Camping Fridges, Freezers, & Coolers

A camping fridge, a chilly bin, or both, with the covers, stands, ice bricks and gel packs that go alongside them.
Camping Fridges, Freezers, & Coolers

Powered, or Packed With Ice

There are two ways to keep food cold away from home, and the choice has less to do with budget than with how long you are out. A chilly bin and a bag of ice is fine for a weekend. Past that the ice becomes water, and the water becomes a problem.

A camping fridge answers it by running off 12V instead. The trade is weight, cost and needing power, which is why plenty of carloads take both: a fridge for what has to stay cold and a cooler for the drinks.

Single Zone, Dual Zone and the Covers

Single zone means one compartment at one temperature, which suits most trips. Dual zone splits the box so one side can run as a freezer and the other as a fridge, which earns its keep on longer trips and for anyone who wants ice at the end of the week.

Capacities run 30L, 45L, 55L and 75L, with lithium versions in the line. Insulated covers are cut to match at 37L, 55L, 60L, 75L, 80L and 100L, and an aluminium stand rated to 120kg gets a unit up off the floor.

Five Groups, by How You Keep Things Cold

Five groups cover it:

  • Fridges & freezers. Single and dual zone units from 30L to 75L, including the lithium models.
  • Fridge accessories. Insulated covers from 37L to 100L, plus the 120kg aluminium stand.
  • Hard coolers. Ice boxes and chilly bins at 7L, 14L, 26L and 45L, with wheeled options at 45L and 50L.
  • Soft coolers. Can-rated bags at 9, 12, 24 and 30 cans, plus a 28L wheeled cooler.
  • Ice bricks & gel packs. Ice bricks at 350ml and 650ml and a 420g gel pack.

Choosing Capacity Without Guessing

Litres are easy to under-buy. A 45L unit is not 45L of food once you allow for the compressor housing and the shape of what you are packing, so size up rather than down when you are between two.

Match the cover to the unit, because they are cut to specific capacities rather than being adjustable. And if a unit is travelling in a vehicle, work out where it sits and how it is held before you leave rather than at the campsite, since a loose fridge in a boot is nobody's friend.

Ice Bricks, Gel Packs and Making a Cooler Last

A cooler is mostly a container for whatever cold you put into it, so what goes in alongside the food decides how long it holds. Ice bricks come at 350ml and 650ml and freeze solid in a home freezer the night before. A 420g gel pack holds its shape and suits a soft cooler where a loose brick would move around.

Two habits do the rest. Chill the contents before they go in, because a cooler is being asked to hold a temperature rather than create one. Then pack it full, since air space is what warms up first. The same thinking applies to a camping fridge on a long trip, which is why plenty of people run bricks in the cooler and keep the fridge for what matters.

Shop Camping Fridges and Coolers at OZtrail NZ

A fridge is the purchase people put off for years and then wonder why they waited, and the coolers are here for everything a fridge should not be filled with. Free shipping starts at $150, and the covers are listed alongside the units they fit.