Gas Fridges

[Nordic]

We are looking into going the fridge route for next year, there is only so much warm beer and dodgey burgers one can eat.

Plenty of info about Gen+fridge on this site and it seem pretty simple, but a bit cumbersome.

Does anyone use a gas fridge, do they need power as well as gas? are they a good option?

[Piglet]

Hi Nordic

I've got a Combicool 3 way fridge, it runs on either gas, 12 volt or mains. 

It's a fantasic piece of kit and it kept our beer (and food!) nicely chilled at Le Mans this year even in the heat.   We run ours off of one of the small Camping Gaz cylinders - think it's a 907 and one of these would last you at least 2 weeks or so I'm told.  You can also run it on Calor with the correct regulator and this is cheaper than Camping Gaz but if you have a problem with a Calor cylinder in France you can't get it refilled so we tend to use Camping Gaz in France and Calor in the UK as we already had both bottles and regulators. 

It is quite big but we stick it in the boot of the car and fill it up with all sorts of other camping "stuff" on the way down and back rather than trying to use it as a fridge while we're travelling and this overcomes some of the problems with its size.    You don't need mains power to run it if you run it on gas.

I know lots of people take ordinary domestic fridges and use these on electric or get cheap electric fridges out there and dump them afterwards.  I guess it depends if you can guarantee having electricity and whether you might make use of it at other times where there isn't power.  We use ours for camping at other times and particularly on marshalling camp sites where there is often not electric hook up and on other sites where we don't want to be tied in to having a hook up.   We also use it at home as a beer fridge....

I think it's one of the best bits of camping kit I've bought, beating the Coleman dual fuel stove which runs on unleaded fuel and really rocks!!! 

Drop me a line if you want any more info.


Edited to say I really should have read your post properly.....the electric fridge and genny route strikes me as a pain in the arse and running a genny all night will make you REALLY popular with your neighbours!!   If you've got a gas fridge you just connect it up, light it and leave it alone. 

Edited again to say.....I guess one of the downsides of a gas fridge is the size, I think mine is 40 litres which was big enough for four/five of us for a week but isn't going to hold food and beer for a large party of beer swilling Club Arnargers whereas a domestic fridge will hold quite a lot of stuff.....

[Lorry]

.....I guess one of the downsides of a gas fridge is the size,.....

Size always is a problem, I'm told

This is about the long and the short of it, and with a 3 way, if you find mains, you just plug in and save gas.  Food in one half/third of the fridge and bottles in the rest

[smokie]

What's food?


I used to have a Electrolux 3 way power fridge (gas, 12v and 240v). It was a "chest" style. Although it was pretty big outside, unlike the Tardis it was much smaller inside - partly due to the huge and rather ineffective cooling element.


Then someone stood on it. The lid caved in. Another few quid down the drain...


I now use a domestic fridge. (That is until 2006, when I will be in a TENT and not the caravan!!!)

[Nobby Diesel]

I bought one of these just before this years race and it worked a treat. The going rate for a new one seems to be about £140, and the company I bought from delivered overnight FOC.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Waeco-Combicool-Portable-3-Way-Gas-Camping-Fridge-NEW_W0QQitemZ5231096126QQcategoryZ16036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There's one here of the same type, but different supplier.
Well worth the money. Will even make ice cubes if the tray is positioned properly!

[Nordic]

Thanks for all the info, these seem like the perfect choice, maybe the prices will drop over the winter months, or we may be able to pick up a second hand one on e bay then.

Does it fit into a car boot, it looks pretty big?

[Nobby Diesel]

It will fit into SOME car boots.
Alternatively, we have taken them down on the back seat before now. hatches and estates you should be ok.
I can tell you, it is a little on the big side, but a good piece of kit.

[Ferrari Spider]

I now use a domestic fridge. (That is until 2006, when I will be in a TENT and not the caravan!!!)

Smokie, don't knock the tent idea, I had a great time in mine this year, very comfy and palatial it was too, plenty of space for the king sized sofa bed, and a veranda for sitting in the shade and sipping a campari as a sundowner.

[smokie]

I am actually looking forward to being under canvas. Obviously I'll have a little less luxury than with the 'van but there are upsides too...

I agree,. your tent looked positively palatial...it was yours and another that made me think it wasn't such a bad idea after all...

[Ferrari Spider]

You're very welcome to borrow the tent to give it a try, take Mrs Smokie along for her third holiday and your 11th by then.  Its very waterproof as well.  You can even borrow the double inflatable bed as well.

[smokie]

take Mrs Smokie along for her third holiday

Is that supposed to sound appealing? I don't think so 

Not yet sure if I will be camping at Nurburgring but if so, daughter has a large tent which I will borrow - but thanks anyway!

[Piglet]

I bought one of these just before this years race and it worked a treat. The going rate for a new one seems to be about £140, and the company I bought from delivered overnight FOC.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Waeco-Combicool-Portable-3-Way-Gas-Camping-Fridge-NEW_W0QQitemZ5231096126QQcategoryZ16036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There's one here of the same type, but different supplier.
Well worth the money. Will even make ice cubes if the tray is positioned properly!

This is what I've got.  as for the size of it, it fits in my Saab 93 boot no problem, it won't go into the boot of keithk's 5 series Beemer as the boot opening isn't wide enough.   As I've said before I just fill it up with camping stuff when I'm travelling and unpack it and fire it up when I get to the camp site, it works perfectly well like this. 

[Nobby Diesel]

Piglet,

exactly - it won't go in the £ series either. However, the back seat of the M5 was more than adequate.

[Chrisgr31]

I have a three way fridge too, its the Electoulx one, but looks remarkably like the one linked from Ebay, so either the manufacturer has changed or its the same product under a different name.

It doesn't go in the boot of my Impreza (saloon) as the opening is not wide enough, so for Le Mas it sits on the back seat.  Used it the other weekend when I took the wife and baby camping (forgot the tent poles but thats another story!).  So fridge went on the front seat instead.

It works very well, although we tend to find with 6 of us camping it tends to be quite full of food, with little space for beer!  If you don't turn it down overnight it can turn beer icecold!

We tend put a small amount of drink in it and plug it into the car on the way down.  Rest of the space is filled with kitchen and eating utensils.  Jus means we have something cold to drink when we first arrive.

[smokie]

"... it tends to be quite full of food, with little space for beer"

Yeah, that's what happens when my wussy friends turn up too - all salad stuff and food.