Car Coolers

[Chuckanut]

Could you place a glass of water in it overnight and measure the water temperature next morning compared to the room's ambient temp? That would be the real test.

Great idea. I will do that.

 

[MRG]

But, I must warn you I have actually slept through a fire at the house next door to me.

You too?
I thought I was the only person who could do that. I woke up the next morning and asked DW what the terrible smell was? She was not happy as I wouldn't wake up.

 

[Kathe555]

Do you need to cool this down prior to plugging it into your car?

I live 2 hours away from a Costco and this would be great to have when we make our quarterly trips. Right now I don't buy anything cold because it won't make it home in good condition.

 

[Chuckanut]

Do you need to cool this down prior to plugging it into your car?

I live 2 hours away from a Costco and this would be great to have when we make our quarterly trips. Right now I don't buy anything cold because it won't make it home in good condition.

It's an actual portable refrigerator. Calling it a cooler is somewhat misleading. I would plug it in to the car power on the way down and pre-cool it to be on the safe side. It took an hour or so for the cans to start to feel chilled.

Check out a bigger size if you 'load up' on your quarterly trip.

 

[sengsational]

I live 2 hours away from a Costco and this would be great to have when we make our quarterly trips. Right now I don't buy anything cold because it won't make it home in good condition.

If you load it full with food from the store that's already cold, you'll certainly have no problem.

 

[Bamaman]

I loved my thermoelectric cooler. At least until a black bear swatted it one night with a huge paw.

He was after bacon and bacon. We were in our RV asleep.

 

[Chuckanut]

Could you place a glass of water in it overnight and measure the water temperature next morning compared to the room's ambient temp? That would be the real test.

I set the cooler thermostat for 41 degrees with a garage temp of 70. The water measured 40 degrees this morning.

I then set the thermostat to 22 degrees. About 4 hours later and the water is getting slushy. Ambient temp is still about 70.

 

[braumeister]

I set the cooler thermostat for 41 degrees with a garage temp of 70. The water measured 40 degrees this morning.

I then set the thermostat to 22 degrees. About 4;hours later and the water is getting slushy. Ambient temp is still about 70.

Thanks, I'm very impressed. Enough to order one for myself!

 

[ERD50]

I was surprised this is a compressor type. The thermo-electrics have some nice features (quiet, just a fan, which is the only moving part), but they are inefficient and pretty marginal cooling. They can get the job done in some cases, but just won't cut it for many other applications.

With modern machining and components, it makes me wonder just how small a refrigerator compressor could be affordably made?

-ERD50

 

[flyingaway]

Maybe I can buy a standard refrigerator and hood it to the hotel power every night. It should keep stuffs cool during the day, especially with some frozen water bottles.

 

[Kathe555]

Thanks! Great advice.

It's an actual portable refrigerator. Calling it a cooler is somewhat misleading. I would plug it in to the car power on the way down and pre-cool it to be on the safe side. It took an hour or so for the cans to start to feel chilled.

Check out a bigger size if you 'load up' on your quarterly trip.

 

[braumeister]

Mine was delivered today and I'm very impressed. Thanks for the idea, Chuckanut!

 

[Gary 1958]

I've tried them and wasn't impressed. They draw a lot of power for only keeping things chilled at best. They don't have the power to cool things down, your stuff needs to be cold before it goes in, the cooler maintains temperature it doesn't cool. I went back to a regular cooler with ice packs that I throw in the freezer and use as needed. The ice packs are ready to go and keep things much colder, they are also easier to deal with than ice cubes. I have had three of the electric ones and the last one cost $120 and worked the same as the first one that I got at a garage sale for $5.

 

[FlaGator]

I've tried them and wasn't impressed. They draw a lot of power for only keeping things chilled at best. They don't have the power to cool things down, your stuff needs to be cold before it goes in, the cooler maintains temperature it doesn't cool. I went back to a regular cooler with ice packs that I throw in the freezer and use as needed. The ice packs are ready to go and keep things much colder, they are also easier to deal with than ice cubes. I have had three of the electric ones and the last one cost $120 and worked the same as the first one that I got at a garage sale for $5.

For what you have paid, and the description of how they work and your experience, you have likely been using "thermoelectric" models. The adverts I have seen for them claim they will cool only 40-ish degrees below ambient-not nearly enough when ambient is 100+. I lived in the Valley for decades and am not surprised with how they have worked for you.

When you get tired of using ice and are willing to spend some money, look at the compressor models from Engel and the Costco items described above. They are real refrigerators. My 15+ year old Engel works great during trips and as a back up during power outages, and will still freeze water. Not cheap, though-would cost close to $1,000 to replace my Engel today. Not sure I would spend that now with the Costco models at 1/3 the price.

 

[skibum]

Thanks for the tip, I received my 40 L fridge on Weds and it runs quiet and cold. Enjoying cold beer in the garage and looking forward to future adventures (or shopping runs).

 

[Morricol61]

We have a portable fridge/freezer for travelling and a large Waeco Ice chest and both are good for different reasons. The fridge/freezer is smaller but it can drain the car's battery so is no good for camping. It is great for times when we will have access to mains power when stopping overnight or longer at motels or cabins.

To keep things cool in the ice chest I freeze 3 or 5 litre bottles of water in our chest freezer and put a couple into the ice chest, pack drinks and food around them and then top everything with squares of foam which I cut from an old yoga mat The ice in the bottles last about 3 days or so, depending on the ambient temperature and how often I open the ice chest.

If we are travelling or camping for a longer time I pack our food into plastic containers with lids so I can buy ice as needed and the food stays cold and dry even if the containers are floating in cold water. I have different containers for fruit/veg; meat; cheese & deli items etc so there is no risk of cross contamination.

 

[papaof2]

From the temperature specs on this unit, it appears to be a compressor-driven unit and not thermoelectric (TEC). The TEC units only manage 30-40 degrees F below ambient temperature (40-50F in 80F environment).

This unit specs to -20C (-4F) so that tends to indicate compressor cooling. If it's TEC, it's a very unusually highly rated TEC unit. The power (45W) also matches the power specs of other compressor models. The Engel and Whynter compressor-driven fridge/freezers are also rated at 12/24 volts DC but use less power - at a somewhat higher price.

 

[statsman]

The Engel and Whynter compressor-driven fridge/freezers are also rated at 12/24 volts DC but use less power - at a somewhat higher price.

Also, at least in the case of the Engel we purchased over 15 years ago, there is less available fridge/freezer space for the footprint. If keeping something cold with the lowest possible power usage is the requirement, these will work best. For many situations, they are overkill at three times the cost.

 

[braumeister]

Just for grins, I set the cooler to 39°F and put a plastic container of water inside it overnight. This morning the water was 37°F (measured with a highly accurate thermometer. And the thing is so quiet when running you can hardly hear it. Definitely a great purchase!

 

[Chuckanut]

From the temperature specs on this unit, it appears to be a compressor-driven unit and not thermoelectric (TEC). The TEC units only manage 30-40 degrees F below ambient temperature (40-50F in 80F environment).

This unit specs to -20C (-4F) so that tends to indicate compressor cooling. If it's TEC, it's a very unusually highly rated TEC unit. The power (45W) also matches the power specs of other compressor models. The Engel and Whynter compressor-driven fridge/freezers are also rated at 12/24 volts DC but use less power - at a somewhat higher price.

Yes, the Massimo has a compressor.

 

[ivinsfan]

Costco made a lot of money off board members this week. Just took delivery of our new cooler yesterday...plugged into power 90 minutes ago...36 degrees...

 

[braumeister]

Costco made a lot of money off board members this week.

And at about $70 cheaper than Amazon's price. Maybe we should have a "last thing you bought from Costco" thread to compete with the Amazon one.

 

[Chuckanut]

And at about $70 cheaper than Amazon's price. Maybe we should have a "last thing you bought from Costco" thread to compete with the Amazon one.

Do it!

 

[Chuckanut]

Costco made a lot of money off board members this week. Just took delivery of our new cooler yesterday...plugged into power 90 minutes ago...36 degrees...

As the OP, I am gratified that my search has helped so many others. That is one of the things that makes this site rewarding.

 

[ivinsfan]

As the OP, I am gratified that my search has helped so many others. That is one of the things that makes this site rewarding.

We were actually thinking about buying one of these and stuck in an endless googling/pricing loop.

The minute I read your post I was like OK, I can just buy this and be done with it. Used our daughter who has a COSTCO membership so a double win for Ivinsfan......