Dometic or ARB fridge?

[TYJ]

I've had an ARB50 in another rig for 4-5 years. Very low Ah draw and has performed flawlessly. I can strategically pack enough food for about 4+ days for our family of 4. Last year I installed two Battleborn 100Ah batteries in parallel. Overkill I know, but sooooo much better than the old AGMs they replaced. No more constant battery monitoring and all 200Ah are 100% usable. No solar panels and my ARB50 and Propex heater will run 8-10 days without recharging. Batteries are 100% recharged within a very short drive.

Here's one essential $50 item I highly recommend regardless of what brand fridge you choose: http://www.sensorpush.com

Here's another device I recommend for easy Bluetooth monitoring of your LION batteries: https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/bmv-712-smart

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[WhatExit?]

I've had an ARB50 in another rig for 4-5 years. Very low Ah draw and has performed flawlessly. I can strategically pack enough food for about 4+ days for our family of 4. Last year I installed two Battleborn 100Ah batteries in parallel. Overkill I know, but sooooo much better than the old AGMs they replaced. No more constant battery monitoring and all 200Ah are 100% usable. No solar panels and my ARB50 and Propex heater will run 8-10 days without recharging. Batteries are 100% recharged within a very short drive.

Here's one essential $50 item I highly recommend regardless of what brand fridge you choose: http://www.sensorpush.com

Here's another device I recommend for easy Bluetooth monitoring of your LION batteries: https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/bmv-712-smart

Interesting but why do you recommend the Sensor Push for a fridge? I didn’t see that application on their website and I’ve never heard of anyone using it. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing but whats the benefit vs cost?

And speaking of cost, what’s the cost of two Battleborn 100Ah batteries?!

The majority of off roaders still use coolers and ice. I appreciate the value of a fridge and I’m open to new ideas and products but not everyone needs (or has the funds to buy) advanced tech for off road trips.

 

[TYJ]

Interesting but why do you recommend the Sensor Push for a fridge? I didn’t see that application on their website and I’ve never heard of anyone using it. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing but whats the benefit vs cost?

And speaking of cost, what’s the cost of two Battleborn 100Ah batteries?!

The majority of off roaders still use coolers and ice. I appreciate the value of a fridge and I’m open to new ideas and products but not everyone needs (or has the funds to buy) advanced tech for off road trips.

The SensorPush not only monitors the temp of your food (don’t trust your fridge’s thermostat as there can be variance depending on lots of factors) and the SensorPush can be configured to send you push notifications (alerts) depending on parameters you set.

The cost of Battleborn batteries is on their website.

 

[Archie Bunker]

maybe i should just buy a generic yeti for this year and then i'll have more time to figure out dimensions.

Just a note,,YouTube these coolers. I have a Cabelas cooler. It out performed Yeti in almost every category at a much lower price point. Uless you are buying for the name. I got a 64qt black and red striped pattern.

 

[TennesseePA]

My big thing was space and not needing to stop for ice. Since the cooler is actually a 12V refrigerator you can pact it completely full of food and drinks without saving space for all of the ice.

 

[Moabite]

I've run fridges in my trucks and Jeeps for more than 20 years. I would not even consider going back to a regular cooler. I live 26 miles outside of Moab. With a fridge, I can buy ice cream or other groceries in the middle of summer and not worry about melting or spoiling on the way home...even if I get called out on a rescue. And it's wonderful to be able to make ice in the middle of the desert in mid-summer.

I've had ARBs, Dometic/Waeco, and a FridgeFreeze. Every one of them performed flawlessly. The only reason I've switched from one to another was because of newer technology or size/weight. No matter which brand you choose, they all seem to be very well built and last a long, long time. My original Waeco, now more than 20 years old, still works perfectly. If you keep one for several years, you might even save enough money on ice to pay for the fridge.

In the Jeeps, I've run dual battery systems...except for the Gladiator. I opted for the Dometic PLB40 power pack this time. Love it. It's small, lightweight, and powers the Dometic CFX40 fridge for several days during mid-summer. Since it is a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, it is expensive but very lightweight. The power pack is mounted inside the cab right next to the fridge. It can be recharged while in use from the Jeep's power port.

In the trucks, I usually ran a heavy-gauge wire directly from the battery to the bed, through a switch in the cab. But in the truck that I traded for the Gladiator, I powered a 63-qt ARB with a bed-mounted ArkPak 730 containing a 100Ah Battle Born LiFePO4 battery. An ArkPak or Dometic PLB40 are viable alternatives if you don't want to go through the hassle of installing dual batteries. The main advantages to Battle Born's batteries are weight and the fact that they can be drawn down farther without damaging them. I did have a problem with my first Battle Born but they replaced it. Both the ArkPak and PLB40 are portable so they can easily be carried anywhere in your camp that you might need power.

The temperature readouts on most of the fridges I've had were off by as much as 12 degrees. My older fridges did not even have temperature readouts so I've always used cheap and more accurate remote thermometers to monitor temps, even on the newer fridges. The new Dometic has wi-fi that allows me to monitor and control the temps from my phone...and the readout seems to be accurate for a change. I've also been amazed at how quickly the CFX40 reaches the set temperature. The 63-qt ARB would take nearly an hour to reach 35 degrees or so when ambient temps were around 100F. The Dometic does it in about 10 minutes, much faster than any fridge I've owned.

 

[TennesseePA]

Another thing that I have considered is getting one of those little inverter generators to power the fridge and lights at night. The truck powers the fridge while we are moving so I usually only need power at night. The Battleborn batteries are sweet but the cost a ton of money. You could buy a lot of gas for a little generator for the $1200-1500 you'll spend on a lithium battery setup.

 

[TYJ]

Another thing that I have considered is getting one of those little inverter generators to power the fridge and lights at night. The truck powers the fridge while we are moving so I usually only need power at night. The Battleborn batteries are sweet but the cost a ton of money. You could buy a lot of gas for a little generator for the $1200-1500 you'll spend on a lithium battery setup.

Definitely the best bang for the buck. The only downside is noise and carrying extra fuel.

 

[TennesseePA]

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/900-watt-propane-inverter-generator This little guy runs on propane, something I almost always have around anyway. Says that at 25% load you'll get up to 60 hours of run time from a 20lb propane tank, The Dometic cooler I have states that it draws 1.3 Ah, but when making my calculations I almost always double the number a manufacturer gives me, so it should run barely above idle until I turn the lights on. Only thing is I wish it has a direct 12V plug since converting to AC then the cooler converting it back to DC is quite inefficient.

 

[WhatExit?]

I'm a fridge guy - no more ice and soggy cooler food for me - gave it up years ago.

But thousand dollar fridges and thousand dollar batteries are nuts. There are less expensive ways but why should I say that when my Jeep stickered for over $60K

 

[TennesseePA]

I have an LE so I paid too much for mine too. Travis at Tri-City cut me a sweet deal but I picked it up with the Mopar lift and 37s on it. The soggy food really does suck. I do kinda like how cold my Coke Zero gets while bathing in ice water. I read several articles and reports like we have above that Dometic was a good brand with good reliability. If I pay $1200 for a cooler that lasts 20 years or pay $300 for one that lasts 5 I’ll pay the money for quality every time.

 

[smlobx]

I have an LE so I paid too much for mine too. Travis at Tri-City cut me a sweet deal but I picked it up with the Mopar lift and 37s on it. The soggy food really does suck. I do kinda like how cold my Coke Zero gets while bathing in ice water. I read several articles and reports like we have above that Dometic was a good brand with good reliability. If I pay $1200 for a cooler that lasts 20 years or pay $300 for one that lasts 5 I’ll pay the money for quality every time.

You will not find a better cooler than this and it’s on sale now for $800...

https://www.engelcoolers.com/catalo...num-mt45f-u1-ac-dc-fridge-freezer/category/8/

 

[steffen707]

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/900-watt-propane-inverter-generator This little guy runs on propane, something I almost always have around anyway. Says that at 25% load you'll get up to 60 hours of run time from a 20lb propane tank, The Dometic cooler I have states that it draws 1.3 Ah, but when making my calculations I almost always double the number a manufacturer gives me, so it should run barely above idle until I turn the lights on. Only thing is I wish it has a direct 12V plug since converting to AC then the cooler converting it back to DC is quite inefficient.

holy crap, i didn't know this existed, that's awesome its set up to run on a 1lb tank, easily run on 20lb with right hose. NO 12 VOLT PLUG? UGH, why do companies do this. Seems there's always some obvious feature left out. maybe somebody can make a propane tank to fit the spare tire area, then you could get like 500 hours =) thanks for sharing.

but how loud is it? Need to hear one in action.

 

[steffen707]

I'm a fridge guy - no more ice and soggy cooler food for me - gave it up years ago.

But thousand dollar fridges and thousand dollar batteries are nuts. There are less expensive ways but why should I say that when my Jeep stickered for over $60K

what's your less expensive option fridge?

 

[steffen707]

holy crap, i didn't know this existed, that's awesome its set up to run on a 1lb tank, easily run on 20lb with right hose. NO 12 VOLT PLUG? UGH, why do companies do this. Seems there's always some obvious feature left out. maybe somebody can make a propane tank to fit the spare tire area, then you could get like 500 hours =) thanks for sharing.

but how loud is it? Need to hear one in action.

who knows how loud this is, microphones sometimes make things sound way louder. i think he's also in a garage which would be WAY louder than outside. pretty neat.

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