Every 4th of July, my husband and I take our kids to the same camping spot that backs up to a creek. It’s hot there, so we spend most of the daylight hours literally in the creek. We pop our shade canopy up right in the water, plop down some chairs, and bring some drinks and snacks down, too. The kids love walking up and down the creek, creating adventures for themselves, and looking for frogs, tadpoles, and other wildlife.

It’s all pretty great, except for one thing. As one of our longer camping trips of the year, we’ve always struggled to keep our food cold. We typically buy ice to stock our two Yeti coolers right before we exit civilization, and then we have to make a trip back into civilization to pick up more ice halfway through the trip.

But that’ll never happen again, thanks to the ICECO VL75ProD—a powered cooler that nearly eliminates the need for ice. Yes, powered coolers are expensive, especially if you need a family-sized one, but it’s one piece of gear that’ll really change your camping experience for the better.

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Why Choose an ICECO Powered Cooler?

This year, we camped with some family who own an ICECO powered cooler. We were so jealous, and by the end of the trip—after our multiple rounds of ice had melted, leaving our food soggy and lukewarm—we decided, never again.

The ICECO VL75ProD has a 79-quart capacity, which exceeds the capacity of our two Yeti coolers and takes up roughly the same amount of space in our trunk. It has two compartments with individual controls and separate lids, which makes it easy to set one compartment to a “fridge” temperature and one compartment to a “freezer” temp. The unit offers a temperature range between 0°F and 50°F.

There are 12/24V DC ports on both sides of the fridge, and the lids open both ways. Both of these features are very convenient in actual use. Since the unit is relatively heavy, you don’t have to stress about positioning it exactly right in order to plug it in and open the lids. There is a display on the bottom right side of the unit that offers controls for both compartments and bonus features like “ECO” mode.

There are also two USB outlets for charging mobile devices, and each compartment comes with organization baskets. Other features I like include LED lights inside the fridge/freezer, removable handles that don’t snap back when you release them, and the fact that the powered cooler comes in a sleek yet rugged-looking olive color.

ICECO VL75ProD Features at a Glance

• SECOP Compressor: Imported from Germany, this compressor ensures top-tier efficiency with minimal noise. It comes with a five-year warranty, providing long-term reliability and peace of mind.
• Durable Exterior: Metal shell with superb insulation makes it durable and sustainable for outdoor adventures.
• Multi-Directional Opening: Offers convenient access from the left, right, or fully open, ensuring flexibility in tight spaces.
• Dual Zone: Allows for separate temperature settings, functioning as a fridge or freezer as needed.
• 79QT Large Capacity: Accommodates up to 106 cans or supplies for up to five people for six days.

My Real-Life Experience

This cooler is a game changer for camping, but that’s not all. One of my favorite uses of this piece of gear so far has been a trip to a local nature preserve with my kids. I pulled this baby out of the garage on an 86°F day and plugged it in the auxiliary power outlet in my SUV’s trunk.

While sitting in the trunk and being powered by the car’s engine, the unit cooled from ambient garage temperature to cold enough to keep popsicles frozen in the time it took to pick my kids up from school and drive to the nature preserve (about 45 minutes). Even after I turned off the engine, it remained cold enough in there to bring some drinks from room temperature to ice cold.

We played for a couple of hours at the nature preserve, and, despite it being a warm day, we still had popsicles, string cheese, apples, carrot sticks, water, and sparkling water to enjoy during and after our fun. And while we’ll still have to buy a small amount of ice for camping trips (since my husband drinks iced coffee even in the dead of winter), I’m very much looking forward to ditching ice as a means for storing perishable food on all future camping trips.

What piece of gear do you never want to camp without?

Get a discount by ordering off ICECO’s website using code 12OUTDOORS.

The post This Piece of Gear Is a Game Changer for Camping and Beyond appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.