ASK ARB – fridge freezer
and storage options

Dear ARB,

We are looking to do a long trip from Perth to Darwin and back and are going through the planning of the trip. Food storage is a big part of the adventure, and cold storage items need to be kept cold. Now we are looking at all the different ranges of portable fridge/freezers on the market and are trying to see which ones are best suited. The YouTube video that ARB put together on your Fridge Freezers is very informative and raised some valid points.

Now the only decision left for us is what size ARB Fridge Freezers, how to use them and where to stow them. There are two couples travelling on this trip, each have their own 4WD, camper and we’re all buying our own fridge(s). We plan to do a fair bit of day tripping but probably in only one 4WD at a time.
Are ARB Fridge Freezers best used as a freezer with a day esky on long trips or as a fridge? Also, how well do the ARB Fridge Freezers travel inside a camper trailer as opposed to the back of a 4WD?

– Phill

Hi Phill,

Thanks for the info on your impending journey. Striving for the perfect set up is something we four wheelers do.

An ARB Fridge Freezer will perform equally as well in the camper or in the back of a vehicle, although for optimum performance, the fridge box on your camper trailer should have an adequate ventilation system. Many boxes are filtered to reduce dust ingress and can be insulated, therefore reducing the need for an insulated transit bag.

When you’re set up at campsites, you could utilise the fridge box on the camper trailer, however having a fridge in the back of one of the vehicles during day tours will be a blessing when you want to keep cold drinks available during hot weather. Fridge capacity, size and power consumption are important considerations, and given the length of travel you will be undertaking, I recommend the 60L ARB Fridge Freezer in each of the campers, while the 35L or 47L model would come in handy for those day trips.

The squat height and front opening lid of the 60L makes it easier to look and reach inside, and it provides plenty of internal capacity to keep sufficient food staples and drinks cold. You can even fit a 2L soft drink bottle and champagne bottle in the 60L fridge. The power consumption is very economical, using an average 0.89 amp/hr compared to 1.1 amp/ hr for the larger 78L model when used solely as a fridge.

I would also recommend you cryovac any meat supplies, therefore eliminating the need to keep a freezer. A freezer will require more energy consumption to change the state of food into a solid frozen mass – often a challenge for your battery system if you’re camping for several days without an additional power supply.

Also ensure your fridge wiring is 6mm automotive cable to minimise voltage drop and optimise the running time on your battery. If you have a dual battery set up, ask the retail store to adjust the ARB fridge battery protection setting to “Lo”. Details on how to do this yourself are in the instruction manual too.

Hopefully this information has been helpful for your trip preparation.

Robert Puts
(Product Manager – Canopy & Fridge)