When you think of fridges and storing all of those amazing snacks, fresh foods, and meats you may not immediately thing about the size and shape of what it is your going to use to keep it all at the right temperatures. But this can certainly come into play depending on your space availability and the overall set up along with your camping style and range of time you may be out and about for adventures. There is a whole varied market of different fridges, freezers, fridge / freezer combos, 12V and 24V fridges and even just the plain old ice box which can all do similar things, but also all have their own outstanding features that others may not have. When it comes to size and shape,
there is also a variation here as some are ultra-compact and lightweight, and others are much bulkier but have the ability to carry much more contents for all types of 4WDing and camping adventures.

Upright Fridges are used in many different ways and have a different style completely to other 12V fridges as they stand freely and open from a door at the front where items are accessible with much more available viewing. Just like your fridges at home this style generally has shelving and looks just like a mini version of your kitchen standard or mini bar fridge stashed away in the shed. But what are the actual benefits and downfalls of having an upright cooler in your vehicle or camper set up?

Pros
– Upright fridge design meaning the interior is home to a shelving system which allows you to easily pack and view all food and drink items, making it quicker and easier for packing or simply retrieving items as they are required.
– Food saving comes with the viewing ability as nothing is left at the bottom of the fridge to go rotten, as seeing it usually means eating it!
– Upright design means you utilise space from floor to ceiling in fashion inside your vehicle when space of a top opening fridge would be wasted in this sense or have to be moved for access.
– Reversible doors allow for multiple mounting options and also personal preference allowing the door to open from either side you are more comfortable with.
– Separate freezer to keep certain items frozen or much cooler than others in the standard chiller area.
– Sleek design and solid mounting options to keep safe and secure while looking the part and being well protected from the tough built exterior.
– You’ll stand out from the crowd with something that differs from the standard 4WD inclusions.

Cons
– Upright fridges may be slightly larger in overall size and therefore a bit heavier than other options.
– These fridges may be more of a permanent fixture and are not designed to be moved around daily to suit your campsite or adventuring needs.
– Will need to have a permanent spot set in your vehicle to securely use the L-bracket mounting system.
– If mounted at the rear of your vehicle, it may require exiting the vehicle to open the door and access any items while moving along the road as you will not swing the door unless you have hardly anything else packed in around it and the door is mounted to open into the vehicle not out of the vehicle which is not a very user-friendly option.

Chest fridges have long been the most common option for cooling food items when away from the home, where the fridges normally open at the front instead. However, if you think back to every esky or ice box you have every owned, the normally open from the top in a chest fridge style, and such this has been the design favourite for a long time for all types of adventures and applications. But now comes the questions of what are the benefits of having a chest fridge which opens from the top only?

Pros
– As it is the long-known favourite style, you’ll be easily part of the crowd with a chest style fridge just like everyone around you!
– If you have a dual zone option, the internal compartments are quite often split into large sections which means you will have close to equal space of both refrigerated and frozen goods.
– These are generally super light weight when empty, and easy to manoeuvre to suit your space requirements which may change on the daily.
– Being lightweight means that they do not need to be so much of a permanent fixture, and can be easily removed, or taken to the shed for some extra cool room storage as needed.
– Also, courtesy of their lighter weight, the tie down options are much quicker as they can easily be secured with fridge straps rather than solid mounted brackets to keep them safe and secure.
– There is no hiding the fact that the most common use for a horizontal fridge when it is not opened is that of extra seating! A perfect place to rest your bum when you want to get 5 mins away from the slouch of a camping chair, or stop someone from getting to the drinks, whichever way you look at it.
– Not just good for seating, but newly designed reversible lids make extra space for cutting or using as a table when out and about.

Cons
– The biggest downfall here is storage inside your vehicle, as once you have something placed on top of your fridge you may not be able to access it without unpacking some of your gear.
– You may need to add extra accessories to your vehicle just so you can access what is hidden on the inside of your 12V chest fridge, as you may not be able to reach the lid and interior properly due to the size and height of your vehicle or where you have it mounted
– Not always available as a dual zone capacity, meaning you may have to settle for one temperature or another, instead of splitting it and having frozen as well as chilled items

Conclusion
Both 12V Upright fridges and 12V Chest Fridges have there many pros and cons. So what really determines which fridge is better is dependent  on your and your specific setups needs, so hopefully this article has helped you decided which fridge suits you best. However if you’d like some more assistances or would like to check out these fridges for yourself head into to your local 4WD Supacentre and chat to our friendly staff!