OopsUpsideYerHead

I seem to find myself in the position of needing/wanting a way to keep something cool/cold when I'm out and about. Whether it's just some water/drinks I bought earlier, an impromptu grocery find, whatever... The point is, it's not premeditated so the option of having a cooler filled with ice or ice packs is not what I'm talking about. I want a way to keep things cool when I haven't had the forethought to grab a bunch of cooler packs from my home fridge.

The options that come to mind are (no particular order):

1) a 12V cooler/fridge like ARB or Dometic.. quite pricey, but no need to worry about dealing with ice. Would like for whatever I get to fit on the back floor, not in the bed. I have a SCREW.

2) a 12V cooler/chiller... Cheaper than above but quite limited in how low they can go in temps and seem to be more power hungry.

3) cooler and a stash of instant cold packs. Packs can be decently cheap in bulk. Not sure how effective they are in this role but it's certainly a cheap and do-able option.

4) give up and resign myself to keeping a hot/warm cooler in the truck and finding a gas station with ice when/where needed. This annoys me but I'm prepared to accept that this is the only common sense option.

I have my power outlets set to stay on 4hrs after engine is off. I'm also in the process of getting auxiliary batteries so I'm not terribly concerned about running something electric.

Blue2016XL

I have the Coleman version. Depending on which way you put the plug in it will heat up or cool off. Heating if I remember right the directions say it will get hot enough to keep things warm but, I have never used it that way. Yes, depending on the outside temperature will determine how cold it will get. If I go long distances I throw a couple of ice packs in it. It will keep soda cool enough even when it is 70 degrees out for days even without ice packs. Doubt it will keep stuff like milk from spoiling without help. I also have a SCREW and when I lift the smaller section of the rear seat, it fits perfectly there.

77Ranger460

I have a Coleman Powerchill. It works fantastic when traveling, but you have to pre-chill it and put cold things in it from the start.

I worked out of my car for 25+ years and always had a soft cooler with ice packs. I still carry one when I am out and about now.

catch 22

I have a locking hard bed cover so I keep a K2 20 qt cooler in the bed, my car has a Grizzly 15 in it. I live 20-30 min. from town so I use them for grocery stuff too.