is just a cheapy one. We're not planning on buying until next year now, but there might be sales towards the end of camping season?
Igloo Koolmate 40 from camping online. the best bit of kit we have bought. Approx £90 but everything stays cold sometimes even freezes on v.hot days with tent zipped up.Fantastic.