Proper electric fridge or coolbox??

[crunchie]

OK this year we have invested in electric for our tent, and now we can get a fridge/coolbox. I have an image of me sipping ice cold white wine while watching my adorable kids....no Cath Kidston though :)

Any I digress. The options are an electric coolbox approx £70 plus mains adapter £20. Total £90. Nice and neat coolbox, can plug into car etc. Cools up to 18 degrees cooler than outside temp - Here is the problem, if the temps are like this weekend (28 or so) it will only cool to 10. Wine will not be cold and milk, meat, butter etc will all go off quickly. \link{http://www.camperite.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_18&products_id=75\coolbox}

so

Option 2 a proper 'fridge' costs £149 inc all leads, can run of car, mains or gas bottle. Will chill everything properly as a fridge.
\link{http://www.camperite.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_18&products_id=9\fridge}

Hmmm, do we invest in teh fridge, or not? We are going to France this year so temps will be hot, we enjoy camping so will camp over next 10 years, am I being daft buying something so expensive or should I go for it as a long term investment?

How much room do you have? Pricewise in the long run the fridge seems to make sense, but you can get much cheaper electric coolboxes, ours was about £23 from Woolies and it keeps the beer cold just fine! So even with the adaptor there is a big difference, about £100.
You can also freeze ice blocks at virtually every French campsite free of charge (make sure you put you car reg/name on them!) and they used to do us just fine in the good old days before ehus.

mmmm what does your heart say?

Have jsut set up for camping and, on a friend's recommendation, have splashed out on gas/electric fridge (Go Outdoors, £135). It had its first use the last bank holiday and was absolutely brilliant. We plugged it in at home, filled it with all the chilled items to transport and then attached it to the gas when we arrived. As cold as fridge and me chilled that food was all safe.

Anothre reason for having a fridge is then I don't need to shop every day IYKWIM. Normally I have to buy bacon/sausages whatever every day and it is a pain to keep milk cold etc.

suppose my heart is saying fridge

I take a cool box, but when we go to france we hire a real, fullsized fridge for the holiday!

Gotta have that wine cool!

SS that works for a weekend, not a full length family holiday :) Snuffy did you get the Sibir RC1100?? That's the one I am looking at, was it really good??

Lucycat, I know you can get cheaper smaller boxes, I want one that will do the family holiday. I am still dithering as it is a lot of money, but when temps are set to be 25 - 30 degrees where we are going, I am erring on teh fridge. I did eurocamp last year and I loved my cold wine!! at teh end of a hot day.

MB they have run out of hire fridges, I did ask (on your suggestion on another thread)

Go buy the fridge woman! That's what you really want us to tell you isn't it?

It will be worth every penny, much better value than the cool box, it will last you years, you'll be able to fit everything you need in it.

That enough reasons? We shall all be very - says she who has bought another tent today

You will surely save a packet with the fridge by not having to shop in campsite shop or local touristy shops? This must make the fridge worth it!

So did you buy it crunchie?

I wanr more votes!!!