A great camping fridge (see: cold beer and chilled meat) is one of those true luxuries that we long for when staying in the great outdoors – but choosing the best camping fridge isn’t always an easy task.
A camping fridge is one of the more expensive pieces of gear that you’re likely to invest in when pitching up to camp in the great outdoors.
There’s a huge range of brands and models out there, each with their own individual pros, cons and quirks that make picking the perfect camping fridge a bit of a headache. That’s where we come in.
We’ve trawled the web, tested and trialled the very best options in the world of camp cooling. Below you’ll find and be able to shop the top camping fridge selection available online.
The Dometic CombiCool ACX3 is our overall top camping fridge.
3-way cooling means campers can stay in remote locations without worry over spoiled food or warm beer.
Before we get started, it’s important to know the different types of camping fridges to make an informed decision about which will be the best type for you.
In our top camping fridge article, we’re going to be covering three main types of camping fridges: the 3-way camping fridge, the electric camping fridge and the humble camping cooler.
Check out our top recommendations for a camping cooler and both 3-way and electric camping fridges:
A 3-way camping fridge offers a trio of different cooling methods, allowing the fridge to be used in a variety of situations.
Most commonly, a 3-way camping fridge will utilise a gas canister, AC power and DC power options. It’s the gas canister inclusion that makes these fridges the most versatile and can be used without any electrical power.
If you’re looking for a fridge that can be used anywhere, without a vehicle battery or electric hook-up, the 3-way fridge is the best for you!
There’s a reason that Dometic is one of the biggest names in portable cooling – their stuff is head and shoulders above the rest.
If you’re shopping for a versatile 3-way camping fridge that won’t let you down – the Dometic 41L CombiCool camping fridge is our overall top pick. With cooling capabilities of up to 30°C lower than ambient, it’s more than well equipped for camping in the UK.
The camping fridge can be powered by a gas cartridge, 12V DC and 230V AC power supplies, ensuring that you’re never left without cooling power.
It’s no surprise that the Dometic CombiCool 3-way camping fridge tops our list with a sleek and robust design, high-quality refrigeration and a brand you can trust.
Dometic takes both the #1 and #2 spots in our list of 3-way camping fridges. New for 2023, the CombiCool RC 2200 is an upgraded version of the previous 1200 – equipped with a lighter, sleek design and cooling up to 30 degrees below ambient temperature.
The 3-way camping fridge is one of the best in the business and although it doesn’t quite offer just as much as the CombiCool ACX3, it’s a very close second.
The RC 2200 is, however, a slightly more affordable camping fridge offering the same 3-way compatibility in a 40L capacity. Gas canisters, 12/24V DC and 230V AC supplies can all be used to power the absorption coolbox, making it great both in the home, on the road or in remote environments.
The Dometic CombiCool RC 2200 is brand new for 2023 and shares many features of our top camping fridge at a lower price point.
The Royal 42L 3-way camping fridge offers campers a solution to chilling food in any scenario.
The sleek design encases an impressive cooling system that is not only uber reliable but incredibly effective too. The 3-way camping fridge offers users AC, DC and gas cooling, keeping food and drinks cold from the moment you leave for your trip to the second that you get back.
The Royal 42L Absorption Cooler is our runner up for the best 3-way camping fridge thanks to its versatile cooling methods and impressive features.
Electric camping fridges are exactly what they say on the tin – a camping fridge powered by electricity alone.
These camping fridges come in a couple of different forms, DC only, AC only and a combination of the two. For maximum versatility, we would typically recommend a camping fridge that offers both a mains AC supply and DC supply that can be used within vehicle batteries as well as an electric hookup.
If you’re looking for a camping fridge that can be used in the car, as a beer fridge at home or via an electric hook-up at a camp site, these are the best option for you!
Our top electric camping fridge is another fantastic solution by the team at Dometic.
With four great sizing options (10.5L, 18L, 21L and 31L), the Dometic ColdFreeze CDF is guaranteed to stock the perfect option for every individual. The ColdFreeze is one of the best-looking camping fridges available today, but it’s not just a pretty face.
One of our favourite features is the dual electric power supplies offered in the unit. This allows the fridge to run on both car battery 12/24V DC supplies and main 100-240V AC supplies – perfect for the majority of campers.
The Dometic CoolFreeze CDF is our favourite electric camping fridge compatible with 12/24V DC and 230V AC power supplies.
If you’re searching for a large camping fridge that runs off either mains electric or a 12V supply, the BERG 45 Litre is one of the best.
With a huge 45L capacity, the BERG camping fridge offers plenty of space for chilling with an impressive minimum temperature range of 16°C below ambient temperature.
The chiller can be used with either a 12/24V DC supply that is typically found in vehicles as well as a 220/240V AC mains supply. The camping fridge offers A++ low power consumption and even offers the ability to charge USB devices from the handy side port.
In addition to the main cooling feature, the BERG cool bag alternative also offers a handy heating option. The heating capability allows for temperatures of between 60-65°C and is perfect for keeping takeaways and hot food warm.
The BERG 45L camping fridge is our runner-up pick for a portable chiller thanks to its huge volume and its 12V and 240V compatibility.
The Aplicool G22 camping fridge freezer is a fantastic alternative to the BERG 60L, offering a compact 22L design at more than half the price.
The camping fridge freezer is only available with the 12/24V DC supply, requiring to be plugged into a vehicle or alternative DC supply for use. The unit does come equipped with 3 stage car battery protection system, preventing the car battery from running down too far.
A vibration-resistant design is one of the most impressive features, preventing drinks from being shaken up when road-tripping. For a car-only portable camping fridge freezer – this Alpicool is one of the best!
The Aplicool G22 is our runner-up electric camping fridge freezer with 12/24V compatibility, robust 22L design and low noise operating.
Camping coolers and cool boxes form the cheapest cooling solutions on our list and do not involve any form of external power.
A camping cool box is a great way to save a little cash when looking to store cold food and drinks, but they aren’t as effective as a camping fridge. Camping cool boxes do require the use of icepacks to get the temperature of the box down whilst the insulation of the box retains the temperature as long as possible.
If you’re looking to complete a short trip or aren’t looking to store anything that may spoil, the camping cooler may be the perfect solution for you!
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the fully-fledged camping fridge – a high-quality camping cooler might just be the perfect solution for you.
The Coleman camping coolers are at the top of the food chain when it comes to insulated products. When kept on ice, food and drink can be left for days at a time at the perfect temperature. The robust design is fantastic for camping trips and with 3 different volumes available, the perfect size can be found online too.
There are even drinks holders moulded into the lid of the cooler, keeping your drinks cold whilst you keep on sipping.
The Coleman Xtreme camping cooler is our top pick for a high-quality camping cooler, available in a wide range of capacities.
Although it doesn’t support the largest capacity, the Dometic Cool-Ice passive cool box, available in both 13L and 22L sizing might just be the best looking product on our whole list.
The icebox is one of the coolest (get it) looking things that we’ve ever seen and at just 2.3kg, it’s ultra-light, too. A strong, seamless polyethene construction makes for a seriously durable and thickly insulated coolbox, keeping ice and cold packs cooler for longer.
The lightweight design is easy to clean, difficult to break and one of the most affordable Dometic products out there – it’s a cooler that’s on our Amazon wishlists!
The Dometic Cool-Ice WCI is a little on the smaller side – but offers unrivalled build quality and a great-looking design.
If you’re happy that a cheap camping cool box will do the trick with a short camping stay, the Thermos camping cool box has to be the best bet.
The trusted Thermos brand offers a great selection of insulated products and their camping cool box is one of the most popular. Food and drink will stay cold for 8 hours in the box, plenty of time if keeping drinks or food overnight.
It’s not quite as effective as the other products listed in our top camping fridges, but it is the cheapest. The Thermos is priced around the £30 mark for a good quality cooler that you can rely on.
The Thermos camping cooler is a fantastic budget-friendly compact cool box available in both 28L and 32L volumes.
Shopping for the best camping fridge isn’t easy, but proves to be a fantastic investment if done correctly. If you’ve got a question about camping fridges, check out our FAQ listed below and we’ll (hopefully) have the answer listed for you!
Camping fridges are typically an expensive piece of kit – but that doesn’t mean that they’re not worth it.
Relaxing at the campsite with a cold beer safe in the knowledge that the sausage and bacon will be perfectly fresh to cook in the morning is a priceless feeling. However, the actual cost of the fridge might be a little hard to swallow.
Put simply, we would typically only recommend that regular campers invest in a camping fridge. Newbies or infrequent tent dwellers should be just fine with a good-quality cool box.
A good-quality camping fridge will cost a pretty penny, but it’s typically a small price to pay for a never-ending supply of cold beer.
The camping fridges are so expensive as they take the technology that we use in a traditional household fridge and shrink the component size. From an engineering point of view, this is quite the task and with robust reliability the key to a good quality product, the price has to inflate to accommodate.
Put simply, there’s a lot that goes into building the best camping fridges – and for the most part, those models with the boosted pricetags offer the best, most reliable cooling around.
The best type of fridge for camping is very much dependent on how the user intends on living with it.
For example, tent lovers staying at a campsite with an electric hookup will be best suited to an AC electric camping fridge.
Alternatively, those who trek into the wilderness with nothing but a backpack and their fridge by their side will be best suited to a 3-way camping fridge, allowing cooling without power on tap.
Although all makes and models are different, camping fridges are not particularly noisy.
Sleeping in a tent with a camping fridge is no louder than sleeping in a tent without one – the only real difference is that your milk will be nice and cold for the morning cuppa.
Still not managed to find what you’re looking for? Feel free to drop us an email from the “contact” page or reach out to us on one of our social channels. We’ll get back to you with any answers as soon as possible!
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