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Camping Fridge/Freezer Setups

Discussion in 'Outdoors' started by Krezz, Mar 25, 2019.

  1. Jan 14, 2020 at 8:25 AM
    #61
    Civiceg94

    Civiceg94 New Member

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    I got a question did you have to extend your power harness for the fridge? I tried routing mines and its short.
     
  2. Jan 14, 2020 at 9:42 AM
    #62
    Grendel

    Grendel New Member

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    Yes, it's the dometic outlet. One of them is the standard "cigarette socket" The other is the ARB/Dometic specific socket. For those who don't know the tip of the dometic/ ARB "cigarette socket" unscrews, there is another socket underneath that will screw into the plug making it "impossible" or really hard for it to fall out of the plug since it is screwed in where the regular one can fall out.

    I used the supplied wires that came with the plug, it is tight, I wish I had about another foot or so in length to give a little more wiggle room. I didn't want to splice more wire to make it longer. It is connected to my switch pro so I can power the outlet from inside the cab. Initially I wanted the fridge mount and power on the passenger side, but because of the length of wire I went driver.
     
    ntg and Civiceg94[QUOTED] like this.
  3. Jan 14, 2020 at 10:57 AM
    #63
    Jrharvey02

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  4. Jan 14, 2020 at 12:29 PM
    #64
    EddieWouldGo

    EddieWouldGo New Member

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    I have a family of 4 as well but also frequently travel with other people and end up being the gear truck a lot. Because if this I went with the Dometic 80, it has two chambers that can be set independently. FOr really long trips 10+ days I use once side to freeze Ice packs and then utilize an additional Yeti cooler for tons of space. When that much space isn't needed I either shut off one side or run both as refrigerators. It charges of the truck when driving (Cig port) and then I run it on a Goal Zero 1000 at night that I recharge with a 200 Watt Panel. The setup is by no means the cheapest... but it can provide enough to travel for up to three weeks with no civilization.

    The same setup with a smaller Dometic fridge and smaller Zero unit would be a great setup for a week.

    I would swear by Dometics... I used to install their big chest fridges all over the world for UNICEF and the WHO for Vaccines in Health Clinics. They are tough and rarely break.
     
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  5. Jan 14, 2020 at 1:11 PM
    #65
    Windsor

    Windsor New Member

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    I went with CSI Black Ice W52 fridge/freezer in my build.
    20200106_175335.jpg
     
    Civiceg94 likes this.
  6. Jan 14, 2020 at 2:48 PM
    #66
    Civiceg94

    Civiceg94 New Member

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    I ordered it after googling alot to find out what was this two pin plug that dometic couldnt explain or put a picture of it. I tried routing the wires to the battery and it fell short. I used the same hole you used and tried routing the wires threw the chassis. Ill be needing maybe 5 ft of more power wire.
     
  7. Jan 14, 2020 at 7:09 PM
    #67
    Grendel

    Grendel New Member

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    I know this won’t help you since you got it figured out. But I’m putting this here to help others. Because I had the same questions as you

    The dometic outlet has 2 outlets. 1 is the standard “cigarette outlet” or whatever it’s called. The other is an arb/dometic specific plug both companies use the same plug. When you get your fridge it looks like a standard plug but if you screw off the top there is an arb plug underneath. This works great for fridge slides because it can be screwed into the outlet and avoid it popping out when something yanks on the cord. B55D83DB-2B85-4F26-990E-165045070DD5.jpgC7698BB5-BF0E-49A3-95A5-D67AC85D7141.jpgE25D57EC-D8C2-40CA-8EC4-05E42BD09FAB.jpg
     
    ntg, Sunnier and Jrharvey02 like this.
  8. Jan 14, 2020 at 7:20 PM
    #68
    14burrito

    14burrito IG @14burrito

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    Just got around to getting this installed, Dometic.

    20200105_105435.jpg
     
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  9. Jan 14, 2020 at 9:38 PM
    #69
    KMG

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  10. Jan 16, 2020 at 3:55 PM
    #70
    Dometic

    Dometic New Member Vendor

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    Given the family we've launched something that might be of interest to you. We have a 55L CFX3 cooler now that can also make ice using a freeze plate. It might be a little small for the length of trips you are planning but I wanted to at least throw it into the mix ;)

    cfx3-55IM-C-9600025330-p400.jpg
    and a photo of the freeze plate/ice trays

    cfx3-55im-9600025330-d400.jpg

    More info on the CFX3 55IM can be found here

    Good luck with the research. There are a lot of great options available now!

    DOMETIC
    mobile living made easy
    shop.dometic.com

    Use promo code Tundras20 for $25 off your order of $75+
     
  11. Mar 31, 2020 at 7:33 PM
    #71
    Bulliesandtundras

    Bulliesandtundras New Member

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    Do the brackets stay in the truck when fridge isn’t used ? Do they screw in or bolt in ?
     
  12. Apr 1, 2020 at 12:22 PM
    #72
    Grendel

    Grendel New Member

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    Yes. The brackets stay in when fridge is not being used. They bolt in
     
  13. May 5, 2020 at 11:36 AM
    #73
    APatt

    APatt New Member

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    Maybe I’m missing where you mentioned it, but where did you route the wires on your driver side? I too have the dometic wire kit and definitely can’t go passenger due to length. I like the placement of your plugs...
     
  14. May 5, 2020 at 11:59 AM
    #74
    Grendel

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    Thanks. There is a factory hole in the bed where I mounted the plugs, I then dropped it down to the frame and followed the wire path from the taillights.
     
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  15. May 5, 2020 at 12:07 PM
    #75
    APatt

    APatt New Member

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    Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. Looks like all my wiring runs down passenger side. Need to figure out what to follow on driver side.

    One last dumb question. Did you use the two included screws to attach plug base to the side of bed or did you get self-tapping?
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2020
  16. May 5, 2020 at 1:57 PM
    #76
    fundra_goes_west

    fundra_goes_west I’m just a guy with a girl

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    Just run it along the frame. Easy.
     
  17. May 5, 2020 at 2:20 PM
    #77
    Grendel

    Grendel New Member

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    I used self-tapping.
     
  18. May 5, 2020 at 2:20 PM
    #78
    Phadedbeard

    Phadedbeard New Member

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    For you guys running them in the bed.....what are you doing when it rains....?
     
  19. May 5, 2020 at 4:20 PM
    #79
    fundra_goes_west

    fundra_goes_west I’m just a guy with a girl

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    Drive faster it dodges the drops.
     
  20. May 8, 2020 at 4:46 AM
    #80
    Phadedbeard

    Phadedbeard New Member

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    So are you guys with exposed beds are just pulling it out when there is weather?

    I live on an island In New England so weather here changes in the blink of an eye I have my cfx65DZSE in the back seat right now.
     
  21. May 8, 2020 at 7:16 AM
    #81
    Bulliesandtundras

    Bulliesandtundras New Member

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    mine has a cover. No way I’m leaving it in the back for theft or elements.
     
  22. May 8, 2020 at 7:23 AM
    #82
    Skey44

    Skey44 GreenvilleOverland

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    Tell us more about this. Does it slide? Looks like you have clearance. Then you could build a cabinet/storage shelf above it. That’s the one thing I wish mine had. Feel like I’m wasting vertical storage space without a slide.
     
  23. May 8, 2020 at 7:24 AM
    #83
    Skey44

    Skey44 GreenvilleOverland

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    Think some fridges are rated for outdoor use, and some people just risk it.
     
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  24. May 8, 2020 at 8:21 AM
    #84
    myt1

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    A really nice system, refrigerator, second battery, and a solar panel set-up is approaching $3000.00; in fact, you can spend way more than that.

    $3000 will buy a lot of ice.

    Even with a dual battery, if my understanding is correct, you can only go 3-4 days off the grid, about as long as 1-2 blocks of ice in a good ice chest.

    I've heard the freezers in these refrigerators are only marginal, they might keep ice cream from melting, but it's still pretty soft, and I heard the ice cubes are very small and melt quickly.

    A solar panel might let you go longer than 3-4 days, but they have their own set of issues. If the panels are mounted on the roof, you need to park your truck in the sun, which might not always be desirable. Plus, the sun isn't always out, it might be behind clouds.

    If you have portable panels there is the matter of setting them up and taking them down...where do you store them when not using them? If you leave them unattended while off fishing or hiking you have to worry about theft.

    Personally, I'm just not in a situation where I won't be able to buy ice every 5-6 days.

    No one has tried to rationalize buying a refrigerator for camping more than myself, but I just can't do it.

    I would love to hear some real world experiences.
     
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  25. May 8, 2020 at 8:31 AM
    #85
    smslavin

    smslavin Behind a lens...

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    Some stuff
    the freezer portion of my dometic is super efficient. it keeps ice cream just fine, not soft. both sides have their own temp setting and it does a great job at holding the temp steady.

    even if the sun is behind clouds, the panels still create power. just slower and less efficiently.

    the portable panels are not that difficult to store. some of them, like the briefcase panels from goal zero or jackery, are rigid but fold. others are flexible and roll up. setting them up is not time consuming. if you combine a portable panel with a power station like a goal zero yeti or jackery, you can run the fridge for quite a long time. especially if that is the only thing you are powering.

    personally, i have other needs besides just running a fridge. so, i have 2 100w panels on the roof and a 170Ah battery in the bed.
     
    myt1[QUOTED] likes this.
  26. May 8, 2020 at 8:37 AM
    #86
    Damie Street

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    Do you have a build thread? Or pics of your setup somewhere?
    Sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before I start my camping/extended roadtrip build. I've done a little but now it's getting to the more expensive permanent stuff. I'm about to order a Decked drawer system next week.
     
  27. May 8, 2020 at 8:49 AM
    #87
    smslavin

    smslavin Behind a lens...

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    no worries. happy to answer whatever i can. solar install stuff starts here. i'll be finishing it all up this weekend.

    this kit from goal zero or this jackery power station bundled with the jackery 100w panels would be able to power a fridge and a little bit more. there would be enough power to run the fridge overnight. if you need more power for charging laptops or other stuff, you can look into the bigger power banks like the yeti 1000 or the jackery 1000. they will still charge off the same panels.
     
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  28. May 8, 2020 at 9:52 AM
    #88
    14burrito

    14burrito IG @14burrito

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    No slide, just a bolted in base and fridge strapped down to it. Due to not sliding, cant really so storage above it. Great idea to make a slide out and use the space above for storage, hope you follow through and make that - would be great!

    The rear has uprights, I have a molle panel that is going to be installed. On the panel will have medical grab bag, power box, probably a rifle, extinguisher maybe, etc.
     
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  29. May 8, 2020 at 12:32 PM
    #89
    Damie Street

    Damie Street New Member

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    Appreciate it. I started reading through your build thread. You and @fundra_goes_west have great builds. I'm going to model a few things for my build off your guy's build.

    Thanks
    Edsel
     
  30. May 8, 2020 at 4:06 PM
    #90
    fundra_goes_west

    fundra_goes_west I’m just a guy with a girl

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