Ice cooler in addition to the fridge?

[Donna D.]

I own an oldy-but-goody Scamp. Years ago, someone mentioned that an all-molded-towable was an earthquake going down the road. That makes sense. The interior of the 3-way of my Scamp is pristine. Over the years I've read threads where folks want to "fix" broken plastic in their frigs. Makes sense... cans, bottle, gallon jugs of milk are LEAPING as you go down the road. Yes, you can fix the cracks... but it will never be the same. So, all my fresh food is in a cooler with a block of ice under tow. When I get where I'm going and get the frig down to temperature... food moves from cooler to frig "but not before." YMMV

[Donna D.]

Frig problems for cooling? Just pay attention, it's not a Casita issue or Escape issue or some gazillion dollar moho problem... it's a Dometic issue.

[Bob Miller]

Have to say that's the first Dometic I have heard of that had a Dometic related cooling problem. Mine have all tended to freeze the wrong stuff.


And I have the opposite tact. I pack the refrigerator full with food and frozen 1 liter water bottles so nothing can bounce around. I pre-cool for 24 hours and leave it on LP when underway. Has worked great for me since Hector was but a pup.

[Lynn Musgrave]

We always carry and use a cooler with lots of ice for drinks. It stays outside the camper and all canned or bottled drinks ( except milk ) are kept in it. Two reasons...keeps traffic down inside camper,we spend most of our time outside anyway....The less the fridge is opened the less cold air gets out and the food stays colder.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Have to say that's the first Dometic I have heard of that had a Dometic related cooling problem. Mine have all tended to freeze the wrong stuff.


.

ROFL apparently you have missed the hundred of threads here regarding getting some of the Dometic fridges to stay cool in hot weather and all the creative ways people have tried to deal with it. Bubble wrap the fridge, fans in the rear.... any of that sound familiar?

[Bob Miller]

Nope, I didn't miss them at all.


As I recall, most of those problems involved units that may well have been around long enough to have been run out of level by current or previous owners, thus compromising their cooling circuits.


I have personally owned more than 10 RV's with Dometic units and only two of them had problems, one had a rusted through cooling loop and the other was so badly clogged that the cooling circuit had to be replaced. The one I took out of my Hunter still worked great at 40+ years of age and the slightly larger one I replaced it with was already 10 years old, was salvaged out of a wrecked Scamper Camper, and it freezes milk if left alone in 75 degree weather.


Yes, I have replaced a number of failed parts in Dometic refrigerators, and they are never cheap, but I can't say that I have ever before heard of a basic engineering/design issue with a specific model of Dometic.


That said, all of my experience has been with units smaller than 3 cubic feet.

[Marsha D]

We've always carried a cooler for beverages. That said, we had to remove the beverages from the cooler this past summer and place the food from our undercooling Dometic fridge into said cooler. We were glad we had it with us. And, as others have said, it's nice to have along if you have to haul refrigerated grocery items any distance from store to camp.

[C&G in FL]

We carry a small cooler in the tow vehicle, but not for drinks or food during the day. We usually need to stretch our legs so we will find a place to stop. And really, when driving, if we drink a lot of fluids, well, it just means we have to stop more often, sometimes when we are not ready. If we stop for groceries after a day of exploring, we put the perishables in the cooler until we get to the campsite. It is also handy to keep the afternoon/evening liquid refreshments in, right next to the camp chair! The refrigerator in your Oliver will work fine. for the most part, 12v refrigerators do not cool well; they may hold the temperature if the door stays closed but they are no way near as effective as propane or 110v refrigerators.

[Casita Greg]

I keep a Yeti full of ice in the back seat of my TV that I use to hold beer, water bottles and soda. The trailer fridge is always fully packed with food and condiments, so the cooler serves as a retainer for all the bulky cold drinks and optimally stores ice for drinks. I also find it much easier to pull it out to occasionally drain off excess water as it melts and to restock as needed. It's also handy for holding any "left-overs", like sandwich halves, from fast food we buy to eat on the road while underway.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CPW

It is also handy to keep the afternoon/evening liquid refreshments in, right next to the camp chair! .

Yup they do indeed make great side tables around the campfire. Also as Greg points out its also good for keeping ice cubes close at hand I have a cooler with wheels so even when full it is simple to move within arms reach. Most RV freezers are limited in size so it doesn't make sense to waste that space with a bag of ice cubes.

I made a cover for my cooler using foil bubble wrap. With it on the cooler the ice will last for many days in very hot weather - even though its a pretty good cooler on its own. I constructed the foil warp cover with the bottom separate from the top so the lid of the cooler can be opened without removing the complete cover. Used velcro strips in the construction of the cover so it is actually easy to remove and leave at home when camping in cooler climates.

[theresa p]

Carol--I also use a cover for my cooler. Mine is constructed out of one of those dollar store windshield sun reflectors. The persons who first showed me this were Alastair and Inge Camelford from Ontario when we met them in Florida. They fashionned one and it worked so well I copied it.
...by the way...they no longer have their Trillium so wonder if they still frequent this site?

[TomK]

When picking out a cooler that will be used outdoors, a lighter colored one will stay cooler longer in the hot sun. I hate to admit, I learned that the hard way. Making a cover from foil bubble wrap sounds like a good idea too. Thanks,

Tom