Dometic Electric Cooler

Dometic Electric Cooler

Our first product review is the absolute game changer for camping weekends. The Dometic CFX3 45 Powered Cooler.

Let me set the stage with our cooler background. We were lugging around a humongous cooler that weighed a proverbial ton when filled with ice and food.  We had to put it on a trailer hitch rack since it took up too much room in the SUV. We had to seek out ice to add in part way through the weekend every time we travelled. Not to mention the annoyance of digging through the cooler to find items. Or, having to repack it every single time you pulled something out and the items shifted and the ice tumbled between items.  

We decided to make the investment into the Dometic cooler after purchasing our first overland trailer and now had power access with the trailer’s batteries (stay tuned for our review of our Basecamp Overland Trailer). After purchasing the Dometic, I can go back to the paragraph above and gleefully cross off all of our previous inconveniences.

Initially, I was leary about the size. At first glance, the volume was visibly smaller and part of the inside compartment is taken up by the motor compartment. How could we possibly fit all of our refrigerated items in here? I am here to officially eat my words.  Using Snapware containers, I am able to fit an entire weekend of refrigerated food, and then some, for our family of five. 

The cooler has an app to check and adjust temperature, which can be done manually on the cooler as well. It comes with a divider and removable cage-like containers. In addition, the cooler has two removable cords. One allows you to plug the cooler into a standard wall outlet, the other plugs into a 12 volt outlet, giving flexibility for what is available for your power options. 

Bonus, we have used our cooler to take with to an AirBnB when refridgerator space was limited and it acted like a fridge for us. Family members of ours have purchased one after we raved about it and use it for their travels between Florida and the Midwest. It allows them to bring foods that are allergen-free that may otherwise be challenging to find while on the road.

The sticker shock is real, but we are well over it after even just the initial use.  We are also saving money every time we travel by not having to buy ice before we left and also restock the ice during the trip. We purchased this cooler nine months ago, and have not used a standard cooler with ice in it since. 

This is your vote of confidence — if you are thinking about it, BUY IT!

Shown below: the cooler in action in our Durango; a weekend worth of refrigerated food for a family of five; the cooler at home in our overland trailer.