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cool box/mini fridge, anyone travelled with one on a motorbike?!
Was just looking at those mini fridges you get for cars that carry a few cans like this one.
REFRIGERATEUR PORTABLE 4L 12V 220V GLACIERE ELECTRIQUE VOITURE GLACIERE CAMPING Has anyone ever rigged one up with the cigarette lighter connector to a bike putting it at the bottom of a top box/pannier, was just thinking how nice it would be to have a cold beer at the end of the day! and be able to keep food cold along the way. Can't work out if this is a stupid/ingenious idea??!! |
Hi There,
well I've had a portable fridge in my car and it gives out loads of heat, so the last place you'd want to place it is in a pannier. Cold beer would nice though. |
Hmm, forgot that fridges kick out loads of heat, would rather not melt my top box. Maybe this could be another option, to turn my whole top box into a fridge!
Amazon.co.uk: Ring 12v Heater and Cooler Fan: Electronics & Photo |
Hi There,
basic rules with bikes, lesson one. Keep it simple. Keep it light. Keep away from gadgets that don't help in the real World. Meet people en route. Enjoy new experiences. Embrace new cultures. Try the local beer! Regards Reggie AKA The Cameraman |
I use a camping gaz "take 6" coolbox in my topbox. It's designed to take 6 330ml "coke" cans with a shaped coolpack that fits between them. I use it as my food store on long trips, it worked fine in 40c temps last summer. You can fit 4 500ml cans and a couple of normal coolpacks in there if you want though. It's 180mmx180mmx250mm.
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But how do you keep the coolpacks cold? Don't you have to refreeze them every night in a freezer? Or am I thinking of something else?
A way of keeping things cold might be useful if you're wild camping half a day away from the nearest store and you fancy cooking up some sausages but on the whole, I tend to agree with The Cameraman: keep it simple. Or buy some ice with the beer, wrap it in a plastic bag, it''ll still be cold a few hours later. |
Using coolpacks when you're on the road is possible, most campsites will re-freeze them for you. Some sites even have fridge/freezers in the kitchen. I don't bother though, they use up useful space in the box and it's pretty small anyway. I find that things you buy from the cool section in the supermarket, like bacon, butter or milk will stay reasonably cool all day in there. So it makes transporting your shopping until you set up camp better than just packing it in your topbox. I had two weeks of 35-40 degrees in the south of france last year (ah, wonderful) and my Roqufort and salami didn't kill me.
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I know someone who travells with one - on top of the left cyclinder on a bmw airhead. He says it will keep things that are cold cold. But it will not cool things down.
I've tried one at home .. not very effecient. And takes too much room. |
mobile fridge
I have seen a traveller who was diabetic with one of those cheap electric (no moving parts) tiny car fridges on the rack. He kept his supply of insulin cool. Worked for him.
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I must say, that this portable electric COOL BOX seems like a very good idea.
I've seen them in some gadget store and I must confess, I had the same thought. But they are pretty bulky for what they can store. And I'm wondering about the electric consumption draining your motorcycle battery over night ? Looks like too much trouble. But there is hope and maybe in few year someone will come up with the ideal portable little fridge for bike. For keeping food cold. I usually use a thermal soft bag (lunch style) with a couple of coolpacks and succeed to keep them fresh for almost 2 days around 80-90ยบ F and for the can beer or soda, I pack them with the rest and try to camp close to a river or a stream and emerge them for an hour before opening. Works great ! Cheers, Fredo. |
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Most if not all of these small 12 volt cool boxes use a Peltier assembly to do the cooling. This is a semiconductor which creates a temperature difference across it's two surfaces when a voltage is applied. This is why you can also get them to keep things warm, you just alter the polarity of the voltage. Being a semiconductor they tend not to use too much current but the temperature difference is relative. You need a larger, more expensive and more power hungry assembly to give a bigger effect. I still wouldn't leave one connected to a motorcycle battery as it has a very small capacity. A large car battery would manage 8 hours or more though.
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A fridge?!
Surely this should be in the 4x4 section of the forum? xxx |
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