The Best Overland Fridge Freezer Test

We review the best overlanding fridges / Freezers on the market, including the ARB Zero, Engel Combi, Dometic CFX55, National Luna Legacy, and the Truma.
For the complete article and testing details: expeditionportal.com/the-best...
Our No Compromise Clause: We carefully screen all contributors to make sure they are independent and impartial. We never have and never will accept advertorial, and we do not allow advertising to influence our product or destination reviews.

[@PCHwoods]

This video is underrated and should be the top recommended when people search for fridges to buy. Great job!

[@brainbuster4u744]

I feel like I never seen a thorough comparison of devices in general in a long time on YT. Outside of Consumer reports stuff. Very well done. Thank you for your hard work.

[@warrenpnigel9070]

This deserves way more views. Barely any videos doing a head to head comparison between the top brands.

[@smidee1]

I was looking for road tests. I'm not talking about your weekend warriors. But good information.

[@ThePearfish]

Awesome to finally see a fridge test of the most recent popular fridges compared thank you. Sorry Dometic lost me when the issue having AC and DC inputs connected at the same time was highlighted and they did nothing to remedy it. All they did was apply stickers to the units highlighting the issue. Poor customer service is you ask me. I went with National Luna.

[@nasseral-momen1463]

can you shed some light on the issue ? I have a dometic 95l and don't know anything about this issue

[@lukewatkin7420]

This particular National luna is very efficient when set to fridge temperatures. Utilises on average 0.5ah/h When set as deep freeze on the freezer side expect upwards of 5 x the power consumption. It also fails miserably to achieve set temperatures and maintain temperatures. Hysteresis is the reason according to National Luna.

[@findcameron2563]

This was a beautiful video. Aside from the information I enjoyed watching it overall. Almost like an ASMR video for overlanders

[@ChristianRudio]

Great review and data collection explanation. Thank you!

[@tdsmith]

Excellent reviews!

[@JasonSmith-mb3lc]

Wow thank you so much. This is just what I was looking for.

[@daleswier8429]

Nice review, thanks. I would like to have seen the Snomaster units included in this review, just to see how they compare with other well known and trusted brands. Thanks, stay safe, and happy travels.

[@rednecktech00]

I was sad not to see a Snomaster

[@andrewseeber6664]

Thanks Scott, super useful information like always.

[@ExpeditionPortal]

Thank you, Andrew

[@garyoneill8868]

Great review, thankyou.

[@camronbay1]

I have the ARB elements fridge it really has held up well for me.

[@mahmoodyekaro6030]

love this !

[@heather8761]

Super helpful but I couldn't find where you gave the ah info for the truma. Did you have that info?

[@ReimerKeith]

Is there a US source for the Engel tie down brackets?

[@johnrobie9694]

Really impressive video! That NL has a timeless look though...

[@Bushlove420]

National Luna the boss 🇿🇦

[@jordanepp9467]

Great reviews and comparisons, but no prices mentioned. Also maybe should have been about the same sized fridges?

[@bobwhisenhunt7085]

What are the recommendations for temp on each side?

[@paachi]

Thanks guys. Very useful assessment and as a data junkie I can appreciate the analytical rigor with redundancy measurement. Curious if you had a chance to assess the Snomasters. The CL56D is in my shortlist with the NL50.

[@ExpeditionPortal]

We have tested the Snowmasters in the past, but they did not have an update model that qualified for this review.

[@wildflower5511]

Great review. Can someone please explain what WARM UP HOURS means. Thank you.

[@DADVNTRS]

I’m not 100% sure but what I took away was that once the fridge is powered off…it’s a measurement of how long it takes it to warm back up to 56 degrees.. so it’s a statement to the insulation of each fridge.

[@user-sz8ed7dz1n]

good question

[@robert.j.forrest]

This was an AMAZING video. Question though: Assuming our aim is efficiency, why would the National Luna not get the editor's choice award considering it's low amp/hr rating and insulation performance?

[@lukewatkin7420]

National luna isn’t efficient if temperatures are set below -11*c Their smart compressor runs on high if set cooler then -10*c There’s a reason why National Luna quote their 24h power consumption with the fridge set to -11*c / 4*c

[@robert.j.forrest]

@Luke Watkin Good insight! Any reason why I'd set the freezer that low?

[@margyg]

@@robert.j.forrest -11C is only 12.2 so if you want to set it to a freezer you would set it to -17C. That being said, Icurrently have two NL fridges a 50L dual and a 90L dual. I previously had a 50L dual that I sold with an offroad trailer. I highly recommend NL. The NL fridge bodies have been the same and common for years. they are meant to be repairable. For example, I also had an ARB in the plastic modeled housing. One button on the control panel went out and because they change the style & they don't support repairs, I couldn't get a new control panel for an otherwise perfectly good fridge. It worked fine but the power button didn't work. The only way to turn on or off is by unplugging. I was lucky the temp set buttons still worked. That fridge was moved to another vehicle and I replaced it with the NL 50L dual.

[@tarpontail2750]

Which one is the quietest?

[@cruisecurtis1368]

Why is it so dark? Do you guys need some lights?

[@starshipdriver8536]

Alright , I’m getting the dometic for the cybertruck.

[@rmp5s]

Dometic it is! lol

[@andregreen8040]

Who switched off the lights ? Dark grey fridge on dark unilluminated background ? Some camera work. 👎

[@danielsteinberg7698]

Buy the ARB and you'll never have a problem.

[@mud-dust]

This is a great review. I have one comment. You did not look into repairability. If this is not really important to domestic overlanders, it is a key element when choosing a fridge for International travel. Who can repair my fridge? Where can I find the spare parts? How long will I have to wait? How much tax will I have to pay for shipping them? Once you answer all those questions, you might come to the conclusion that the best fridge for International travel is the National Luna. When I wanted to fit an Engel fridge, this is what Paul Marsh told me. And the best is not always an obvious choice. I would not have picked a plastic fridge for a long-term overlanding expedition. Don’t get me wrong, your review is really fantastic. Just thought it was missing « repairability ». Probably not important for our mates in the US or Australia but definitely important for those roaming Africa and other parts of the World.

[@marcelms4507]

I agree to Mud & Dust Overlanding

[@narongsakthongkaew9112]

Yea I strongly agreed with you. I start from selected ARB fridge freezer Series II 78L.

[@margyg]

As someone who currently owns two NL fridges and previously had another NL that I sold with a trailer I would always go with NL. I also have an ARB that works perfectly fine other than the power button - the only way to turn it on of off is by unplugging. Lucky I can still control temp. However, ARB doesn't support repairs or controller replacement. The timeless and consistent style & same housing means NLs are easily repairable by the end user & NL supports the customer in doing so.

[@mud-dust]

@@margyg I can only agree with you. National Luna is reliable and easily repairable worldwide. This is my fridge of choice