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Whether you call them electric coolers, powered coolers, compressor coolers, or portable fridge/freezers, for families that camp, let’s just agree to call them life savers. The ice situation, particularly when you’re camping in warm weather, is far from ideal. That’s why the next time you want to upgrade your outdoor gear, a powered cooler is a great option for making camping easier and more enjoyable.
If you’re looking for a place to start your research on powered coolers, here are four of the best options. While each company also offers smaller, lower-capacity versions of these products, we’ve highlighted family-sized coolers here that range from 60-79 quarts in capacity.
Best Powered Coolers for Family Camping
Dometic is like the Yeti of the powered-cooler world. When you see Dometic, you recognize the brand name and know that the piece of gear sitting in front of you probably cost an arm and a leg. But brands don’t gain that reputation for no reason, and they don’t charge prices their customers won’t pay.
When you buy a Dometic cooler, you’re buying the street cred, sure, but you’re also buying a quality-built cooler that’s made to last. This particular model, the CFX3 75DZ is a dual-zone 12-volt cooler that holds 75 liters (79 quarts or up to 113 cans). The dual-zone construction allows you to set each side to a different temperature depending on your needs. There are organization baskets for both zones.
Dometic’s CFX3 75DZ has a VMSO3 compressor that refrigerates and freezes down to -7 °F. There’s a display on the side of the cooler with controls for setting temperatures, and Dometic’s three-stage “dynamic battery protection system” helps prevents dead car batteries. Finally, this model boasts Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity, but to be honest, we haven’t had luck using the app to control it.
See more details on this cooler in our outdoor splurges article.
The ICECO VL75ProD is slightly less expensive than the Dometic CFX3 75DZ, and it’s a worthy competitor. This ICECO 12-volt portable fridge/freezer unit cools between 0°F and 50°F (no negative temperatures). It has dual zones with independent temperature control, so you can have a “fridge” and a “freezer,” depending on your needs. Each side has its own lid and both compartments come with organization baskets.
This ICECO model offers some cool features. I really like that the lids open from both directions and that there’s an LED light in each compartment. I also like that the handles don’t snap back down when you release them, and the handles are also removable. There’s a handy “ECO” mode for times when you want to save energy, too. The olive color option is a really nice alternative to your standard black.
The ICECO VL75ProD has a 79-quart capacity (106 cans), which is a great size for family camping trips. The display is everything you’d want or need, there are two USB outlets for charging mobile devices, and there are 12/24V DC ports on both sides of the fridge. This powered cooler is well designed and definitely up to the task of eliminating your ice problem while camping as a family.
Get a discount by ordering off ICECO’s website using code 12OUTDOORS.
Full disclosure, I haven’t personally tried this cooler. However, based on research, a third option for a quality family-sized powered cooler might be the Engel MT60. Marketed as a “legend in reliability,” Engel’s electric fridge/freezers are known for being great insulators and for being particularly energy efficient.
The MT60 has a single lid but offers dual zones like the Dometic and ICECO coolers on this list. There’s a thermostatically controlled fan that forces cold air from the freezer to the fridge, and the unit uses the Engel “Swing Motor” compressor. This compressor typically draws just 1-2 amps per hour.
Engel’s MT60 holds 60 quarts (notably less than the Dometic and ICECO) and comes with two interior wire baskets for organization, as well as a removable freezer cover. The reviews on Engel’s website are overwhelmingly positive, suggesting the unit meets users’ expectations. Reviews on Amazon are mixed. If you don’t need 79 quarts like the two options above, this could be a good one to research further.
The three options above are expensive. If you want to keep a bunch of food cold without ice and you don’t have the budget for a premium-level powered cooler, there is a budget option to consider. The Costway 64QT portable compressor fridge/freezer has many great features, like dual-zone functionality with independent temperature control, MAX and ECO modes to help you manage energy consumption, and three-level battery protection.
The Costway 64QT is the largest version of this cooler available, and it offers 60 liters (about 64 quarts or 100 cans) of space, similar to the Engel but at a fraction of the price. The lowest temperature on this unit is -4℉, which is nice if you want an extra-cold freezer space.
Although I haven’t tried this cooler personally, I like that this option has a retractable handle and wheels. It also has a child lock, which could be very handy when you’re camping with kids. It has a touch-control panel with LED display and a USB charging port. In ECO mode, the Costway 64QT consumes less than 1 KWH per day.
While I can’t speak to this budget option’s durability or performance from personal experience, it’s safe to assume it won’t be as hardy as the more expensive powered coolers on this list. However, if 64 quarts is enough and you can’t afford to drop a small fortune on a cooler to ditch the ice, this one is definitely worth considering.
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