e. like one you would use at home in your kitchen) is the speed, controllability and power of the cooling on offer. We put cool boxes from Thermos, Igloo, Coleman, and others, through their paces, to find out which are easiest to lug around and will keep your food and drink cool all day. From our experience, it is important to carefully examine the features of a particular product to make sure it will match up to the conditions under which you will be using it.

Best Electric Cool Box UK - the Ultimate Camping Fridges Best Electric Cool Box UK - the Ultimate Camping Fridges

There used to be a great TV advert in the UK which went something like “Ronseal quick drying wood stain – it does exactly what it says on the tin! It also features two removable shelves inside so you have plenty of space for anything – from your favorite beer to a good old Cornish pasty!

Weight is a fairly hefty 17kg, but the presence of a decent folding handle and wheels makes transport simple and efficient. For electric cool boxes, we also measured how much it cooled in the first hour after turning it on, and only put the chilled bottled water in. It’s a great option for a mini-break or an afternoon retreat as it is small enough to be easily carried using the ergonomic handle on top. In our opinion, no electric cooler combines greater simplicity, affordability, and efficiency than the Outdoor Revolution Eco Deep Extreme. It will operate from the 12V cigarette lighter of your car or campervan and comes with the requisite lead.

HI-GEAR Cool Boxes | Millets HI-GEAR Cool Boxes | Millets

Absorption cool boxes Similar in size and design to compressor cool boxes, but you can also power these with gas. Three-Way Fridge – not the name of your favourite ‘exotic’ film, but rather a description of the expensive absorption coolers which can run on gas cannisters, 12V and 240V. One concern people often have is how to enjoy fresh food and drink during your camping trip without simply living on a diet of baked beans. We’ve tested a wide variety of units and can recommend the following at several levels of expenditure depending on your requirements. Thermoelectric cool box – these are well insulated coolboxes which use a Peltier cooler (12V or 240V powered usually) and electric fan to drive heat out of the box and keep your food and drink chilled.They are also useful for people who don't have access to a refrigerator in a particular location, such as at a beach house or vacation home.

HI-GEAR 45-Litre 12V 240V Cooler | Millets HI-GEAR 45-Litre 12V 240V Cooler | Millets

The best cool boxes were solid and were barely scratched when dropped; the worst shattered and broke when dropped. Insulation: Look for a cool box with high-quality insulation that will keep your food and drinks cold for a long period of time. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. It is a proper compressor fridge with its own freezer section, and the 35 or 45 litre capacity is perfect for a small family over a week or two.Electric connectivity: 12V connection are a real advantage if you’re planning on running your coolbox off a leisure battery, however we found that they don’t always cool quite as well as a 240V mains powered unit. We really love the Subcold Ultra 15 Mini Fridge and think it’s almost the perfect contender for a weekend away. Compressor fridge – this is like your electric fridge at home which uses circulating refrigerant inside which expands to provide cooling. This is great for a car where you can use the cigarette lighter socket, but not so good in your tent when you have a 240V mains hookup.

Hi-Gear 45 Litre Electric Cooler Box powered by 12V in-car

Despite being a decent-sized cool box (storage volume measures 63 x 51 x 42cm), the Eco Deep is portable enough to move around when required. Check the interior of the electric coolbox to see if it’s divided into distinct compartments, especially those that can allow you to slot in additional ice packs if you want to be usable on non-powered day trips. You may pay slightly more than the cheapest Chinese imports (which can often be built in the same factory!The Hi-Gear is also one of the only cool boxes we’ve found which will take a 2 litre bottle of pop standing up – there is a hole built into the underside of the lid especially for this purpose. All cool boxes performed OK, but all the electric cool boxes we tested performed better than passive ones. Vonshef actually suggest 12°C as the minimum temperature which is way off from where we would prefer to be – around 5-6°C.