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I'm getting sooooooo frustrated trying to work out what sort of fridge I need to buy.

I'm definitely going to the hotter climes (south or west France).  I want to be able to run it through an electric hookup (and hasn't that whole scenario given me a headache!).

I want to use to it keep milk, cheese and marge cool - the red wine can be a little warm, and I'm not over hot(!!!) on the white.

Its looking like the 3 way combicool is the one to go for - but it seems so big - I don't know how I'm going to fit the kids into the car (hmmm!).

Halfords have a £40 one that give 20 below ambient - and its only 15L, which seems a much better size - and it can run on 12V and AC - anyone tried on of these - its certainly appealing - but not if I end up with runny marge and rancid milk.  Would that be okay if the temp was in the high 20's, low 30's?

Paul

hi paul   a lot of sites in that region will hire you a fridge,check with campsites

andrew

Don`t forget that though the Combicool is bulky you can fit a lot of stuff inside, so not all wasted space. I`m taking mine to France this year but just filling it with non-fopod items. I`ll switch it on as soon as I arrive and it should be cold enough within hours.

A Combicool can make ice-cubes, remember. It`s a proper fridge, not a cooler. It will keep things as cold as the fridge at home even in a hot climate. If that`s what you want, don`t compromise. It was hitting 40 deg in Normandy two years ago.20 deg below that isn`t cool at all.

French milk is disgusting, btw. The UHT is better than the fresh stuff, so we always use that.

Hi All,

I have yet to see a coolbox cool down to 20 degrees below ambient unless it has been left on for weeks. If you are in and out of it all the time it will never work in France. For a compact fridge we us a Waeco CF-18 which is about the size of a coolbox so very portable and it will freeze down to - 18 min or 55 degrees below ambient. The cheapest place to buy them is www.minicoolers.co.uk

Might seem expensive but it will do the job and will do it for years long after the coolbox is in the bin.

It`s not just the butter and milk...it`s convenience. I hate having to go shopping every day for food, and during the heatwave in France a couple of years back things could "turn" in the coolbox between lunchtime and dinner. Now I have a Combicool (it`s about £139 usually) I can shop every two to three days and not worry about stuff going off. You save money on shopping by going less, less wastage and can buy bigger packets of things.

Yes, use tins I hear you say, but over the length of time we go for (4-6 weeks) you can get pretty sick of packet stuff.

Quote: Originally posted by pwr@22 on 29/03/2005

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Halfords have a £40 one that give 20 below ambient - and its only 15L, which seems a much better size - and it can run on 12V and AC - anyone tried on of these - its certainly appealing - but not if I end up with runny marge and rancid milk. Would that be okay if the temp was in the high 20's, low 30's?

Paul

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Yes you are 100% correct, as in all aspects of life there are compromises. You really need to use something like the Waeco often to justify the cost. We travel all over North Africa and although not essential for some we need a fridge, we just enjoy the trip more with one. A fridge also adds problems with power etc but if you have a hook-up you should be fine. For long trips we use a CF-50 and for very small trips we use the CF-18 and they work admirably. But as you say, 3 weeks in France then I would also not buy the CF range but look at the combicool or even the tropicool range

http://www.minicoolers.co.uk/index.htm?url=products/thermo.htm

I think both the Tropicool or the combicool ranges would do the job. Do not have any experience with either of them but I still would advise staying away from the very cheap cool boxes. You will regret the space it takes up when it turns out useless in France.

I'm a combicool fan.  Ours survived 38 degrees in France this year in June.  I have used a coldbox previously and as said great for the UK in the right circumstance but not ideal as a fridge.

As Val has said I love the freedom of having a fridge, no wondering when I'm going to manage to shop, no HAVING to go and shop - much as I love French shops and markets I don't want to have to shop every day - I have better things to do!!  We have also saved money through having one.  The first year I relied on a cold box and binned a lot of food as it didn't stay cool. 

We also fill ours with non food stuff and only turn it on when we arrive.  We run ours on gas as the site we go to has no leccy and it cools perfectly well like this. 

I wouldn't be without it, I have a cold box as well which I also use but I wouldn't use the cold box for France.

If there is a similar type of fridge that is smaller then go for it but don't go for a cold box.

Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 30/03/2005

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A Combicool can make ice-cubes, remember. It`s a proper fridge, not a cooler. It will keep things as cold as the fridge at home even in a hot climate. If that`s what you want, don`t compromise.

Post last edited on 30/03/2005 00:50:44

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Well, all I can say to that is that the outside temperature in France this year hit 30`C some days and I was still freezing ice pops along the top bar of the Combicool.

There is a temperature gradient within the fridge though, with the coldest part being the back left hand side and the warmest at the front right hand side. Even this last area was pretty cold though, and the butter I kept there was rock solid.

One thing...KEEP THE LID CLOSED! Leave the lid up for ten minutes and you really notice a difference. I would take everything I needed for the meal out in one go, and the kids weren`t allowed to go in for their own cokes in case they left the lid up.