When you’re on the road, every inch of space matters. That’s why many overlanders and campers choose to install a camping refrigerator in the back of their vehicles. These fridges can keep food cold for days at a time, and they’re often built to withstand the kind of bumps and knocks that are common on the off-road trail. But there are many different camping fridges to choose from, and deciding which one is right for you can be difficult. The best camping fridge will meet your specific needs, including how much you’re willing to spend and what you plan to use it for.

A compressor fridge like the Dometic CFX3 is among our favorite car fridges for camping. It offers energy efficient cooling, fast-cooling capability and expandable electricity storage – meaning you can run it for hours at a time without having to recharge the plug-in battery. Other features to look for include smartphone app control, USB-C charging for personal devices and a robust build that’s designed to tolerate weather exposure.

Unlike some other types of camping fridge, which consume only a small amount of electricity per hour, compressor fridges require significantly more power to cool down. To minimize their power usage, try to keep them full as much as possible and use ice bricks and frozen water bottles to help maintain temperatures. Also, consider switching to a 12 volt fridge freezer to save on power.