Fridge Freezers are they worth the extra bucks????

[Sean B]

Well, the times come to ditch the esky and purchase a fridge. I like the idea of a twin compartment fridge freezer, capable of operating dual zones and capable of keeping food frozen and the beer cold!

Interested to hear opinions on functionality and preferred brands...

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

It's only truly a fridge/freezer if there are separate areas controlled by separate control systems.
Otherwise they are just like the very old fridges with an icebox.
You have to work out where the sweet spot is for the control. 
So one area will stay frozen and the other area won't get that cold.

[BrindleHounds]

Have a think about if you really need a duel zone. They chew the juice if you run on both fridge and freezer. If you only go away for a week or two at a time just get a single zone fridge and cryovac and freeze your meat.

I was initially keen on a duel lid like the evakool glacier, primus or ironman. But then read the power use and thought about my previous experience and decided on a single zone single lid and a cryovac machine.


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[Sean B]

Thanks Rob,
Eva kool recon their twin lid will keep on side at -15 while maintaining +4 on the other side. So I'm guessing it's running both zones as you say. Which, if true, seems impressive.

looks like a good unit to me.

[Patr80l]

It's only truly a fridge/freezer if there are separate areas controlled by separate control systems.
Otherwise they are just like the very old fridges with an icebox.
You have to work out where the sweet spot is for the control. 
So one area will stay frozen and the other area won't get that cold.

Disagree.   It can be a single compartment and operate as a fridge or freezer and that's better than an icebox.   

[alnjan]

I don't think it is worth getting a dedicated fridge freezer unit.  Just get a decent fridge that can freeze and pack it right you will be okay.  the big trick with the fridges is the packing and have some planning with meals.

[Sean B]

Having not had a good look at the units, it's hard to say how much room is actually inside. I assume the dividing wall would take up a chunk of space.

The cryovac option seems like a good suggestion also. We only plan on being away for a week on average.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Disagree.   It can be a single compartment and operate as a fridge or freezer and that's better than an icebox.

Fine.  I'll re qualify the statement.
They are just like the old kelvinator and fridgedaire's.
I wasn't referring to the old Ice cabinets, or esky's.

[JnR_NaT]

I've just sold my 60lt Engel in preparation of getting a 57lt Engel Combination for the back of the car. We are planning for our 3 month trip next year with quite a bit of remote areas. With the combination unit it will allow us a bit more freedom. Also allows for the kids to have a few treats (icy poles). We already have a Waeco CFX50 in the Camper,  so already have heaps of fridge space.

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[GBC]

Most people I know who are serious about touring run an evakool RF 60, myself included. It wasn't planned that way but we ended up all owning the same fridge. I'd highly recommend one. Don't believe the hype about power usage. You are going to have it for a very long time so spend the extras and go straight to the RF. Mines now 12 yo and hasn't really been turned off yet.

[JGM]

G'day All
Check out the range of "Giant" fridge freezers.
They are a true dual zone, 2 separate controls, one for each compartment.

I have the 80 liter one and it only draws 3.7 amps when pulling it down from ambient temp.  They have Danfos compressor, the stainless looks good, they come with a cover and the remote control unit that plugs into a cigarette lighter works well. 
Way cheaper than the other main brands.
I've had mine for about 6 months and all good so far.

http://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/camping-caravan/portable-fridges/giant-power-60l-portable-fridge-freezer

Cheers
JGM

[Aaron Schubert]

I've got an Evakool 55L that can be used as either, or a combination. Yep, its only got one control and can be a little fiddly to get right, but once you've had it for a while everything works good enough for me.

For just the two of us, we had 5 weeks worth of meat on the freezer side and enough fresh food on the other to last us for 3 weeks over the Gibb River Road. Very happy with it

Aaron

[Redcherokee]

We have a couple of Waeco's that can be either fridge or freezer, and a big Primus that has a separate fridge and freezer.

Having the seperate dedicated freezer is fantastic for big trips to more isolated locations.  I can portion meat the way I like it, make homemade rissoles etc, then cryovac and freeze so it is easy to pull out the nights meal to thaw. Also frozen veg is much nicer than canned or dried and this is often the killer reasons for choosing to use the big unit.   Think crossing into SA regularly....

The freezer also allows you to take favourite harder to find items, like gf bakery items, deserts etc.  And having icecream in the desert is a nice luxury. As is icecubes for drinks.

The power draw hasn't really been an issue. The sheer size and weight of ours is.

[GeoffA]

...
The power draw hasn't really been an issue. The sheer size and weight of ours is.

Better get Pete to hit the gym, Lyn......

[Joff]

Most people I know who are serious about touring run an evakool RF 60, myself included. It wasn't planned that way but we ended up all owning the same fridge. I'd highly recommend one. Don't believe the hype about power usage. You are going to have it for a very long time so spend the extras and go straight to the RF. Mines now 12 yo and hasn't really been turned off yet.

We have an Evakool RF60 and for extended remote stuff the freezer is handy. We also have a 60lt Engel. The Evakool lives in the front of the camper and the Engel in the car. The Engel is the daily use fridge and the Evakool operates as the meat and veg store.

It is rare these days that we would take the Evakool but then, we don't have the kids much anymore. But even so, unless you really need a freezer, frankly, I wouldn't waste the space. Cryo meat lasts well enough for most journeys. It gets iffy when you want a supply of fruit and veg for more than a week.

[Gunsrunner]

We also have a 92l primus dz, dual lids and controls.
The best thing about running a freezer is it gives you options!
I find myself throwing extra stuff in to fill it up (runs more efficient) on shorter 3-4 day trips, if you don't use it no big deal, chuck it back in the freezer when you get home.
Having a few luxuries like, ice, ice cream, frozen veggies, also makes it worth while.
We have ours in the back of the paj, so drinks with ice are always on hand.
One tip, when making more ice, do it in the morning when the sun is out or you are driving, it uses a fair bit of juice to freeze water.

[Ben.Archer]

Personally I think they are a bit of a waste, not only do they draw more power but they also don't fit as much in the same sized single zone due to the divider.

Have a look at this thread:  http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=48243.msg824197#msg824197

I have found as others have mentioned that just vacuum sealing my meat and placing it at the bottom of the fridge tends to means that it freezes whist the items at the top stay cold yet unfrozen.

[GROB]

Hi Sean B.   I use 2 rf60 evakools had them for nearly 7 years , I run them as fridge/freezer and turned up fully they only draw 3ah trick is to keep freezer as full as possible , I also make my own ice blocks 35cm x35cm it freezers them no-problems.  Can use as F/F or just fridge or just freezer , if u need more freezer than fridge just swap the metal baskets around. These are used every day because our CT is our home...

[Troopy_03]

We found the best combo was a 35L Engel fridge/freezer (that is it can be used for a fridge or a freezer) and a 50L Engel fridge/freezer (same deal as the other one). When not traveling, the 35L sits in the Troopy as a daily use fridge. When traveling with the camper, the 50L is the main fridge, located in the camper, and the 35L is used either as a fridge for drinks etc in the Troopy, or for longer stays away from civilisation, used as a freezer.

[Sean B]

Thanks for all the thoughts and comments. Looks like the RF60 Evakool gets a good wrap! Our current low tech fridge (esky) is an Evakool and it holds ice for five days, as-long-as the kids are kept out of it. The RF60 looks to be the same design, so guessing it has the same insulation quality.

Where is the best place to get a good deal on the RF60?

[GeoffA]

Hey Sean,

Do you have enough battery capacity to run a 60L fridge/freezer, or the ability to charge what you have?

[Sean B]

Hi Geoff,

The answer is, I hope too! We are currently looking at getting a Kimberley or an Aussie Swag (secondhand) so expect to have around 200Ah depending on the model.

[GeoffA]

OK. Looks like you're on it.

Good luck....

[GeoffA]

Hi Geoff,

The answer is, I hope too! We are currently looking at getting a Kimberley or an Aussie Swag (secondhand) so expect to have around 200Ah depending on the model.

Will an RF60 fit in either of those campers?
Just asking. Wouldn't want a nasty surprise.
Maybe someone can confirm?

[chester ver2.0]

When you pull up to help a guy on the gibb on a 45 degree day and he pulls a cornetto out of his freezer and a cold beer out of the fridge side it is worth every frickin penny