THE BODEGA COOLER PORTABLE CAR FRIDGE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS & REVIEW

Source:https://trail4runner.com/ | By Ryan L

INTRODUCING THE BODEGA COOLER PORTABLE CAR FRIDGE – A MORE AFFORDABLE PORTABLE DUAL ZONE FRIDGE FOR YOUR RIG

Car refrigerators are definitely a luxury item to have out on the trails. By the time you’ve equipped your rig with the essentials, the last thing you may want to do is spend another $1000+ on one. Luckily, you no longer have to spend quite that much in order to keep your food and drinks ice cold. The Bodega Cooler portable car fridge gives you all the convenience you need, at a reasonable cost.

Bodega Cooler offers several sizes in their TWW line. It ranges from the 35L that we’ll be taking a look at here, all the way up to a massive 75L variant. Every model offers durable construction and is designed for use both as a dedicated car fridge or to be brought along like a traditional cooler.

Find It Online:

• Bodega Cooler Car Fridge (TWW35): Check Price
• Bodega Cooler Auxiliary Detachable Battery: Check Price

ADVANTAGES OF A CAR FRIDGE

For the occasional day trip, most people may just opt to fill a cooler with ice. Prior to having a baby, this is what I would do, but then our needs changed. Now, we have perishables that need to be stored at properly maintained temperatures. This is something that a cooler just can’t do; whether it’s a cheap Rubbermaid one or a top-of-the-line Yeti.

Another major factor is size and weight. With a cooler, you’ll need ice, which also takes up valuable space. In turn, you end up needing a 65L cooler for 40L worth of food and drinks. As a dad and designated carrier of all things, the Bodega Cooler portable car fridge is much easier to transport.

The one downside to a refrigerator over a cooler is obvious – if you plan on taking your food to a beach or away from a power source, a cooler is usually the way to go. That is, however, until I came across a game-changing feature of the Bodega TTW35 portable car fridge.

WHAT BODEGA COOLER OFFERS

Boedga Cooler is fairly new to the game, but they’ve come out swinging. They offer a range of refrigeration and cooler products to suit everyone’s needs. I’m not sure I’ve seen a brand offer such a diverse product line ranging from cooler bags to wine refrigerators, and everything in between.

They really strive to provide as much value as possible without drastically sacrificing quality. With the use of high-quality compressors in all of the refrigerators (which are their life’s blood), they are perfect for recreational use.

Bodega Cooler offers a 24-month warranty on its fridge compressors and accessories.

THE TWW SERIES

While I can’t seem to find a definite distinction between the product lines, I’ll refer to the TWW Series as their adventure line of refrigerators. We’ll be reviewing the 35L model, aptly named the TWW35.

Every size model in this line offers dual zone cooling where you can set independent temperatures and has mobile app control. There is a large retractable handle and large wheels for easy transport, so no more bending over to grab a small grab handle while dragging tiny wheels.

The TWW Series can cool down its smallest compartment from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 32 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 15 minutes. Regardless, it’s always advised to pre-chill any car refrigerator prior to using it.

What really intrigued me about this line is that they feature an optional detachable battery pack. The battery pack inserts flush into a dedicated slot on the bottom of the fridge and claim to have an 8-10 hour run time. You can leave the battery pack installed full-time, and it will automatically charge whenever the fridge is plugged into a power source.

Once an external power source is disconnected, the fridge will automatically switch to battery power; that’s slick!

I really look forward to using this feature when we go to parks and want to bring the fridge with us. Previously, I would need to lug both a portable fridge and a power source to keep it running.

SPECS

• Operation: 100-240V / 12V / 24V
• Dimension: 23.62×15.75×17.32 inches
• Fridge Capacity: 37 Quart（35L）
• Left Zone / Right Zone: 25.69 Quart / 10.63 Quart
• Item Weight: 39.2 pounds
• Refrigeration Range: -4ºF~68ºF
• Noise Level: <42dB
• Rated Power Input: 90W
• Rated Current: AC 1.5A-2.7A , DC 6.0A(12V) / 3.0A (24V)

FEATURES

In the box, you get both an AC power adapter and a 12V DC power cord for your vehicle. They even include a small detachable cutting board that integrates directly into the lid.

On that note, the lid’s opening direction is also reversible without the use of any tools. I actually needed this feature because out of the box, the lid’s opening direction wasn’t suitable for my trunk space.

On the inside, there are two different-sized compartments with removable baskets. The smaller one is intended to be the freezer side, but you can set the larger one to those temperatures as well if you need to. There is a drain hole in the larger one as well, should something spill. Each compartment has interior LED lighting, which is a nice touch!

The controls are simple, and you can set your temperatures with just a couple of clicks. There is a mobile app for temperature control, although I couldn’t seem to get my fridge connected to it. This isn’t a big deal to me, as I’ll always be within a few feet of the fridge anyways.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With regard to built quality and features, I think it is an excellent value that is perfect for my weekend-warrior type use.

Sure, the mobile app controls are unreliable and there could be better tie-down points for securing it in transit; but those are things that I can live without in exchange for the money savings to actually fill the fridge with food.

If you’ve been searching for a car fridge this Summer season, I’d recommend taking a look at Bodega Cooler. As I mentioned earlier, there’s an option for nearly everyone, and more affordable models if you don’t need many bells and whistles.