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Is This New $400 Portable Freezer Worth The Cost?

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

portable freezer

Is This New $400 Portable Freezer Worth The Cost?

BougeRV, a company that specializes in off-grid accessories, recently introduced a new portable freezer that will keep your food and drinks cold no matter where you’re camping. Whether you want extra fridge and freezer space on your extended boondocking trips, or to keep food and drinks in the car on long drives, their new portable freezer proves to be useful in many situations.

The new BougeRV portable freezer

Their new portable freezer can run on 12/24 V DC power in any car, RV, truck, SUV, camper van, or boat. It can also be powered by solar panels, a generator, auxiliary battery, or with a portable power station like the Jackery. It can alternatively run on standard 110/240V power back at home as well.

The unit comes equipped with a 3-level battery monitor to prevent it from draining battery power. You can choose at what battery voltage the fridge shuts off to prevent the battery from draining completely. Once the freezer has reached the set temperature, you can switch the unit to Eco-Saving Mode, which uses only 45W of power, as compared to the 60W on MAX Mode.

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Use it as a portable fridge or freezer

With a temperature range of -4° F to 50°F, the unit can be used as a portable freezer or fridge. Its two-compartment design features a large 40L freezing space and a 10L refrigeration zone to give you the best of both worlds. Cold drinks can be stored in the fridge section while frozen meat and more can fit in the larger frozen compartment.

The fridge has a durable construction built to handle bumpy off-roads with steep inclines or declines. It is made with 35mm thick insulation that will keep your food and drinks cold for a long time even after it is powered off.

There is also a handy LED light in the freezer that makes it easier to locate items if you’re searching for a late-night snack in the dark. The LED display and touch control makes it easy to adjust the unit’s temperature and switch over to power-saving mode.

Each side of the unit has two elastic handles for easy transport. They have also paid special attention to a quality latch on the product design to give it a step up from the other portable freezers on the market with flimsy latches. There is a removable basket built into the design as well that can easily be pulled out for loading.

Portable freezers vs camping coolers

Portable freezers have some great advantages over traditional camping coolers. For example:

  • No ice is required. There’s no need for a portable ice maker, waiting for ice cubes to freeze, or having to purchase bags of ice.
  • This allows you to keep food and drinks cold (or frozen) for longer off-grid trips.
  • You can store items like ice cream and frozen meat.
  • The temperature cannot be adjusted in coolers.

12V freezer specs

The BougeRV portable freezer runs quietly and efficiently with its included AC and DC power cords. The product specs are seen below:

portable freezer

Portable freezer reviews

The first reviews of the BougeRV portable freezer are in and they’re already raving. According to Patricia M. on Amazon,

“We have a mobile food service business that requires holding food items at various temperatures from 12F – 40F. This cooler is well built and sturdy. The handles are secure (almost a little too secure as they are stiff to rotate) and the hinge is nicely fitted. The display panel is bright and easy to read and adjust.

The storage compartment is divided into two sections. One smaller section allows for the storage of items separate from the cooling compartment. The unit is deep and holds a good volume of food. Though a little on the heavier side, it is to be expected given the nature of the cooling unit. It comes with two charging cords, one is for A/C and one is for your car battery. The cooler chills quickly and maintains a reasonable temperature even when unplugged. I would recommend this unit if looking for variable temperature, portable food storage cooler.”

Youtuber HOBOTECH also shared an in-depth review of the BougeRV freezer in this video:

While it is on the expensive end of portable freezers, it is worth the cost for the size, quality construction, and power-saving design. Other portable freezers hold about 35-45 quarts, whereas BougeRV offers more space at 53 quarts with enough room to hold 72 cans of soda, 42 bottles of water, or 14 bottles of wine. They are available now for pre-order on their website and will be for sale on Amazon soon. Shipping begins in October 2020.