Post by: jetcrew on October 10, 2015, 12:25:00 PM
I want
60 ltr in camper (Food)
40ltr frezzer in car (food & ice)
32ltr drinks fridge in crusier (beer soft drink)
she thinks this is overkill and wants
engle 75ltr combi 42ltr fridge 33ltr frezzer all in one in camper
40 ltr engle in car
My issue is that I like my beers COLD and everytime we sahre a fridge i frezze all the food stuff and she complains.. its funny on a weekend but on a longer trip its just a bit silly, so a dedeicated food fridge at 60ltrs a dedicated frezzer at 40ltrs (which should give us a good amount of frozen meats and 32ltr of icy cold drinks id perfect ..plus I have plenty of redundancy with having 3 fridges on board .
i alrady own the 40 and 32 and the purchase of a fridge for the camper is on the cards anyways ..its just what to get at this stage.
Power wise the 32+40 draw around the same as a 60ltr in any case so it does not any extra load in terms of power consumption . and I might have a panel or 2 with me ;D ;D
how does everyone else do it, or more to the point how many liters of fridge or freezer did/do you have and was it enough /too much
jet ;D
Post by: time on October 10, 2015, 12:31:02 PM
This works for the two of us. Having said this, when I pick up my Vista RV in the New Year I'll have another 80l fridge to play with, I'm thinking this one will be for the food that doesn't need to be too cold, salad stuff and bread etc, and the Mrs wine box :)
Post by: Desert lover on October 10, 2015, 12:55:42 PM
We have done Gibb River Road, Tanami Track and been across Aus from East to West ....however we used two fridges on that trip - one as a freezer but it still wasn't carried in our vehicle. It went in the accompanying vehicle (they didn't take a fridge of their own) and we just purchased supplies every five days as necessary - one restock for four people between Byron Bay and Alice. One restock at Newman in WA.
Personally I think 3 is way over the top.... but each to their own.
Cheers
Post by: trevc on October 10, 2015, 12:56:03 PM
The car fridge was run at 2c and we used it for meat, booze and daily lunch items. Beer was always cold and wenew the meat was being kept at a stable temp.
The 70L held e everything else. Milk, salads, condiments etc, essentially the kitchen fridge.
We never had the need for a freezer but we're not fishos. The longest stretch we did between restocks was 18 days (Kunna to Broome).
Trev
Post by: Jakster1 on October 10, 2015, 02:11:32 PM
This works great for a family of 3.
Just makes it so much more versatile than having just one fridge for everything. Which is how we started and decided 2 was better.
3 fridges?? Well if you have the space and power capacity then why not! Especially if a dedicated beer fridge is in the mix :cheers:
Post by: BrettMG on October 10, 2015, 02:13:55 PM
Post by: swanny on October 10, 2015, 02:32:26 PM
Post by: Rumpig on October 10, 2015, 02:38:30 PM
3 fridges?? Well if you have the space and power capacity then why not!X2 on above...you atleast have a decent amount of knowledge on the power required to run them and keep your battery bank charged sufficiently. Many might say it's overkill, but if you can manage it and have the space, then the more fridge space you have the better IMHO. Could you do the trip with less, of course you can, but the way you are thinking makes sense if that's what you want to do also.
Post by: MarkVS on October 10, 2015, 02:40:21 PM
for a 6 week Savannah Way trip (meaning we took a lot of pre-frozen food) for in essence 3 adults, we had a 60ltr Evakool as a fridge, 40 Ltr Engel in the car for frozen food. I would put drinks in the fridge on a day by day basis.
We found we had plenty of room and as the frozen food dropped to the point of very little, we just re-organised what was left to the freezer end of the Evakool, and turned the 40ltr into a fridge.
Mark.
Post by: JD-120 on October 10, 2015, 02:44:14 PM
Post by: isportfish on October 10, 2015, 02:51:06 PM
We make do with a 50L and a 40L for a family of 4 and have ample space. Rather than have each dedicated for food or bev we have set temps and mix goods depending on their temp requirement. Also good to utilise colder/warmer spots in each fridge to maintain best temps for goods.
We do it this way as I get in trouble if I freeze the salad!
Post by: noel_w on October 10, 2015, 03:04:50 PM
Salad, whats that?
We do it this way as I get in trouble if I freeze the salad!
Am also planning my requirements. While it will just be me at this stage I still am not sure what to do. I have a 29 L Engel almost as old as me and am thinking to get a 40 to put in the pod on a drop slide for every day stuff and anchor the 29 down in the pod to use as backup/extra room etc.
Wherever I am I will need "cold" beer. Food? Well you can live on it but I am not going to die of thirst. :cheers: :cheers:
Post by: isportfish on October 10, 2015, 03:08:26 PM
Salad, whats that?
Yeh I know. She makes me eat that stuff.
Post by: broncos11 on October 10, 2015, 05:23:09 PM
MarkGU, please disregard my thread as with the fish you catch, you could keep in a L'l Oscar esky.
Post by: KevL on October 13, 2015, 04:43:24 PM
The need for another fridge depends on ones alcohol dependance I suppose. If you need to keep a carton cold a second fridge would be handy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: marvellous_matt on October 13, 2015, 05:27:23 PM
Post by: GROB on October 13, 2015, 05:28:08 PM
Post by: Stewart on October 13, 2015, 05:37:38 PM
Post by: MDS69 on October 13, 2015, 06:09:53 PM
Post by: Hews on October 13, 2015, 06:20:11 PM
We did a 12 week trip with just a 60L waeco and worked well. Ran it off the car the hole time, only needed the solar panel once. But we shopped once a week/fortnight, just depends where you go. Freezer would make remote travel easier
These days we have 180L fridge in van for food and 60L in car for drinks and day trips away from the van
Post by: jetcrew on October 13, 2015, 06:26:35 PM
I think that with the info I have received here that 2 fridges is quite normal. So if I am going for 16 weeks and don't want to shop every 3-4 weeks for meat and such then the 3rd (32ltr) fridge will not be swatted space and gives me an absolutely dedicated deep freezer.
so its either 100 ltrs of fridge 60&40 & 32 ltrs of frezzer
or
92ltrs of fridge 60 & 32 and 40ltrs of frezzer
which ever way I do it it will be 132ltrs of capacity split between 3 units so that built in redundancy in my mind ;D ;D now to decide where to put the 2 fridges in the car I made a frame for simmo trip hat never happened and it can take the 40 & 32 .
but Lara wants only 1 in back and 1 in rear cargo on slide so that means I make a frame to suit the single seat position and leave the 2 seats in back .
Jet ;D
Or i can start one way and switch over as we eat things and need to adjust around ...I think I will take all 3 with me
Post by: hawks667 on October 13, 2015, 06:34:58 PM
Post by: weeds on October 13, 2015, 08:20:03 PM
How beers do you drink each day.....
We have a 40 and 32 Engels for a family of five (three teenagers).
I keep a six pack cold, as a grab one on replace with a hot one.
Freezer, did this once and it was a pain in the arse.
Post by: Fathom on October 14, 2015, 07:20:06 AM
If pigs could fly... Imagine how good their wings would taste.
Post by: mjharps on October 14, 2015, 07:55:55 AM
I think for long term travel having a dedicated freezer would be handy.
I have a 10 year old Engel which I'll repurpose for that task when the time is right.
Post by: scarpsD40 on October 14, 2015, 08:03:14 AM
I can see utility in two fridges. One as a freezer and one as a normal fridge. One in the car and one in the camper which gives you options for day trips etcagree x2, except I've never had to actually use one as a freezer. As much as we can, we prefreeze(or arrange with a local butcher to prefreeze), and put all frozen items on the bottom of the CT fridge. As the items on top come off the freeze, we use them. The rest act as ice blocks for the rest and this takes pressure off the fridge cycle and saves battery amps/volts etc
I think for long term travel having a dedicated freezer would be handy.
Post by: mjharps on October 14, 2015, 08:05:33 AM
agree x2, except I've never had to actually use one as a freezer. As much as we can, we prefreeze(or arrange with a local butcher to prefreeze), and put all frozen items on the bottom of the CT fridge. As the items on top come off the freeze, we use them. The rest act as ice blocks for the rest and this takes pressure off the fridge cycle and saves battery amps/volts etc
Agreed.
Post by: theins on October 14, 2015, 01:39:45 PM
- one 80L Dual zone WAECO in the camper for food and drinks (run as fridge only).
- a 40L Engel in the back of the car - run as freezer
Worked well for us.
Post by: Traveller on October 14, 2015, 05:39:59 PM
The weight of 3 full fridges must be fairly high, and I would like to see a comparison of buying food in a capital city and then paying the fuel costs to take it on a long holiday, as opposed to the slight increase in price of the food purchased inland.
Just my thoughts.
Post by: jetcrew on October 14, 2015, 07:20:00 PM
I have no doubt that we could do it with 2 fridges, the weight of those 2 seats offsetts the 32ltr fridge so no extra weight or fuel ( if you have ever lifted thoses rear seats you will agree) and as for power consumption the 40 & 32 are the same as a 60ltr fridge in any case.
Our plan is to top up on meat once only or twice so given I have the fridges and can afford the weight and the power is no issue I think i will go with it and I understand all the comments both sides and I have done 8 days trips on boat with just a 40ltr so can do that style, but for 4 mths 132ltrs is not excessive from what I can see here.
jet ;D ;D
Post by: weeds on October 14, 2015, 07:27:15 PM
I guess soon as you say 3 fridges it sounds bad but it does not seem uncommon to have this amount 132ltrs an 80 and 52 is the same .
I have no doubt that we could do it with 2 fridges, the weight of those 2 seats offsetts the 32ltr fridge so no extra weight or fuel ( if you have ever lifted thoses rear seats you will agree) and as for power consumption the 40 & 32 are the same as a 60ltr fridge in any case.
Our plan is to top up on meat once only or twice so given I have the fridges and can afford the weight and the power is no issue I think i will go with it and I understand all the comments both sides and I have done 8 days trips on boat with just a 40ltr so can do that style, but for 4 mths 132ltrs is not excessive from what I can see here.
jet ;D ;D
Jet you asked for advice or feedback or something like that in post 1......seems you were set to carry three from the start. Ya might just have to take some replies on the chin, you asked we replied.
Post by: speewa158 on October 14, 2015, 07:35:13 PM
Post by: jetcrew on October 14, 2015, 07:43:14 PM
Jet you asked for advice or feedback or something like that in post 1......seems you were set to carry three from the start. Ya might just have to take some replies on the chin, you asked we replied.
I Think I made it pretty clear from the start I wanted that in the first post and was seeking advice on the options I posted. So not real sure where your going with this mate ..
I have also thanked people all the way along for their time in replying.
I found your post equally as helpful as all the other mate so I am at a loss to work out what you mean by the above response ??? ???
Yes i asked for advice and I have accepted and respected everyone's advice and opinion so i think you may have to unsaddle the horse mate. ;D ;D ;D ;D
jet :D
Post by: McGirr on October 14, 2015, 07:47:30 PM
If your going into remote areas a fridge for fresh veges is good as some places only get supplied fortnightly. Sounds like a great trip.
Mark
Post by: V8CRSA on October 14, 2015, 07:52:46 PM
We have travelled with only one fridge in the past, a 40lt engel and with some planning it can be done.
We recently did a 4 weeke trip on the Anne beadell hey and great central re etc and had an 80lt waeco in the KK and a 60lt engel in the 200. We didn't need to restock anything other than fresh foods along the way and at no point did we get close to filling both fridges.
We have in the last week sold the 60lt front the 200 and replaced it with a 40lt as the 60 was just too big.
A little carefull planning and you can get by with any thing, don't over do it and take an extra heavy fridge if you don't need too.
Cheers Matt.
Ps very jealous of your planned trip..... :cheers:
Post by: edz on October 14, 2015, 08:00:19 PM
What sort of truck you got JC, I like that fridge mount you made .. Might have to look at stealing that idea.
Post by: jetcrew on October 14, 2015, 08:27:13 PM
If you have the space and power to do it, go for it I say JC, If needed you can always shut one or more down till its needed again .
What sort of truck you got JC, I like that fridge mount you made .. Might have to look at stealing that idea.
Its in a 100 series mate ;D
J :D :D
Post by: GeoffA on October 14, 2015, 08:36:34 PM
If you have the space and power to do it, go for it I say JC, If needed you can always shut one or more down till its needed again .
What sort of truck you got JC, I like that fridge mount you made ..
Agree with all of that edz.
On our recent trip we had 3 fridges totalling 200L (1 x 90L F/F, 1 x 75L, 1 x 35L).
Plenty of convenience and flexibility.
I liked JC's fridge mount too, so I made something similar for my car.
:cheers:
Post by: discoteddy on October 14, 2015, 08:39:17 PM
The three fridge rule works for us. On our recent trip to the Cape we had two 40 litre Engels in the back of the Triton. One used as a fridge and the other as a freezer. We had a third 17 litre Engel strapped between the kids on the back seat. This was stocked with our daily food and drinks. This system worked perfectly for us. It was a real pleasure not having to access the rear of the truck of a day. A cold drink from the back seat whilst under way was welcomed.
At one point during our travels we remained self sufficient for 18 days, using this system we did this easily, whilst eating and drinking well. 12 volt wasn't a problem.
If you've got them, use them and enjoy the flexibility I say!
Cheers,
Disco teddy.
Post by: smartyingreen on October 14, 2015, 08:42:30 PM
Post by: trevc on October 14, 2015, 10:23:43 PM
Also travelling through the sticks, some of the butchers out here have the best local meats and often at very reasonable prices. Enjoy your trip jet.
Agreed. It's all part of the adventure and puts a few bob in the till of the locals.
Post by: GGV8Cruza on October 15, 2015, 07:03:39 AM
Also on our last trip it gave us room to bring back some local produce that we found in the barossa and we bought in bulk and split up when we got home. There is no right ratio, its what suits you best and keeps you happy, well fed and hydrated :cheers:
GG
Post by: Dueller on October 15, 2015, 08:22:05 AM
Good luck with your decision mate.
Cheers,
Matt
Post by: edz on October 15, 2015, 08:27:38 AM
I converted the centre console between the front seats into a Waeco 11ltr which holds all the drinks. The little Weaco can hold half a carton of cans and due to its small size gets down to -2* in under 20min. Best mod I've done to the tug so far.Have a mate thats done this too, reckons the same ! one one of the best mods he's done to date ..
Cheers,
Matt
Post by: Sixpack on October 15, 2015, 08:39:29 AM
Post by: weeds on October 15, 2015, 08:42:10 AM
I Think I made it pretty clear from the start I wanted that in the first post and was seeking advice on the options I posted. So not real sure where your going with this mate ..
I have also thanked people all the way along for their time in replying.
I found your post equally as helpful as all the other mate so I am at a loss to work out what you mean by the above response ??? ???
Yes i asked for advice and I have accepted and respected everyone's advice and opinion so i think you may have to unsaddle the horse mate. ;D ;D ;D ;D
jet :D
Oops I might have misread your post....actually I did misread it. Sorry bout that.
Post by: Bird on October 15, 2015, 08:52:11 AM
No wonder 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of peoples are complaining about ball weight and 'I weighed my setup today and mayday' Shit like that
Post by: DCP on October 15, 2015, 10:32:27 AM
We did the Canning which took 21 days on the stock route and used 2 fridges .1 x 40lt as a fridge 1 x18lt as a freezer, never ran out of food or a cold beer . All meat was cryovaced, we also used a lot of stuff that didn`t need refrigeration. We try to travel as light as possible and most things we carry have to be multi purpose, and in some 30 years of remote travel I have never needed a roof rack, but I do have a fixed solar panel on the roof now which works alot better than when it was remote .
Good luck with the trip and safe travels
Post by: GeoffA on October 15, 2015, 11:07:21 AM
I'm baffled by the amount of fridges and food space people think they need when they are still driving through towns where you can get fresh stuff regularly..
No wonder 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of peoples are complaining about ball weight and 'I weighed my setup today and mayday' Shit like that
I must be the 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%......
Post by: oldmate on October 15, 2015, 11:24:28 AM
Another thing to do, which we did for most of our trip, was plan meals around stuff that doesn't need refrigeration. Makes the times when you get that fresh fish or big steak so much more enjoyable.
I could give you Theo a 2 week (for 2 adults) meal plan that you could cook dinner every night with one or 2 pots max and only a few things need the fridge. Have dinner cooked in 10-15min from opening kitchen.
Post by: wakychapmans on October 15, 2015, 11:26:54 AM
we've done countless Simpson runs for the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge, usually 5 days from Purnie Bore to Birdsville, plus often a few beforehand at Purnie. On a 60L ARB. Running as a fridge only. Meat was all vacuum sealed. Plus a lot of trips in the centre of between 2-5 weeks. Most of those were done with our previous beast, the 40L Engel (before it was stolen).
Though... the idea of more than does have some merit... I'm sure I could figure out ways to fill them both.
Post by: GeoffA on October 15, 2015, 11:35:52 AM
now I'm wonderin' if I've been doing things right...
"Right" is what best suits you.......
Post by: Spada on October 15, 2015, 11:40:00 AM
When doing a day trip, we throw some drinks and lunch stuff into one of those woollies padded bags and stick it in the freezer in the car. The insulated bag stops the tomato's from freezing before lunch.
Post by: Bird on October 15, 2015, 11:43:11 AM
Quote from: oldmate
I could give you Theo a 2 week (for 2 adults) meal plan that you could cook dinner every night with one or 2 pots max and only a few things need the fridge. Have dinner cooked in 10-15min from opening kitchen.post it up.. ;)
Post by: wakychapmans on October 15, 2015, 11:44:45 AM
"Right" is what best suits you.......
Very true
and on that line of thought... I'm a man that likes fresh (or at least, not mouldy) bread. Short of cooking a damper every day... what are suggestions for getting bread to last, particularly in places like the Simpson?
This would be a spot where a large freezer would come in handy.
Post by: duggie on October 15, 2015, 12:10:30 PM
For years I only used 1 fridge ( 80ltr Trailblazer ) but like most I found this was not enough for food and drinks, so I bought a Waeco style CDF35 for drinks and kept the Trailblazer for food .
Not long ago I buggered up when making up a new lead for the Trailblazer ( put the wrong -/+ around when making up the Anderson plug ) :'( and shorted out the control box, so I spent some time researching for a new replacement fridge.
I am now a very happy owner of a Evakool IB100 duel door fridge/freezer :D ( 35 ltr freezer/ 65 ltr fridge ) I have found the power usage is not too bad when using this unit, but it will depend on what temp settings you run it at, I am running the fridge at 4 deg and currently running the freezer at - 5 deg .
I did not like the power lead and plug supplied ( not giving constant connection ) , so I did change these out with a heavy 6mm squared lead and Anderson plugs on both the fridge and lead ( I did get the -/+ right this time ) , I also opened up the 240/12 volt step down and rewired this with a Anderson plug.
With this unit I now have a dedicated 35ltr freezer, 65ltr dedicated food storage and 35ltr dedicated drinks fridge, totalling 135ltrs. I am aware that if the Evakool buggers up I will loose 100ltrs of fridge/storage, but by doing this I have saved heaps of space compared to having three fridges.
cheers duggie
http://www.evakool.com/100-litre-koolmate-dual-compartment-fridge-freezer (http://www.evakool.com/100-litre-koolmate-dual-compartment-fridge-freezer)
Post by: oldmate on October 15, 2015, 05:36:03 PM
post it up.. ;)
I have put it in the camp oven section so it wont get lost later on. It may help someone.
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=45378.0 (http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=45378.0)
Post by: Snapman007 on October 15, 2015, 05:46:31 PM
Go with the 3. You've got the space, weight is moot with the seat removed and obviously power is a non issue. :cheers:
Post by: oldmate on October 15, 2015, 05:51:39 PM
Very true
and on that line of thought... I'm a man that likes fresh (or at least, not mouldy) bread. Short of cooking a damper every day... what are suggestions for getting bread to last, particularly in places like the Simpson?
This would be a spot where a large freezer would come in handy.
we did flat bread on our cape trip. quick and easy to cook in a frypan and use it for what ever you want
Post by: plusnq on October 15, 2015, 07:03:31 PM
we did flat bread on our cape trip. quick and easy to cook in a frypan and use it for what ever you want
X2 flat bread is easy to pack and long life. Usually has about three weeks of lifespan without freezing.
Post by: oldmate on October 15, 2015, 07:04:37 PM
X2 flat bread is easy to pack and long life. Usually has about three weeks of lifespan without freezing..
I made ours as we went. ;) :cheers:
Post by: alnjan on October 19, 2015, 09:37:55 AM
With all the comments of capacity and numbers of units being used on a trip, it was interesting to read that many restock fresh meat and veges all through their trip. This works well as long as you are travelling through highly populated areas. We had friends recently return from a trip inland and they were really shocked at the lack of fresh vegetables and fruit. Some prior research into the areas you are planning to travel through seems like a sensible thing to do. Something else that tends to surprise people is that in smaller places, the trading hours are limited and you can't just duck into the shop after 5pm or on a weekend.
One thing that no one has mentioned, or that I noticed at least, is their ability to lift fully-packed fridge/freezer units. I'm aware of this only because my dad - who is nearly 80 - is talking about selling off his bigger unit to buy two smaller ones that he can move around without causing a hernia or breaking his back. It's all well and good to travel with the larger units, but if you have to move them for some reason, can you do it? Just something else to consider.
At this point in time, I personally think two or three smaller units may be a good way to do an extended trip, if we have the room of course. I like knowing that if one unit doesn't work correctly that we don't lose all our cold food.
But it really is a personal choice, dependent upon what room you have and steady power supply, your dietary requirements, the length of stays outside of townships, and as in a case like my folks - the physical capabilities to move things around in camp when needed.
Just my thoughts
Jan
xxxx
Post by: Redcherokee on October 19, 2015, 10:13:33 AM
One thing that no one has mentioned, or that I noticed at least, is their ability to lift fully-packed fridge/freezer units.
Good point, Jan. Our big dual door Primus is simply too heavy when stocked. I pull the baskets of food out when it needs moving. Even then, getting it on or off the fridge slide is much better as a two person job.
Post by: BrettMG on October 19, 2015, 10:35:17 AM
Post by: ronmac on October 19, 2015, 10:50:47 AM
I reckon that it's pretty easy to go overboard. In earlier times we used to travel around with a 40lt espy. That was enough to last weeks at a time ;D. Didn't worry about beer, we drank Dr Jurds Jungle Juice, couldn't afford steak so we ate rice, beans and pasta. Keep it simple less to go wrong!
Ya poor bugga! musta been a POW ;D
Post by: BrettMG on October 19, 2015, 11:54:06 AM
Ya poor bugga! musta been a POW ;D
Pretty close, married!
Post by: weeds on October 19, 2015, 03:22:16 PM
Good point, Jan. Our big dual door Primus is simply too heavy when stocked. I pull the baskets of food out when it needs moving. Even then, getting it on or off the fridge slide is much better as a two person job.
I'm struggling to think of a situation when I would need to lift either of my fully loaded fridges.......both are punted where I need to access them
Post by: GeoffA on October 19, 2015, 04:03:46 PM
I'm struggling to think of a situation when I would need to lift either of my fully loaded fridges.......
Same here weeds.
:cheers:
Post by: Redcherokee on October 19, 2015, 04:23:30 PM
I'm struggling to think of a situation when I would need to lift either of my fully loaded fridges.......both are punted where I need to access them
Ours go in the vehicle, not the camper. Our camper was designed before fridges were commonplace. Normally it stays in the truck, but if we are staying in one place for a fair while it is handier to have it out. Have also taken it out when the vehicle is going to the mechanics.
Post by: Rumpig on October 19, 2015, 05:30:34 PM
Have also taken it out when the vehicle is going to the mechanics.worried he'll steal ya beers are you?... ;D ;D
Post by: alnjan on October 19, 2015, 06:26:01 PM
I'm struggling to think of a situation when I would need to lift either of my fully loaded fridges.......both are punted where I need to access them
We have 60l mounted on a drop slide in the rear of the vehicle which does not leave the vehicle and 47l that is not fixed for the camper and gets moved to where the bride wants it. In the next camper the fridge will be fixed