Thread: 12V car/camping freezer recommendations.

Those 7amphr gell batteries die pretty quick when attempting to run a compressor fridge. Remember you don't have 7 amp hrs at hand. In practise you have 3-3.5 amp hours at hand.

Any gell/agm battery you intend to use regularly for this sort of usage needs to be 4 times the size of the intended consumption.

Compressor is definitely the way to go, and brand names as above.
I got one of the jaycar uprights, I think the manual says brass monkey but it's nowhere on the unit. It has a LG branded compressor, I was thinking they couldn't possibly bork that up. The outside gets cold to the touch, so insulation isn't up to much. It draws more Ah/day than the bigger, old kelvinator run through a 3kW inverter.
It will get down to temp and stay cold, but it's obviously not very efficient.
So that's an un-recommend from me, but perhaps they have improved in the last couple of years.

just remember compressor start current is higher than compressor run current. having low batteries will continue running the fridge but not restart it

Buy once, go for quality like Dometic. I've got a 45L and its a bloody beauty for week away trips, running off a 100Ahr LiFeP04 battery. Freezing does suck the power, so get one that you can run on AC/DC and at home run it down to freeze temp with your bait then switch to DC when you leave.

I would be leaving it ticking over all the time. We had a Waeco 40 ltr (now Dometic) on the yacht for >20 years. Could get it down to -20 C and turn it off overnight and it would still be sub zero in the morning. Idea was we could take it home and load it up and keep stuff cold for a 2-3 hr drive to the boat. These things are not that small or light so in practice we would just leave it on board and use a chillie bin for the drive. Not familiar with all the new made in china branded whatever you want ones, but the Engel / Waeco ones, once down to temp have a very small current draw. all detailed and noted with current draw at XYZ ambient temperature etc.
From Memory ours was rated to -20 or 40 deg below ambient so in the aussie outback they may not keep your beer frozen. Not an issue here
Z