ICECO APL55 Portable Fridge Review - A Game Changing Addition To Your Camping Gear
Photo by Jordan Weaver
If you think how I used to, you might believe that a portable fridge is pretty useless and just takes up vital space you could be using to store other camping gear. Well, that all changed when I actually got a portable fridge and realized how the benefits heavily outweighed the cons of having one. After using my APL55 portable fridge from ICECO on multiple camping trips, trail rides, and to events I can say that it probably has turned into my favorite piece of camping equipment. Being able to keep drinks ice cold and bring real meals to cook in the woods without worrying about them going bad or being soggy from ice melting has been amazing.
ICECO APL55 Portable Fridge - Check Price
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First Impressions
When I got my fridge I was immediately impressed with even just the packaging as everything was neat, organized, and protected so that it wasn’t damaged during shipping. Upon my initial inspection, I was also super impressed with the build quality. From the latches to the digital screen, and even the materials everything seemed super sturdy and well put together. It even came with replacement parts for the things that wear down over time like the corner bump plates, latches, and drain plug.
The fridge itself is super well constructed and feels like it was made to handle the abuse it may take from off-roading and tons of camping trips. I personally chose the metallic black finish but the APL55 is also available in a stainless steel finish which is super modern looking. They have a wide range of other models in different sizes and finishes as well. It’s super sleek, but very practical, look gives it a nice appearance without being too bulky even with it’s 55-liter capacity.
My Favorite Features
This fridge is absolutely packed with tons of useful features that even other big name brands don’t have in their more expensive fridges. From someone who has never had a portable fridge though, there were some key features that stood out to me and helped me choose the ICECO one.
Dual Zone Flexibility
The APL55 is called a fridge or a freezer because it can actually do both. Alongside this, it has dual-zone functionality which essentially means that you can control the temperature of each compartment, or side, independently, meaning that you can use one side as a fridge and the other as a freezer, or set both sides to the same function. This is awesome because it gives you the flexibility to store things for shorter or longer trips and not have to worry about freezing your drinks accidentally.
It has a wide temperature range from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees so you can get the ideal temperatures for cold drinks or keeping food frozen.
It Fits Perfectly in my Tacoma
One of my biggest issues is space when packing up my truck for a camping trip, which is initially what kept me from getting a fridge in the first place. What I really liked about the APL55 is that it is big enough to keep everything I need for around 3 days but also fits perfectly in the backseats when I fold the seats down. This was a huge bonus because it means I don’t have to use up any of my truck bed space so I can still haul larger things in the bed. With a cooler, I wasn’t actually able to do this as I would put the cooler in the bed.
Having the fridge inside the cab also provides easy access so I can get drinks on long drives or when I’m setting up camp. It basically eliminates the need to unload everything just to grab something out of the fridge.
App Controlled
Another awesome thing is that you can completely control the fridge with the ICECO app. This has been awesome paired with my EcoFlow Delta 2 which also is controlled via an app so that I can adjust the fridges temperature and see how much power it’s drawing all from my phone in the front seat or sitting around the camp fire.
Energy Efficient
Speaking of power and energy, I was also super suprised with how efficient the APL55 is. When powered with my EcoFlow Delta 2, I have ran the fridge for around 32 hours and still had battery in the power bank to spare. I have noticed that it roughly draws around 1% every hour.
One tip I can give you to make sure it draws as little power as possible is to fill up the fridge with your food and drinks and pre-chill it the night before or at least a few hours before your camping trip. This was you can unplug it before leaving and get it set up in your vehicle and it’s already cold. This ensures that the compressor doesn’t need to constantly be running to cool it down, it’s just maintaining the temperature.
Easy to Organize
This fridge is also super easy to organize. It comes with a divider (for the dual zone) which is easily removed and also comes with custom sized baskets you can use to organize your food, drinks, and anything else you want to keep cool. Since I keep the fridge in my back seat, I do notice if the fridge isn’t completely full that these can be a little noisy over bumpy roads but it’s not too bad as the fridge is pretty well insulated. If it does bother you too much, you can always remove them.
APL55 Detailed Specifications
Now that I’ve told you what I think about the APL55, here are some of the specifications from ICECO:
Capacity: 55 Liters
Power Input: 12/24V DC, 11-240V AC, and solar power compatible
Temperature Range: -4 degrees - 68 degrees (Farenheit)
Weight: 48 lbs
Dimensions: 28.3” x 18.1” x 17.3”
Photo by Jordan Weaver
Real-World Testing and Performance
I have used the ICECO APL55 in a handful of camping and road trips and have gotten to test it mainly in dusty and hot temperatures and it has performed flawlessly. When temperatures were at their highest, the fridge was able to keep its content cold without draining too much additional battery life from my power station. When it got cooler, the power consumption did obviously lessen though as expected.
As far as being able to handle being bounced around on rough trails, it performed great and didn’t cut off or give any warnings. I also had glass bottles stored inside with the fridge not all the way full and they made it to the campsite without a scratch. I did notice however, you will need a way to strap the fridge down. Since I keep it in the backseat with the seats folded down, the surface is a bit slippery and the fridge can slide around a lot. I used Rollercam straps to secure it down by the handles and haven’t had any issues since.
As far as portability, this model is a little bit on the heavier side. It can be a little difficult to move by yourself if you have things inside of it but when empty it’s not too bad in terms of weight. The size can be a little bit of an issue putting it into a Tacoma though as the doors aren’t very big.
Portable Fridge vs a Cooler
After having now used both a portable fridge and a cooler I can easily say that a portable fridge wins if you expect to be doing longer camping trips. On the other hand, I do still think that there is a place for coolers as you just can’t beat the ruggedness and portability they offer especially if you invest in a nicer one.
One of the main selling points for me on why a portable fridge is better for longer trips is that you don’t have to deal with worrying about your ice melting and causing a big mess. There’s nothing worse than waking up ready to cook breakfast after a nights sleep while camping and realized that most of your ice had melted and gotten into your food and ruined some of it. With a portable fridge like the ICECO APL55, you don’t have to worry about that at all.
Final Thoughts
Portable fridges like the ICECO APL55 are a game changer for overlanding, camping, van life, and so much more. The APL55 is a fantastic fridge that provides you with great power consumption, easy portability, and tons of useful features to make your camping trips that much easier and more comfortable. I highly recommend checking it out for your next adventure whether you’re heading into the mountains for a weekend or spending weeks on the road.
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