Bushman Fridges
12V 4WD Canopy Fridges Buying Guide
Searching for the best 12V fridge for your 4x4 canopy or 4WD setup? We’ve compiled a simple guide to help you choose the portable fridge that’s right for your 4WD or 4x4 canopy. From weighing up the pros and cons of upright vs a chest fridge, to mounting and ventilation how-to’s, our 4WD Canopy Fridges Buying Guide will help you find the perfect cooling companion to accompany you off-road or in your daily travels.
How to choose a 4x4 canopy upright fridge
When selecting a portable fridge for your 4×4 canopy, there are generally two options to consider – mounting an upright fridge in the back, or a chest fridge that can either be freestanding or attached to a fridge slide. An upright fridge is like a small version of your home fridge, allowing you to see and easily access all your food and drinks, while a chest fridge is similar to a traditional chest freezer, with food and drinks stored in stackable baskets on top of each other.
What’s the best 4×4 12V canopy fridge, upright vs chest?
Here’s a quick guide to the pros and cons of installing an upright fridge in your 4×4 canopy. We’ve directly compared the benefits of an upright fridge to the traditional chest fridge on a fridge slide.
Advantages of upright
- Much easier to access food and drinks
- A bigger volume for the spac
- Significantly less weight
- No fridge slide required
- Less expensive overall
The benefits of an upright fridge for a 4wd canopy are easy to see. Your food and drinks will be easier to access, and you’ll have more fridge volume for the area it takes up. An upright fridge will also weigh a lot less than a chest fridge on a slide too – not to mention the cost savings. It’s for these reasons that we are seeing a lot more Bushman upright fridges being installed into canopies.
Although it is also worth understanding the disadvantages an upright fridge has over a chest fridge freezer so you can make the right decision for your needs.
Disadvantages of upright
- Less temperature control
- Requires more ventilation
- Requires defrosting more often
- Needs to be packed more carefully
The first main difference between a chest fridge and an upright fridge is the cooling capabilities. A chest fridge is designed as a fridge or freezer, so you can set the fridge to any temperature all the way down to -18. Whereas an upright fridge is designed to sit around 4-5º. So no matter how far you turn the thermostat down, your drinks wont get to 1º.
In general terms an upright fridge also requires more careful packing and more maintenance. By placing all your jars, bottles and cans in plastic tubs, you will stop them moving around during transit. And once a month or so, depending on use and weather conditions, you may need to defrost the freezer.
And finally, the third main difference is the amount of ventilation they will require. For example, and 85L upright fridge will require proportionally more free air flow than a 45L chest fridge.
Advantages of chest fridges
- Precise temperature control
- Can easily be removed from vehicle
- Less ventilation needed
- Can operate as a true deep freezer
Chest fridges allow greater temperature control than an upright fridge, as temperatures can drop to as low as -18. This means your chest fridge will always stay icy cold and can operate as either a fridge or as a deep freezer. Chest fridges are truly portable and due to their cooling system design, less ventilation is required, so they can fit easily in almost any vehicle and in tight spaces and still operate efficiently. Many customers choose to have both an upright fridge and a smaller chest fridge freezer as part of their 4×4 setup, as this provides the most flexibility and extra cold storage for longer trips.
Disadvantages of chest fridges
- Not as easy to access food and drink
- Heavier than an upright fridge
- Requires a fridge slide or drop slide for better access
- All up, costs are generally more expensive
More like a traditional esky, the internal configuration of a chest fridge means your food and drinks are not as easy to reach as the vertical layout offered in an upright fridge, that’s more like your fridge at home. Chest fridges are generally heavier than an upright fridge, and if a fridge slide or drop slide is required, take up more space and are more expensive overall.
How to mount or install an upright fridge
There are a few different ways you can mount an upright fridge:
- Use a Bushman fridge box. We have partnered with TLX Engineering in Perth to build custom made and heavy duty aluminium fridge boxes for our DC65-X, DC85-X and DC130-X 12V fridges. Each fridge box is designed with the correct amount of ventilation and will keep your fridge safe and secure.
- Build a custom cavity. And use the supplied mounting kit. This is a neat and tidy option, with most customers choosing to build their cavity from timber. When building a cavity, be sure to allow plenty of free air-flow and ventilation to the compressor area
- Keep the fridge freestanding. And use your own brackets. Both sides of our DC-X series fridges are sheetmetal and it is safe to drill up to 20mm deep into either side. Depending on your fridge placement and what access you have will determine what kind of brackets you will need. We recommend using a minimum of 4 screws on each side of the fridge to spread the load using short (15mm) sheet metal screws, or you can get technical and use threaded nut inserts. We have customers that have made up simple brackets from steel, aluminium and even timber. With this option, ventilation is almost always excellent, just be sure to keep the compressor area protected.
Fridge ventilation and 4x4 canopy insulation
Ventilation is the most important thing to consider when installing an upright fridge in a 4×4 canopy.
If your canopy is made from metal, is fully sealed and parked in the sun on a hot day, it will act like an oven. And if the ambient temperature climbs over 40º, your canopy could be 50˚+ and then your fridge will be working flat out trying to stay cold. So when designing your canopy, think about the environment you are putting your fridge into and be sure to allow sufficient free air flow in and out of the fridge area and canopy at all times.
The most efficient installations we see are alloy canopies in white, with either a roof top tent or panel insulation inserted into the ceiling and sides as this significantly reduces the radiant heat getting into the canopy. Positive pressure vents are another option that allow air to flow through the canopy when parked, but block dust getting in when your are underway.
For detailed minimum ventilation requirements, please download the DC-X Series owners manual from the product page, or contact us for a chat.
What size canopy fridge should I choose?
At Bushman, you’ll find the perfect fridge for your 4×4 canopy or 4WD. Our fridges range in size from 15L to 130L. If you’re unsure what size works best for you, we recommend measuring your canopy first to see how much space you have. When you measure the height, remember to measure the height of the door opening, not the total internal height. Alternatively, as a general guide, many of our customers choose the below Bushman fridges for these common 4×4 setups:
4X4 Canopy + upright fridge: The Bushman DC85-X is our go-to fridge for the majority of 4×4 canopies. At 85 litres, it’s the goldilocks size – not too big for everyday use, not too small for trips away. And with an oversize cooling unit, it performs extremely well in a canopy setup.
4X4 canopy + chest fridge freezer: The Original Bushman fridge 35L-52L is a popular choice, mounted on a fridge slide for easier access. This fridge is truly portable and can be removed from the canopy when camping or at home.
4X4 canopy + extra drinks fridge or small freezer: The Bushman Roadie 15L is becoming a more integral part of our customers builds. As a 15-litre fridge or freezer, it provides extra flexibility for weekends away or longer trips. Often the Roadie is kept inside the main vehicle in a footwell, as a centre console or in the middle of the back seat as an armrest so it is on hand at all times.
