Passive coolboxes
These are insulated cool boxes or bags that you keep cool with ice blocks or frozen drinks bottles. These are the cheapest cooling solutions, although there are some big beasts that can be quite pricey. The advantage is that you don’t need a power supply and they can be used anywhere. They are ideal for day trips or overnight trips. If you are going away on a multi-day adventure, then you will have to keep refreezing your ice blocks. Some campsites have freezers available for this purpose. To use it as effectively as possible, minimise the number of times you open the box.
Electric cooler box
These are also known as thermoelectric cool boxes. People often just refer to them as a 12v cooler box or car cooler. They are insulated boxes, that are powered by an electric fan. They are usually powered in your car by a 12v or you can get an adaptor and use it on the mains hook-up at a campsite. How cool it will keep your food will depend on the outside temperature. An average model may have a cooling power of 20 °C below the ambient temperature. These should be suitable for the UK climate, although it depends on what you want to keep in it. Ideally, raw meat needs to be kept under 5°C to avoid the growth of bacteria. The best temp for a fridge in your house is around 5°C. Some better performing electric cooler boxes might keep it 30 degrees below ambient temperature. A cheap electric cooler box is quite noisy and they usually drain the car battery fast if left charging without the engine off.
3-way camping fridge
Also known as gas camping fridge or absorption cooler. A big advantage of them is that they can be used without a vehicle battery or electric hook-up. They can works off mains, gas or 12v battery/hook up. If you use it on gas, then it must be kept in a ventilated area. You should also get a good quality
carbon monoxide detector for safe of mind. They tend to be silent and can cool up to 33°C below ambient temperature. These are ideal for longer trips and bigger families.
Compressor camping fridge
These camping fridges are the most similar to your fridge at home, they are just much smaller. Many of them can also function as a camping fridge/freezer. You can set the temperature, and it will keep it at that level. They can run via mains power or your vehicle’s battery. The warmer it is outside, the more energy it will consume. This is not a problem if it’s hooked to the mains, but can affect the efficiency if your car battery is not powerful enough. These units tend to be quite expensive, but they are the best option if you go camping regularly and stay at campsites with electricity. They can also work great for car camping if you have a portable power station. They are also the most common choice to use as a camper compressor fridge.
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