Van Life Refrigeration New Isotherm 12 Volt Fridge/ Freezer

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Hey everyone! I’m Nate. I live the van life full time out of a Nissan NV200 self built camper conversion. In this video I show off my new 12 volt fridge and discuss why I chose the Isotherm Cruise 49. Please like, subscribe, and feel free to ask any questions below!
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[@matterhorn1975]

Absolutely love my Cruise Elegance 49L that along with the Maxxair fan is by far the best appliance I have bought for the camper, I was abit hesitant spending £550 on the fridge, but now I have used it for a for months I would happily pay £800 for it. A truly fantastic fridge freezer.

[@kellydoyle]

To help maintain the temp in the upright fridge with a little less power usage- freeze a water bottle or ice pack then put it in the fridge. Freeze another then replace the one in the fridge and keep switching back and forth. I did that when I was having an issue with my upright fridge and it actually helped maintain the temperature.

[@ScubaSteveCanada]

Yes, I did the same but, for the amount of money these frigs cost, better insulation is necessary. Placing a frozen item to keep the frig at temp is also eating up valuable frig space for actual food. I removed mine and replaced it with an ARB frig/freezer instead.

[@KatyInNH]

Cool!😎. There is a device on Amazon called SensorPush. It is $50, it allows one to monitor Temperature and humidity via Bluetooth and samples once a minute. It has definitely saved me money because I don’t have to wonder about my fridge temperature history. It will show data in graphic form and save the data in the sensor while away and can be accessed upon return. They also have a separate internet gateway if you want to check it on the web.

[@ElementLife]

That sounds like an awesome tool! I'll have to check them out.

[@KatyInNH]

Element Van Life They are very small also, so don’t take up much room. I actually have two that I use- one that stays in the fridge and the other floats to various spots.

[@stephaniesmythe8449]

congrats on your new fridge, looks like it will serve you well. Enjoy!

[@calmdown3132]

Lol that happens to me all the time. Never fails...I throw stuff out and a few days later I find a need for it. The ironies of life...

[@felixcat9318]

That sure is a lovely little fridge/freezer you've installed, being able to have ice cubes and to keep a supply of your favourite ice cream improves the quality of life, even in winter. Whilst compact, its got a reasonable sized freezer compartment (for its overall size) and appears to be well designed for its purpose. Being a top quality manufacturer you're unlikely to have any problems. Thanks for the video, the scenes of the low laying fog over the bridge was beautiful.

[@chuckvan1961]

From a GTRV Metris owner we love the GTRV videos. Enjoy the fridge

[@Jesse-sz3xp]

It's the little things in life, like having ice :P

[@bonesonstones1]

I marvel at your and Shannon's planning skills, what a great new little kitchen you built! Hope the new fridge works out long term.

[@1frogass1]

Get a thermometer with a remote, they are very cheap, you will not have to open the door as much. And you can monitor it constantly

[@vince4316]

Yo Nate brother...you really should splice those wires with heat shrink but connectors. Just a thought. The fridge and kitchen setup is awesome!!

[@Wilbure]

crimp connectors would be even better

[@RippSnortin]

Solder and shrink tube is EVEN better.

[@wfm5121954]

A man who loves to cook deserves to have the best equipment. You just gave me an idea. A fridge would be the perfect remedy for keeping food cold or frozen while I drive to and from my place. I'm always concerned with keeping food fresh. Necessity is the mother of invention. Thanks for the great idea. Your new fridge looks great!

[@RippSnortin]

Great for weekly food shopping too!

[@webbtrekker534]

I recognize that rest area. That is the Lone Sailor statue monument. Many people don't understand it but those of us who have served in the Navy get it. Been there, done that! It is a nice place with great views..

[@bjbhehir]

I sailed under the Golden Gate bridge on the USS Enterprise CVN 65 many time.

[@SuperDeut4]

REALLY NICE! All the comforts of home in a small cozy economical van that can easily stealth. Really nice! Enjoy.

[@jillk2316]

Your place is amazing. I love how your always making things better and having your travels ta boot.

[@JaniceLalla]

A huge game changer for you!

[@cheddar2848]

Very nice fridge. 👍👍

[@karinhart489]

So what are you going to do with the little dometic fridge now that you’ve upgraded?

[@timshel011]

I'm liking the fridge. Keep us in the know. Doesn't Shannon have a fridge also? I hope to see more of that setup... Thanks for the video.

[@Wilbure]

moving up in the world mate looks like a great addition to the van. grab yourself one of those cheap digital magnetic thermometers from ebay or amazon - battery operated little digital readout screen that can attach to the outside of the fridge door magnetically with a small temp probe on a wire that you can run inside the fridge (the door seal should seal around the wire as its pretty low gauge) - you'd be able to see your fridge temp at a glance and adjust the fridge settings when you need to to maintain a chosen temp while minimising power use!

[@ShakeitlikeaCaveman]

same here man. been rockin the top load fridge for a while. its tuff to come up with a design to accomodate. really looking forward to the vertical door fridge. thinkn im goin for the isotherm too. and +1 on the ice cubes stoked bout that too. keep jammin.

[@davidhobbins3636]

Fridges are cool!

[@RonInAVan]

Nice setup, simplifying our life is great, but sometimes it’s nice to have a few simple pleasures...like ice cubes 👍🏻😊

[@NathanBerryNC]

Hi Nate! I'm loving this new setup. It is looking good, bro!

[@susanweistart8980]

You’ve come a long way! So cool to see.

[@TheFreedomVan]

Welcome back to SoCal! Glad u like ur fridge setup so much !

[@jamesgill5511]

You're really gonna want to secure the fridge with a little more than the screws on just one side of the face. In the event of a panic stop that thing is likely to break loose and get damaged. Best bet if possible, since the fridge faces the way it does, would be to remove the bolts from the isolation feet on the bottom and replace them with longer bolts that can come up through the platform the fridge rests on.

[@highonsmog]

If you fill the fridge with more (already) cold products, you will have an easier time keeping fridge at temp, since it works less hard. Empty spaces fill up with warm air every time you open it, so this strategy minimizes it. Yet, you do need airflow, so I dunno how this theory works exactly.

[@Stevenowski]

@ highonsmog 2nd Law of Thermodynamics!

[@FRIGOLAB_Cold_Technology]

IndelB are great products.

[@Stevenowski]

NOW is the best time to leave San Francisco!

[@alangillette4699]

Where is that RV park that’s beach side?

[@raymonddriggers]

Dude you need to try out for doing commercials on TV orOn the radio you have a Voice that was meant to be on one of these platforms as well

[@billblecher9215]

Just make sure you get plenty of air ventilation around that

[@niajef]

hi, im looking for a solution to deliver frozen products, and i need them to not thaw out in a few hours under potentially 30+ degrees celsius sun, and im thinking something along the lines of a van like the nv200, or even up to one of those mini uhaul trucks, but i need a freezer inside, but i dont know how this would work, is it enough to just have a regular 110v plug in the car and a small freezer that opens on the side? like i dont even know how to go about researching this kinda stuff...any recommendations?

[@nwlady1844]

what are you doing for venting for air flow across the coils? thank you

[@herdfan697278]

You need to write a song called “Leaving San Francisco”!

[@BikeTall]

Very cool. No pun intended. Having a frig is a must for me when considering my own van build. I think the style that you have works best. Plus it reminds me of a regular fridge at home the way it opens. Easier to organize stuff too. When your girlfriend comes back from overseas, are you going to travel together in separate vans? Or move into one van together?

[@Sea1fly]

Where the drain ofr when it defrosted

[@jpdst29]

That fridge costs twice as much as the normal size one in my house. Ouch!!! Why is it so expensive????

[@crywhit4619]

Because they know ppl will pay for it. It's the concept of supply and demand. More ppl need fridges for their homes, thus more are manufactured, and the price stays relatively the same (plus or minus a few hundred dollars depending on the amenities you are looking for in a fridge). RV type refrigeration is a very niche market so they can charge ridiculously high prices because they know ppl need them and will buy them.

[@aschmuas]

Economy of scale, as Cry Whit began stating in the first part of their message. The latter part about people being willing to pay for it, may have some truth, but these compact 12v isotherms are not being made by the millions in a GE household fridge assembly line. Sustaining production of a small batch, low to moderate demand product is almost always more costly, regardless of profit margin.

[@RippSnortin]

Specialty item.

[@GlynTaylor]

Because humans are evil and greedy

[@billiemossom7924]

How did you secure the fridge down so it didn't fall or slide? Thanks, great video :)

[@AaronOlafson]

Hi Nate, can you tell your viewers if SF is still beautiful to visit? As everyone knows SF has been getting bad PR with drug needles and peeing and pooping on the streets? I visited in 2011 and was pretty awesome.

[@jcardosa02]

hi. does it run constantly or does it only run when it need to control the temperature ? thanks!!

[@jesseguy5296]

Dan Soder in the house

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

So I went on Ebay and looked up the Isotherm fridge and it’s like $1,000. Why does it cost so much?

[@HobbsHorror]

Very cool

[@bigtomsvan4817]

Wow! 4 wheel condo!

[@carmadme]

Insulation taped connectors and didn't even fuse it wow dude you live there

[@sazonpralvarado1744]

How much for the refrigerator? No links for

[@thevideodographer]

thanks super helpful!

[@melweed3250]

you should keep the fridge around 37-38 degrees. Remember a saying from med school, Life begins a 40. referring to mold etc.

[@ScubaSteveCanada]

Correct! Once you hit 41 F, the bacteria will start growing again. 40 F would be the absolute max temp you'd want and 37-38 F is a good average temp range.

[@beautifuldream108]

Yes. Ice cream first. Hehehe....

[@ravenfilms5147]

Shannon in the Philippines?? You should have went too!

[@RUBENSIFONTEZ]

Time for some lean pockets / hot pockets lol 😆 to slide in that freezer component

[@RippSnortin]

Deep fried?

[@leilal8053]

I do prefer the front loading fridge: can't stand those chest fridges and having to stack the food.

[@livingthedash6727]

Selling the Dometic?

[@scable-eq7bp]

Congrats on the new Frig/Freezer, the simple things in life........

[@bicanoo_magic3452]

Everytime you open the door you dump 50ltrs of cold air onto the pavement. THAT's why you buy top opening fridges like Engel, Waeco etc.

[@RippSnortin]

At first glance it looks like a great idea. But I'll stick with my ARB for now. If I bought an older RV I'd consider a retrofit.

[@marionsutcliffe1119]

It takes very little energy to cool down 1 cu ft of air. So having cold air 'fall out' when you open the door is not so bad.

[@bicanoo_magic3452]

@@marionsutcliffe1119 Sorry my lovely Marion. That's not a fact. That's your impression. You cannot possibly not notice the difference between a front opening and a top opening and think their is very little inefficiency.

[@marionsutcliffe1119]

@@bicanoo_magic3452 umm, I think you are having an impression. Here are the volumetric specific heats of air vs water Water 4180 kj/m3 Air (constant pressure) = 1.2 kj/m3,. So it takes about 3500 x more energy to cool the same volume of water vs air.

[@bicanoo_magic3452]

@@marionsutcliffe1119 Thanks for the maths. But it still doesn't explain the coll air loss when you open the fridge door!!

[@RealHankShill]

You will get maximum efficiency by having the fridge as full as possible. Add in as much thermal mass as possible to hold cold energy longer. Even just putting a gallon of water in there will add a substantial amount of thermal mass and help keep temperatures stable so the compressor has to work less.

[@elementgypsy]

hey Nate, I am in socal. I could use a fridge if you are selling your old one.

[@ElementLife]

Hey, I ended up giving it away to a viewer who needed it. She reached out to me over a month ago.

[@maggiesjourney3877]

Update your fridge link.

[@krissantana4660]

It's a marine layer.

[@noworriesmate8287]

That was steam from all the human 💩! Booties booties 🤣😂

[@RippSnortin]

Does 49 stand for 49 quarts?

[@chasein7019]

Ya, I think it's quarts or 1.6 cubic feet. Small

[@kennethg.arnado6435]

Did i heard Philippines 🇵🇭🤘🏻

[@AudioPhil84]

you put so much effort in your van, and than you make such wire connections, makes me sad ;-(

[@Zippsters]

Sorry to be critical because your info is helpful and your videos are interesting with some beautiful scenery, but your background music is so annoying! Silence would be nicer because having to turn audio down to avoid the awful background music (noise) means one can't hear what you're saying.

[@laurajphillips]

Pretty crummy weather

[@AaronGeller]

People say you let out "all the cold air" but it's simply not true. Yes, some cold air but if the items are cold, then they won't suddenly get hot. Just curious, how are you liking the 49 liters of space? Would you prefer a larger one or is the size just right?

[@ElementLife]

I'm loving it so far! I have plenty of space for what I need. I think the 49 was the perfect size for this van. Anything larger would have been too big.

[@AaronGeller]

Element Van Life I saw the Truckfridge version (Indel owns Truckfridge and Isotherm) but it seemed kind of small so I was curious. Crazy how a fridge can get us so excited

[@SteveHazel]

they make a bigger Dometic a CF50 or somethin is what i got - and an nv200.

[@maggiesjourney3877]

I carry a ton of wire. It's too expensive to toss.

[@RippSnortin]

Me too. What to do with the 5-6 inch pieces?

[@maggiesjourney3877]

Ripp Snortin' perfect size to wire up one of those 4 way USB ports. You go from one little outlet ring to the other.

[@SamuelJMartinIII]

One of the downsides of downsizing #minimalism 😔

[@sadidiker]

🖒🖒👏👏

[@touristiqueducanada346]

👣✌️🔆

[@region4243]

I heard those 12 volt fridges start fires in your vehicles. That they're not that safe.

[@bonesonstones1]

? At least add a source if you're going to fearmonger.

[@region4243]

@@bonesonstones1 oh bite me you twit. The source is another one of these van videos, and I can't remember exactly which one. Pardon freaking me. Now piss off

[@region4243]

I'm pretty sure that's why I another commenter said to make sure it's very well ventilated. But what the f*** do I know

[@bonesonstones1]

What is wrong with you? Can you not have a civil conversation?

[@region4243]

@@bonesonstones1 I get annoyed when the please provide a link people show up. You're freaking pathetic. Just look it up 12 volt fridges