Buying Guide

The portable fridge is just the thing you can rely on for camping & long 4wd trips exploring the outback where you need to keep a solid supply of chilled or frozen fresh food and drinks at hand. Also suitable for a day to day car fridge, for keeping fish cold or frozen in your boat, or a semi-permanent fixture in your caravan, you'll find a suitable portable fridge freezer at Snowys.

These fridges come in various sizes and formats and can be powered by the cigarette lighter plug in your car. It's worth having a think about what food you are likely to be transporting and how you will be managing this on your trip. This will give you an indication of whether you need purely a portable fridge or freezer, or if a combination or dual-zone fridge and freezer is a better choice. To help you get started, here's a quick rundown of the different types of portable camping fridges.

Chest Fridges

These are the most commonly used style of portable compressor fridge. They are heavy duty and come in numerous sizes starting at around 20L right up to 100L+ models for big families (or fish). These can be operated as a fridge or a freezer, not both at the same time. 40 to 50-litre models are suitable for the average family whilst larger families or extended outback trips may call for larger volume fridges.

Dual Zone or Combi Fridge/Freezers

If you want to carry both frozen and chilled goods, a dual zone may be the way to go. There are different ways each brand manages two different temperature zones in their fridges, some better than others. These consist of two separate compartments that allow different temperatures in each, whilst this introduces flexibility to your fridge, it also limits space particularly in the smaller combination models, hence the large dual zone models are most popular.

3-Way Fridges

We don't always carry these, give us a call if you have any questions. A 3-Way Camp Fridge operates from both 12V power and gas. As a general rule, they are awfully inefficient on 12V, but incredibly efficient on gas. Running these on gas requires the fridge to be level and steady, so you'ss have to use 12V whilst in the car, then switch to gas in the campsite. These are best suited to people in long-stay camps rather than touring, where the fridge can be levelled and left to run from gas without the need to move it for many days.

Drawer Fridges

These are designed to be permanently installed in the back of a vehicle, van, caravan or motorhome. They are small in volume but can be a good use of space. For most models, the compressor can be mounted a short distance away from the fridge making installation possible in all sorts of spaces.

Console Fridges

Popular amongst truck drivers, these are designed to replace the existing console in a vehicle, or easily fit in the space should a console not already exist. They are small in volume and useful for keeping drinks, lunch and food handy on long haul trips. Whilst they are useful for trucks, they can also be installed in 4WD's between back seats or on the floor in an unused footwell.

Thermoelectric Cooler/Warmers

These aren't actually fridges, they use thermoelectric plates and don't have the ability to drive temperature down as far as a compressor fridge. Instead, they are designed to keep already chilled goods cool on a road trip. On the flipside of this, they can also create heat so can be used to keep food warm and ready for your lunch break. They are useful for people who drive all day for work such as sales reps and delivery drivers.

Fridge Cables & Accessories

We carry replacement parts and accessories to enhance your camp fridge set up, and you'll find them and our fridges at Low Prices Everyday with Free Delivery over $69 to most of Australia. It's easy and affordable to keep your fresh food frozen or chilled on off-grid expeditions when you buy your portable fridges online here at Snowys.