I have a stock Subaru Forester without a dual battery or solar setup. I’ve been using a 70 litre esky/ice box for the past couple of years that has worked well, but obviously being a cooler half the space/weight is taken up with ice or gel packs so it’s not a very efficient use of space. I’m also sick of dealing with the meltwater and of having my food get soaked if I can’t seal it up well enough in ziplock bags etc.
Also, next year when camping we’ll have some medication that needs to be refrigerated and I don’t know if I trust an esky with this.
So I’ve been looking at a fridge like this Engel 32 litre fridge and I’m wondering what the options are without a dual battery, a Jackary-type power station or a solar setup. Do fridges generally retain their temperature (essentially acting as an esky) when turned off overnight, or would I need to buy and dump a bag of ice in there to maintain the cold, negating the point of the fridge in the first place?
Fridges seem to be the go to option for most overlanders but I’ve always been a bit unsure what people do when they’re not driving if they don’t have a dual battery setup.
I’ve seen a few YouTube videos about people adding a second battery in the spare tyre well of their SUV’s cargo area and mounting the spare on a rear bar, but this seems like overkill and an expensive way to go – buy a fridge, buy and install a dual battery setup, buy and install a rear carrier bar, the costs add up quickly.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions!
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