Cooler or Refrigerator? Want to eat healthy on the road.

Iwould load up my electric cooler with cold drinks, milk, cold cuts, and FROZEN tv dinners. Yes they will eventually thaw out. But thay just allows them to cook faster. I took on of those large digital display indoor/outdoor thermometers and put the long wire temp probe inside my coolr. The display was on the outside of the cooler or on the dash. There are wireless options, also. This allowed me to see very quickly if I blew a fuse or the cooler stopped working. I could easily replace the fuse, cord, or fix the problem and not lose any food.

My brother put his at the foot of the bed and directed the sleeper A/C to blow onto the cooler vent. As was previously stated, these coolers get about 40 deg below the temp they are sitting in. He actually froze a gallon of milk by accident.

When someone is telling everyone these cooler are no dang good, you have know way to know if they are the equivalent of the person that never checks their oil & fluids and then pronounces the car they were driving when the engine seized or they blew a head gasket a pile of junk or just an unlucky person that got a lemon unit. If you are careful with these units they can do well enough to be useful. Have fun moving your real fridge from truck to truck or into a hotel room if your truck is in the shop for a week.

 

UPS service has gone to heck over the last few years. Whenever possible I have items shipped by FedEx and UPS held for pickup instead of delivered to my door. You have no way to know if they will deliver it at 7 amp or 8pm. The later in the day the more likely they hit and run without ringing the doorbell.

 

I have 2 koolatron 12v cooler both working great for 3 years now. I clean out the fans 3/4 times a year and unplug them when I'm out of the truck for more than a 34. (I have an APU so usually my AC stays on during that time.) I have a smaller one with the flip open top lid that I keep in between the passenger seat and center console, so I can access drinks/snacks quickly without much fuss. Then I have a good size one I keep in the "frig" spot of a Cascadia behind the passenger seat for my food stuff.

As posted, it's all about outside temp and how you take care of them... and yes I have frozen a quart of milk in the small one it get's that cold inside.

Amazon.com: Koolatron P-20 Thermo - Electric 12-Volt 18 Quart Compact Cooler/Warmer: Automotive

Amazon.com: Koolatron 52-Quart Krusader Cooler: Automotive

 

I was just using Amazon for reference. I got these little over 3 years ago and I think I got it on sale even then.

 

That's a really good deal! are they 12v or regular ice chest type? I bought these just cause I'm pretty anal about organization and neatness in my truck, so they fit in the places I wanted them. I also don't use my top bunk at all. (I know color me weird) So I didn't want to go the dorm frig route like a lot of drivers I know.

 

I bought a Koolatron 40 quart about 1.5 years ago and it's doing fine still. It fits just right in front of the passenger seat, and in that position, I am never tempted to put anything on top of it, which is probably one reason it hasn't died. The cooler fans are fragile and the lids don't protect them well.

Most fast food joints have some healthy food choices. Most larger truck stops also sell refrigerated salads. Sometimes I buy multiple Subway subs.

If I want to save a lot of money, I stop by a Wal-Mart and buy 20 soft tortillas, 20 thick cut cheese, and 20 thick cut meat. Usually costs about 30 dollars, and makes 20 tortilla wraps, 10 meals. I usually buy a bunch of sodas or water bottles when I do a Wal-Mart stop. If I am eating lots of meat and cheese wraps, I also try to eat a salad a day.