A camping fridge is one of the biggest upgrades you can make in your camping experience.
In my experience, one of the biggest pains of camping is managing food and keeping it from spoiling.
Power stations, with or without solar panels, can power car camping refrigerators allowing for a worry-free camping experience.
Between driving to town solely for ice or having my lunch meat spoil, I began researching portable fridges for my Jackery and other power stations like Ecoflow.
Whether you use a camping fridge for weekend camping, long-term boondocking, van life, or any other recreational activity, you’ll benefit from cold drinks and food!
I’ll cover the best options for camping fridges, buying guide, FAQs, and how tips for reducing power consumption.
Note: some links in this article are affiliate links where I may earn a commission at no cost to you (Etsy, REI, Amazon, etc).
Best Camping Fridge for Portable Power Stations like Jackery
The best budget-friendly fridge is the F40C4TMP Portable Refrigerator.
It can be used as a fridge or freezer (one compartment, so only one at a time). If you need something larger than 30Q, consider an ICECO camping fridge.
It comes in practical sizes, draws ~45 watt in max mode, ~30w-40w in eco mode, and all Jackery’s can power it.
To be practical for a weekend of camping, you’ll need a power station in the 300W range WITH a solar panel or a power station in the 500W range.
You’ll have to adjust for whatever else you’re powering. In addition, if you’re your in the middle of the summer heat, you’ll need more power. That’s when having a solar panel can help offset the increase in power.
A solid choice for a 12 volt refrigerator
Available in sizes from 20 to 30 quart
ICECO Portable Camping Fridges: A Quality Upgrade
The ICECO fridges are a decent option if you want to size up with a higher-end brand. In my experience, considering 3rd party warranties on fridges over $200 is a great idea.
Amazon offers Assurion, which seems much more reliable than any of these companies. Almost every brand has reports of them failing within a year.
Alpicool Camping Refrigerators
SUVRVing has a video about the Alpicool C20 that he used. The biggest concern is getting a lemon and not having Alpicool honor their warranty.
I’m not a huge fan of it not being flat on the top for stacking gear in the car, but otherwise that’s another option.
Other Options: There are a ton of other options on Amazon. The key is not buying a dud and making sure the company honors their warranties.
What Size Jackery Power Station for a 12V Camping Fridge?
All Jackery power stations can power a basic camping fridge, but you will want at least a Jackery 500 or larger to get through a hot weekend. Of course, the answer depends on the mini-fridge size and the draw.
How Long can a Jackery 1000 Run a 12V Fridge?
A Jackery 1000 power station can run a 12V fridge for up to 5 days. The exact length depends significantly on many variables, such as the ambient air temperature, the fridge size, fridge mode (eco, freezer, etc), shade, and more. See below for tips on extending the length of time.
If you use a freezer mode, I would cut that time in half. This video shows a guy powering an ICECO VL 60 Fridge/Freezer combo for only 51 hours, indoors.
You can run a single zone (ie: no freezer) ICECO VL45 much longer, potentially over 5 days, highly dependent on the outside temperature.
How Long Will a Jackery 300 Run a Mini-Fridge?
A Jackery 300 will power a mini fridge up to 20 hours, but it is highly dependent on a variety of factors, primarily being the use of DC power and the outside temperature.
Buyers Guide: Portable Fridge for Ecoflow, Jackery, Bluetti
Portable fridges use compressors to compress refrigerant gas to cool the fridge. The frequency and speed of the compression are what consume power.
The compressor turns on periodically based on an internal thermostat. This on-and-off cycling helps maintain a consistent temperature.
In my experience, different brands have various ranges they’ll let the temperature rise and drop to.
The compressor is the most important part of the fridge cause if it fails, you don’t have a fridge anymore, you have a very inconvenient storage bin.
Camping fridge compressors vary in quality which will impact efficiency, reliability, temperature control, and how much noise it makes.
What does Eco Mode do on a Camping Fridge?
Eco mode is an energy-saving option on most portable fridges and is a desirable feature for car camping fridges.
For car camping, Eco mode is the way to go because you’re likely to consume most of the food and drinks during the trip, so food spoilage won’t be a huge concern.
As an example, say you set your fridge at 40F, the eco mode might allow it to get to 44 before the compressor turns on, but it will slowly get it back down to 38F and then let it rise back up to 44F before repeating the cycle.
Max mode keeps the inside temperature in a tighter range and runs at faster speeds.
Tips for Reducing Power Consumption with a Portable Fridge
Because there are so many variables in determining the amount of power you need to run a fridge for a weekend of camping, here are my best tips to help reduce the amount of power you need.
Pre-Cool Your Fridge!
Plugging in your fridge at home and pre-cooling it AND any items you’re storing in it is a great way to save that initial power demand on your Jackery.
Freeze Items Ahead of Time
Portable fridges are great for maintaining temperatures, but they aren’t great for freezing items. In addition, you can freeze a few water bottles or Gatorade to help keep the temperature cool in transit.
Run the Fridge Using 12V
Portable Fridges like the ICECO ran run on either 12v or 120v power inputs. The 12V is more efficient for Jackery because it doesn’t need an inverter. Jackery typically has a ~15% efficiency loss, so using 12V increases the time you can power the fridge.
Power Your Camping Fridge with 12V Vehicle Power in Transit
Use your vehicle’s 12 volt system when you are driving is another way to reduce the amount of battery capacity you need in a power station. Make sure you have a cable long enough to reach your fridge depending on the layout of your vehicle.
A solid choice for a 12 volt refrigerator
Available in sizes from 20 to 30 quart
