Koolatron Electric Portable Cooler Plug in 12V Car Cooler/Warmer, 18 qt (17 L), No Ice Thermo Electric Portable Fridge for Camping, Travel Road Trips Trucking with 12 Volt DC Power Cord, Gray/White.

We bought this unit primarily for a 3,000 mile, nine-day road trip to Mexico. My daughter’s medication needed to be kept cool on the trip, and we figured this was the most convenient way to do it. Filling coolers with ice gets old very quickly, and not all hotel rooms on our budget have fridges. Selected this model due to (1) price, (2) size: fits perfectly between front seats in our Chevy Venture minivan, and (3) good reviews. We also bought the additional Koolatron 110v AC adapter (model: AC-16). Before the road trip I took it on a 5 day field-test to Moab, UT. Plugged it in the night before we left, put cold perishables (milk, eggs, butter, yoghurt) in it the morning and drove off, with no ice. Everything stayed nice and cold. My overlander has a HD battery, so I even left it plugged in at night without draining the battery. Before we left for Mexico, we did a test-run on the minivan battery: after 8 hrs it drained the 75A battery low enough that it couldn’t start the engine. This was important to know. Therefore, on the road trip we had it plugged in all day long, both while we were driving (6-7 hours per day), and during stops along the way. The longest stop was about 4 hours. Performance was not diminished, even though during the day we would access it frequently for snacks and beverages. At night we took it into the hotel room and plugged it into 110V AC. Therefore, it ran CONTINUOUSLY for 9 days and nights without losing it’s cool! Now, in Mexico, we use it when we go shopping. It is 90+ F here, and we have a 20 min drive from home to the grocery store. Ice cream will even stay firm for several hours in this awesome little unit in a hot car!!! We will continue to use it for shopping, the roadtrip home and then for overlanding trips. UPDATE March 2020: We still have this original Koolatron, and it still works perfectly. In the last 5 years it has been with us on many roadtrips and heaps of off-road adventures. This is one tough and dependable product!!!

Purchased one of these as an upgrade to the non-powered cooler we usually take in the SUV on long trips, and so far, it's been terrific. Construction quality I'd rate as average. It's all plastic, and to be honest, the top cover popped off a few times when opening it - nothing that couldn't be fixed in a few seconds, but really, the quality isn't that much different than a cheap conventional cooler. Still, for the price, it's definitely more than adequate to give years of service if you take care of it. Other positives are a long 12V power cord that will reach just about anywhere in your car, and fairly quiet operation that's barely noticeable unless your car is dead quiet and you're sitting right next to the cooler. I like the overall size and shape - it fits well on the floor behind the front seats where it's easy to reach, even while driving (of course, that depends on your car). Compared to a similar sized non-powered cooler, you get a lot more usable space in this guy because you're not wasting half the capacity on ice or freezer packs...virtually the entire interior can be packed to the brim and it all stays cold. This also makes for a lighter and easier to carry unit. 12-oz cans fit best in this unit. Larger bottles work too, but you'll only get a small number in the Koolatron. If you tend to like bigger items, you might want to look at one of the larger coolers. The good news is that I find that the unit itself is fairly well insulated, so even when you shut the power, it will keep your stuff cold for at least several hours, depending on how hot it gets inside your car. It can also be used to keep food items warm - have to admit I didn't try this mode. The cool vs. heat mode is selected by the way you attach the plug - this is an area that could use a little improvement as it's hard to see in the dark. I could see someone inadvertently getting this backwards After an 1800 mile trip over the past week, I have to say that the Koolatron definitely made a difference, and for the price, it's worthwhile. Absolutely recommended.

I have an issue with the fan not turning. The inside cover rubs on the fan preventing it from turning. I can make it work so I know it will cool ok. I have called koolatron several times and sent email No calls back. Get disconnected. The one time I did get a person I was told 24 hrs to get a call back. Never happened. Ill probably keep it and try to figure something else. 3d print a new cover . If nothing else it makes a nice console for ford transit van. Can store things in it. Good thing I did not pay full price for it.

UPDATE: Still going strong, I use this all the time! It has come in handy so many times and using in both orientations as I mentioned, I had not had any problems. I only wish it were a little wider sometimes so I didn't have to change the orientation of the cooler. ORIGINAL REVIEW: The cooler itself is great. I have had it for over a month now so I can't speak to longevity but the short-term experience has been great. I've used it to store leftovers, I've used it to keep drinks on shorter outings, and to keep food on longer trips. Here are some ideas to help with different setups: (1) Use it with a deep cycle battery to keep it running longer, even overnight while stopped at a campsite, hotel, etc. Personally I would go with one of the Optima YellowTops ( Optima Batteries 8040-218 D35 YellowTop Dual Purpose Battery ) because they are sealed, meaning they have less emissions and can THEORETICALLY (if you know what you're doing) be used in an interior compartment if absolutely necessary. My previous vehicle had one installed in the trunk and my current vehicle had space under the hood. To use it in combination with your existing battery, you could connect both batteries to an isolator like Blue Sea Systems Solenoid SI Series (120A 12/24V ACR) or NOCO IGD140HP Grey 140 Amp High-Performance Battery Isolator and you will ensure that your starting battery doesn't run down and that your cooler runs your deep cycle battery down entirely and you can still start your vehicle with the other battery. (2) Instead of the Koolatron battery saver which does not seem to work for a lot of people, wire the Havis ChargeGuard (an older version is here Chargeguard CG12D ). Look on eB*y for good deals on that. It will keep more than just your cooler and has some nicer features as well. (3) Setup in the trunk of an SUV, leave enough room around the vents and tie the back part of it down with an appropriately-sized bungee cord (with the lid opening facing the back so you can open it normally with the trunk open). The bungee cord goes around the back with enough room that it holds tight and doesn't fly anywhere. This is what I did, and since the car is more likely to come to a sudden stop rather than an obnoxious start, it never moved. It is hidden, out of sight, and always available to store leftovers after a dinner while you spontaneously shop after dinner until you get home. The bonus side of this is that it is secure but also removable to take with you into a hotel room for instance. (4) Of course, I have mine plugged into a 12V receptacle that is wired to a switch in the front so while I am driving, if I decide I am going to stop for food that I will want to cool, I can activate it while driving and it will be cool and ready when I need it. Because it is not hardwired directly and still utilizes it's 12V receptacle, I can still take it with me (see #3 above). (5) If you want to use it indoors with 120V power, don't bother purchasing the overpriced Koolatron adapter, any decent reliable 12V power converter (at least 5 amps or greater) will do (such as Wagan 5 Amp AC to 12V DC Power Adapter or Schumacher PC-6 120AC to 6A 12V DC Power Converter ). I will be using the DC power converter that came with my 5.11 Light For Life (google it). (6) You can also use this on its side (without blocking the vents) so that it opens and stores food almost like a real fridge. It will store leftover containers better this way. Since I mostly store drinks, though, I don't do this.

I purchased this cooler to store my young daughter's insulin when it is hot outside and we are at soccer practice or wherever. She has type 1 diabetes and insulin breaks down (goes bad) over 90 degrees although i've had it spoil in the mid to high 80's. We live in Southeast Texas so it gets very hot. I've now actually used it for other things as well and, so far, have been pleasantly surprised. Size: I initially was just looking for a small one to store medicine, but I couldn't really find a size I liked so for the price I purchased this one. I'm glad I got the bigger size. We have a weekend place about an hour away. If I bring food back/forth, I usually do a small cooler. This weekend I used this cooler instead. It was perfect. I was surprised to fit 1 gallon of milk, a jug of OJ, a package of steaks, a regular sized sour cream, 2 bags of grated cheese and a can of biscuits (plus 2 vials of insulin). The cooler fits nicely in several places in my Tahoe: behind driver or front passenger seats, in between 2nd row captains chairs, between 2nd row captain chair and 3rd row seat or that tiny space between 3rd row seat and rear door/hatch. It is still easy to carry when full and has a nice handle that folds down flat. Function: Example 1: 2 hour soccer practice with outside temp of high 80's. I plugged in the cooler and put in her insulin and a bottle of water (pre refrigerated about 15 min earlier). Turned off the truck. After practice I was amazed at how cool it was inside the cooler. My daughter was happy to have a cold bottle of water and I was happy to have no worries about her insulin temp. Example 2: trip to 2nd house with 1 hour stop. Outside temp was only mid 70's but it was very sunny so inside my black Tahoe I'd guess it was at least 80. Had the food described above, no ice. Arrived at house about 2 1/2 hours later. Then I forgot to take the cooler inside before I spent over 2 hours talking to neighbors. Husband moved cooler to house porch, now unplugged, and it sat there for another 15-20 minutes. I thought for sure my meat would be warm but when we took it all out it was as cold as it was when I out it in there. It is now so nice to not have to remember to grab ice and cooler on hot days out with my daughter or have my food get watered down with melted ice when traveling. Other comments: - I have not measured the temp yet but plan to buy a thermometer to keep inside for reference. - as another reviewer has mentioned, the grill covering the fan does bend in easily and stops the fan. I make sure when packing a truck load that nothing is pressing against the fan grill. - I've not tried the warm function. There is no hot/cold switch. Hot/cold is determined by how the plug I'd inserted. Plug has blue dot and red dot which you line up with an arrow when attaching the plug. I'm a little worried I'll not pay attention and insert it for hot when plugging in. I store the power cord inside the cooler when not in use. - I've never had it running with my truck off for more than about 2 hours. Have not had an issue with my truck battery. Shore up the fan cover and provide a built in thermometer (I'll pay more) for 5 stars.

IMPORTANT: If you plan to use the Koolatron plugged into an electrical outlet, be sure to purchase the Koolatron Multi-Purpose Model AC-15 Adapter (110AC to 12 Volts DC). The adapter is sold separately. Amazon has the best price for the AC-15 adapter. I purchased the Koolatron to use as a way to keep bottled water cold in my office. The unit came as described but it was a bit larger than I was expecting. It is very sturdy except the power cord connection is a bit cheap -- it would have been better if the unit simply had a power plug (rather than the pigtail). The Koolatron works well and my bottled water is icy cold, especially if the bottles are kept close to the fan in the back on the cooler. ONE CAVEAT though: If your room is humid, or you live in a humid area, you WILL need to DEFROST the Koolatron every 3 or 4 days (at least twice a week). The cooling coil at the back of the unit (under the fan) ices up after a few days and the unit won't work as efficiently with it iced up (you might also burn the unit out). I found you can just unplug the unit and leave the top up and after an hour the ice melts. Then just empty the small amount of water and wipe dry. One other small problem is that is is fairly easy for the Koolatron to become unplugged. The electrical cord for the power adapter attaches to a pigtail that hangs out of the back of the unit. It is very easy for the cord to come unplugged (if you move the Koolatron around a lot or trip over the cord) so be careful if you are keeping something perishable in the Koolatron. Note: I have used this unit for a month and have been very happy with it so far. I paid $99 for the Koolatron and $31 for the AC-15 Adapter (sold separately). I will update this review should any problems arise.

FINALLY, one brand who make cold (not cool, not nothing !!) as I bought in a truck stop (small one). The size is perfect: You can put it behind the passenger seat, and it is easy, even you drive, to open it. The size inside too! You can watch my photos: 1 gallon of milk, 1 liter of wine. I do not put more (full) because to keep very cold, the air must pass around the stuff. Always, put a blue ice can and a one bottle water ice (free!) over the side... Like I show you on my photo. I bought an AC power adapter - UPBRIGHT (7A!) too. (NOT THE SAME ON THE AD PHOTOS! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013AV9AG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I plug it, put one blue ice near. And one hour, the fridge was COLD. Of course, it works for COLD or WARM... But I use ONLY for COLD.(blue plug with the arrow together) To cook, I bought (of course at Amazon!)... RoadPro RPSL-350 12V 1.5 Quart Slow Cooker ... It is for! Advantage: It is ceramic, not aluminum (heavy metal = poison in your body) as the pan. + it gets a great lip lock (important when the vehicle move. This fridge is made in CANADA... I bought also a 4 years protection for only $12! Just in case... You never know with the vibrations on the road !... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MF9FFP5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 More peace of mind! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FEUD9OO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I am an expert in finding the best stuff on Amazon. I waste sometimes 2 or 3 days no stop, but I did it! I am little picky!

I've seen several posts about having problems with this product. It's been great for me, as long as I remember how it works. It works using natural convection, not a fan or a huge heat sink like a big block of ice. The fan you hear does not move air in the cooler. It only draws the heat out of the cooling element on the outside. The cooling element on the inside is just cold. Consider if you had a block of ice as small as a stick of butter in the corner of your cooler, that never melts. That is what this is like. There's no cool air circulating in the cooler, it's just sucking heat out from a small area. It will take some time, and if the area at the bottom of the cooling unit is blocked or insulated, the rest of the cooler will eventually get warm. I have a thermometer in an empty cooler that has been running for a couple of hours, and while the outside temperature is 72°F, the inside temperature is 28°F. Yes, below freezing. But if I place insulating items around the bottom of the cooling element, such as boxes of Thin Mints (so good!) then the rest of the cooler won't get nearly so cold. It can stay as hot as 50°F at the far end of the cooler when the cold can't be transferred there. So... as others have said, best place to start is with already-cold items. That will give the cooler its best shot. The next thing to consider is to place liquids and solids that transfer heat closer to the cooling element than boxes of loose items. Boxes that contain a lot of air will insulate the cooling element from the rest of the cooler. Allow as much airflow as possible around items. This will allow natural convection to mix the air as much as possible. (If you happen to have a mechanical engineer in the family who works with heat transfer devices or remembers his fluid dynamics from college, you're golden. :D ) One note: the cooler is not the most insulating thing in the world. It really does rely on the cooler to work for it to keep its temperature. If you keep it in the sun, it will get warm. Good luck! With some practice and planning, this thing will work as advertised, or better. I've had 50°F differences or greater between the outside and inside air.

My old cold chest has the cooler in lid and only the top of the chest got cool. This one has the fan in the centre, and the air circulation is ten times better, the whole compartment gets cold. Also the lid is easier to use as it has no fan and cables built in to it. More expensive than others, but that's 'cos it's better.

Estupenda nevera portatil que viene acompañada con un cable para conectarlo en el mechero del coche, consigues con ello mantener la bebida fria en esas escapadas al rio o la playa con un par de cervecitas.

Our son loved his Christmas present!

Great cooling box, very practical to have while travelling, good cooling function and enough space for 1 or 2 days. I recommend the box!

Have been using this since 2019. Used it to travel across Canada several times as a cooler (it's not a refrigerator). The fan is quiet enough. I have a vehicle voltage display and this drops the voltage by about 0.2 to 0.3 volts while in use. I added wide and flat weather stripping to the lid as I wasn't confident in its ability to keep things cool for any length of time. Once the lid was more airtight, the contents were kept cool for awhile. I like the size as it can fit tall items nicely. The thin width profile means that you'll need to be a bit creative in how you want to fit in various items such as drinks, snacks and medications and I'm pretty happy with the size. The accessory plug isn't always tight and there is no light to indicate that it's on. You need to listen for the fan, feel the lid or see the voltage usage to know that it's properly plugged in. I bought this when it was much, much cheaper. I would still recommend considering the size of items that it can hold. If it cooled a bit better, then that would be nice. UPDATE Well it finally died without any warning, not bad after 5 yrs. I did a continuity check and the power cord is fine. Will disassemble the unit to see what the issue was. I bought (from Amazon) a BougeRV 12 Volt Refrigerator, CRPRO 30. This is a refrigerator, not a cooler. Tested it once bringing some groceries home. Worked better than expected. No more coolers for me.