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.

We bought this cooler for several long, cross country car trips we had planned with the kids. It does a good job of keeping drinks and snacks cool. Cools drinks down to about 40 degrees or so. Make sure to plug it in at least 24 hours ahead of time in your house so that it has time to cool down. So far we have used this cooler for about 60 or 70 hours of drive time and it has worked perfectly. Today I pulled it out and found that it STOPPED WORKING!! It would heat up but the cooling fan did not turn. Boy was I furious, as we have barely used this only a couple of times. I started looking into the warranty, and then the engineer/mechanic in me said take it apart and see if it can be repaired. So that's what I did. Using a #2 square bit, took the two screws out of the bottom and popped off the rear cover. Easily found the problem once the rear cover was removed. The power connector to the cooling fan had been jarred loose. I reconnected the connector, wrapped it in a little electrical tape so it woudnt come lose again, and now the cooler works like new again. So in conclusion, my cooler needed a very minor repair. It's a 5 star product, but I will give it 4 stars for the hassle of fixing it. Most people would just have thrown it away or attempted a warranty repair with the manufacturer, so I am glad that I took the rear cover off to see that it was a very simple fix of just plugging the small fan connector back in.

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.

2013-08-07 update: This unit is still going strong. If kept running, it keeps drinks cold even on a 100 degree day under the tarp of my boat. On these days, it will be a little noticeably warmer but not much. I've put water bottles / jugs left out in the sun in here and it will start to make a decent dent in how warm it is within an hour. Oh yeah, I also backed over it with the car and it still works! I noticed that this was happening and stopped, and only hit the side without electronics, but still, it works. Update 1 (see initial impressions below): I received this during my lunch break and plugged it in to try it out. I threw a couple of beers in (already cold), fired it up, and headed back to the office. I got home eager to see the results. I opened it to get a blast of warm air. Yep, I had it in warming mode by accident. An important note: WARM VS COOL IS SELECTED VIA THE POLARITY OF THE POWER PLUG. It is fairly obvious if you know this, just keep the blue or red dot aligned with the arrow. However, its easy to miss if you don't know. Needless to say, the beers I put in were almost too hot to pick up. They say not to leave the unit in hot mode for more than 45 minutes as the plastic can warp, but I noticed no ill effects. It's actually nice to know it worked as well as it did. As a note, the power draw (of the 12 volt AC to DC adapter) was down from 60+ to about 47 watts, for whatever that's worth. Since getting home, I've had it in cool mode but empty. It is cold now. I'll post an update with some temperature and power draw measurements once I actually use it to cool some stuff. I'll put some pop in tonight and try it in the morning. Original Review (initial impressions): I recently purchased a boat and quickly have grown tired of buying ice each time I head down to it. The first couple of times, it's no big deal, but being greeted with warm beer and water each time unless you make a stop first has definitely grown tiring. I had actually planned on getting an electric cooler eventually since day one, but after several bags of ice it was definitely time. It was a little hard to decide what to get, with all the choices. I considered getting one of the larger models for not too much more, but in the end decided those would be unwieldy and this would be a nice medium. Just received this on my lunch break, so I've yet to try it on the boat. The 12 volt plug is a piggyback type, so it doesn't block your outlet. In addition, it has another outlet on the unit itself, so you actually gain an extra outlet. I plugged this into a 12 volt AC-DC adapter. It is the quietest electric cooler I have ever heard, barely audible. The last one my parents had was not loud, but definitely made a noticeable amount of white noise. I don't really think this will be a big deal on a boat, but it is a nice touch. According to my watt meter, it draws about 60 watts from the AC outlet. I don't know if this number changes as it cools down. At this rate, operating continuously with a power rate of $0.10 per kWh, it will cost $4.32 to operate per month. Not too bad. The unit itself seems well made. This unit is actually made in Canada. I try to buy US made wherever I can, but that is next to impossible for most items as we simply don't manufacture here anymore. I'd MUCH rather buy something from our friends to the north than something made in China if I can at all help it for sure.

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.

When travelling, we wanted something we could put in the center rear passenger area to get cold drinks and snacks during a trip. This performs this task very well, provided you give it sufficient time to cool. We purchased an AC adapter for it (not theirs, but one referenced in another review) and cooled it the day before the trip, so when we left, the drinks were cool. If you don't mind waiting about 4 hours, you could let the drinks cool during the trip. It's very quiet (we never notice it) and a good value for the money.

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.