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Can any one advice me on what sort of refrigeration people use. We recently went on our 1st camping trip and I used a cool box having frozen most of the contents (milk, spag, ball, ham etc)prior to going. We only went for 3 days but by the third day things had defrosted. It was a practically warm w/e and I stupidly left all our night time treats in a carrier bag in the tent. All chocolate melted however I didn’t let that stop us we scrapped it up with a spoon. My 1 1/2 yr old and 3 yr old daughters thought that was great fun.

This was our first time camping and we are hooked already planning next years trips. We want to go for longer periods next year and were hoping for some advice.

I have a coleman coolmax thingy......it keeps things frozen for about 4 days with normal ice blocks and frozen stews,chilli etc and well chilled for 5......well worth the investment without ehu

jans

Quote: Originally posted by janso100 on 23/10/2007

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I have a coleman coolmax thingy......it keeps things frozen for about 4 days with normal ice blocks and frozen stews,chilli etc and well chilled for 5......well worth the investment without ehu

jans

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Welcome to the UKCS.

If you can stretch to it a 3 way fridge is the way to go.  Works off gas, mains or 12v.  We run it off gas when we go out in the wilds without power and it works a treat.  It works so well you can make ice.  Gas consumption is very low and we have found they just last for ages.

They are also usefull for at home as well for food/tins round the barbie.

A word of warning, be carefull of 12 volt cool boxes.  I have seen many a car with a flat battery in the morning from using these.  They work okay but the drain on the battery is huge.  If the car is not running the battery is flat in around 6 hours.

Thanks for that every one Im going to have a good shop around, I didnt understand the below ambient stuff so thanks rexgrant you have cleared that up for me. Being a novice camper I have picked some great tips from the threads and loook forward to next years trips which Im already planning. Hopefully with my choclate nicely chillled.........oh yeh and my wine.........

If it's not too late I would like to put my tuppance ha'penny worth in!

I thought long and hard on this issue and, after questions posted on this site and other research, went down the decent cool box route.

Why?  I knew that we were unlikely to be away for more than four nights at a time and a decent cool box that has been throughly pre-cooled (along with its contents - though I didn't bother freezing anything) was more than up to the task.  I got the IGLOO MaxCold 70 (below) at a VERY good price from COSTCO (£32 approx).  I cooled down the box for 36 hours using two bags of ice from the supermarket (draining all melt-water) and, once food etc. was packed, used four frozen 1.5litre mineral water bottles with square-based profile to keep things cool.

IGLOO claim that this thing can keep ice frozen for up to five days....and it did!  But if you camp for longer then many camp sites do have freezers to re-freeze your ice-blocks.

We have a Campingaz fridge, works on electric or 12v, but we only really use it when we are on a pitch with EHU. We have used it for a couple of days on battery though, we used a stonking great heavy duty tractor battery which worked fine, but not everyone wants to carry one of those around!

Quote: Originally posted by rexgrant on 27/10/2007

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Hi.
On cool boxes as anyone tried the Icey-Tec one that is advertised in the Shop above, from the review and the makers claim it sounds like the ultimate cool box and I have been tempted but at the price they are asking I will wait for a few more reviews on the forum before I take the plunge.
Regards
Rex.

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Some mention of the Icey tek here Rex

We use a 3 way fridge & it's excellent. We have the Sibir HERE.