Credit: https://nuttyhiker.com
What I am Reviewing
I was so excited when BODEGA reached out to me to review their BODEGA Electric Camping Cooler. I have seen these plug-in coolers in my newsfeed, but always thought they were a gimmick (spoiler alert, they aren’t). Today I get to share my review of the BODEGA model T60 which is a 64 Quart dual zone 12v camping cooler.
Specs at a Glance
Dual Zone: Yes
Capacity: 64 Quart
Left Zone / Right Zone Capacity: 36 Quart / 28 Quart
Temperature Zone: -4~68℉
Dimension: 28.5 x 14.1 x 21.6 inches
Item Weight: 47.2 pounds
App Control: Yes
Wattage: MAX MODE 60W & ECO MODE 45W
Rated Current: AC 1.5A-2.7A , DC 6.0A(12V) / 3.0A (24V)
Power Supply Modes: Three (solar/battery bank, vehicle, or home outlet)
Testing Conditions
We ended up testing this in three different ways:
Home: We wanted to make sure it worked as advertised before heading out into the wilderness. Our inside temperature stayed a constant 75 degrees. It cooled down quickly and worked as expected. For the sake of this review, we will focus on while it was plugged into our truck and also while we were camping and it was plugged into a power bank.
Truck: We had a long drive ahead of us driving from Central Texas to Western New Mexico. We decided to plug the cooler into the bed of the truck while we were driving so we could have cold drinks and snacks along the way. It was the beginning of July and temperatures in the bed of the truck matched the outside temperature of lower 100s.
Solar Power with Battery Bank: We took some solar panels as well as a battery bank with us to plug the cooler in while we were camping since there was no electricity at any of the campsites. The high temps were mid-80s and lows in the mid 50’s.
What I Liked
Multiple Ways to Power it – I love the fact that we could power the BODEGA Electric Camping Cooler in three different ways. Plugging it into the truck while driving was super useful and of course, being able to plug it into a battery bank while camping was where it became the most important!
Dual Zone: We really like the fact that it has dual zones, meaning you can keep refrigerated items on one side and frozen items on the other. You can also remove the divider and make it all just refrigerator or all freezer.
Easy to maneuver: With a cooler this size it can be a little tricky to maneuver, but the wheels and folding handle make moving it a breeze.
App control: At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d like having an app, but it actually came in pretty useful if we wanted to check the temperatures and/or make adjustments while in the tent. Not an app lover? No worries, you can control the cooler completely without the need to download the app. I need to point out, however, if you wish to use the app you will need to set it up where you can connect to WiFi. Once it is set up, wifi is not needed.
Cools quickly: It cools down rather quickly which was a nice surprise.
What to Improve
Larger Wheels: I think larger wheels would be a nice touch and allow you to move it over all sorts of terrain.
Lower the height: We were unable to close our bed cover while the cooler was in the bed of the truck. It was about 2″ too tall and a complete bummer since we were driving 700 miles and all our stuff was in the back of the truck. It ended up raining on the way and because we couldn’t close the bed cover all the way, our stuff got wet. It would be easy to keep it at the same capacity by reducing the height and increasing the width.
Overall Impression of the BODEGA Electric Camping Cooler
Overall we give the Bodega Electric Camping Cooler 4 stars! It cooled fast and worked great at keeping our drinks ice cold while traveling to our campground and while at our campground. The controls are easy to read. We love the fact that it is not only dual zones but can be configured in multiple ways to meet your needs.
The wheels are a nice touch allowing you to move it around easily and the app allows you to keep an eye on it while you’re in your tent.
Our only real complaint is the height which is just a couple of inches too tall to fit in the bed of a truck with the bedcover on.
Our Final Answer: Yes, we would recommend the BODEGA Electric Camping Cooler!
