Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Nick Brunner photo
1 Level
720 Review
55 Karma

Review on ๐Ÿฅถ ARB 10810602 Portable Fridge/Freezer: Ultimate Weatherproof Cooling Solution by Nick Brunner

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Considerations for those working in RVs for long periods or not using zero/solar energy.

We have had the ARB for about a month and it is working as expected. (My dear friend bought it, so I don't appear as a verified buyer). We bought it to use in our RV/adventure van for camping/surfing/mountain biking. We connect it to our Goal Zero Yeti1250, which has its own 150W stationary solar panel for charging. We rarely stay in built-up campgrounds and mostly do off-grid trips. The ARB works great and cools as expected from a 12v cooler. We have just returned from a 2 week trip using the ARB as our only cooler. I ordered a canvas holdall for ARB and I think it was a good investment, but more on that later. Range 55W. (Target Zero has a power meter). - After about 8-9 days of camping (no constant sun exposure for the solar panel) the ARB reduced the Goal Zero Yeti's voltage to a level where it no longer had enough voltage to start. Compressor. We also used the Goal Zero to start the roof vents, charge cell phones, iPads, turn on LED lights, etc. We could hear the compressor trying to turn on, but it didn't have enough power. Just remember that starting requires decent voltage in the battery. This is important for motorhomes and campers with a home battery. Connecting overnight at the campsite solved the problem. Just remember to use the battery for long rides. It would definitely be possible to drain a car battery with an ARB if you parked at a campground in the country for a few days. ARB doesn't have insulation like Yeti or Coleman Extreme or any of the other high end coolers. . A chill can be felt through the metal parts of the radiator. I bought a canvas holdall and cut out double-thick Reflectix (foil-lined insulation) to put in the canvas holdall. You can hardly tell it's there, and it severely impacted my ability to feel the cold flowing through the cooler. Check out the attached photos to get an idea of how I added extra insulation to my ARB holdall. Please note that the travel bag is covered with foil, but it is quite thin. I used a marker, ruler, razor and scissors to mark and cut out the double width foil insulation to place in the travel bag. It took about 20 minutes. A photo of an ARB fitted to our pickup truck (2007 Ford E350 custom modified) with added insulation, you can hardly tell it's there. In general, we are happy with ARB. Not wearing ice is very beautiful. We plug the ARB into a 12V RV outlet while driving, then switch back to the Goal Zero Yeti when parked. For longer trips (we're going on a month-long tour of western Colorado next summer) I plan to add a second 100Ah battery to the Goal Zero, primarily to power the ARB for longer off-grid use.

Pros
  • Interior
Cons
  • Not sure