Alpicool Fridge and 12V Car Fridges

What Alpicool makes for camp

Alpicool makes electric car fridges, and only that, in the listings this page draws on. Its store FAQ says every Alpicool car fridge uses a compressor, and the grid lists most models down to -4°F, which is freezer territory.

The range runs from small single-zone boxes around 10 quarts for the truck cab to dual-zone fridge freezers past 60 quarts, some with wheels and a handle. Most listings name both 12/24V DC power and an AC adapter, and the maker's FAQ says each unit ships with both cords.

Alpicool's own store also sells prefab houses and a second fridge line called Zcamp. Neither is in this grid. The grid changes week to week, so I'll write about the series and what separates them, not this week's list.

If you came here from the cooler side of camp: these aren't ice chests, and the ice math doesn't apply. The math moves to the battery. Passive coolers are on the coolers page.

How to read an Alpicool model name

Alpicool names models with letters for the series and a number that tracks the size in liters, roughly. A C20 is about 20 liters, an NCF55 about 55. The quart count in the grid is the number to compare. A quart is a little smaller than a liter, so the quart figure usually runs a bit higher than the number in the name, and the listings round in their own ways.

Some listings skip the series name and describe the fridge instead, like "Dual Zone 42 Quart Refrigerator with Wheel." Same brand, different labeling. When I can't tell which series a listing is, I go by the specs in the grid: quarts, zones, power.

Renee says model numbers are how appliance companies keep husbands humble. I say they're a reading test, and I read slow.

Lineup notes: single-zone fridges

C series: the minis and the C20

The C series is Alpicool's single-zone line, from mini cab fridges up to mid-size boxes. Per the maker's store:

• C9PT and C12PT: mini car fridges, about 10 and 11 quarts, 45W, no app control
• C15: 15.3 liters (16 quarts), 60W, app control
• C20: 19.8 liters (21 quarts), app control
• C30 to C50: larger single-zone boxes in the same series

The C12, C15 and C9PT listings in the grid name battery protection and a -4°F low end. The C15's listing gives exterior dimensions of 22.4 by 12.6 by 10.2 inches, which is the measurement that decides whether it fits behind the seat. Measure your truck before you measure your appetite.

The C20 is the one people search for by name. It's the middle of the series: bigger than the minis, small enough to ride on the passenger floor. Details are in the FAQ below.

MG series: compact, no app

The maker lists the MG15 at 14.9 liters and 45W, with 12/24V DC and 100–240V AC power and built-in bottom handles, and notes it can't be controlled by app. The MG9 in the grid lists 9 quarts, -4°F and battery protection, with exterior dimensions of 16.3 by 9.8 by 11.1 inches.

GE and GC: mid-size single zone

The maker lists the GE40 at 37.1 liters, -4°F to 68°F, with app control, tie-down slots, a cup holder and what it calls a reversible design. The grid's GE40 listing gives 39 quarts. The GC40 and GC50 listings in the grid name compressor cooling, -4°F and 39 and 48 quarts. I didn't find the GC series on Alpicool's own store, so those specs come from the listings only.

Unnamed single-zone models

The grid also has single-zone listings described by size, from 10 to 37 quarts, all naming compressor cooling and -4°F. Same brand, no series letters in the title.

Lineup notes: dual-zone fridges

A dual-zone fridge has two compartments with separate temperature controls, so one side can freeze while the other keeps drinks cold. Alpicool sells several dual-zone lines.

CF and LGCF: the long-running dual zone

The CF series comes in 35, 45 and 55-liter sizes. The maker's FAQ says the LGCF45 and CF45 are the same except for the compressor: the LG versions use a Korean LG compressor, the CF versions a Chinese one. The grid's CF45 and CF55 listings give 42 and 52 quarts, -4°F, 12/24V, AC adapter, battery protection and solar input, with exterior dimensions of 27.2 by 13.6 inches and a height of 18.2 inches (CF45) or 20.6 inches (CF55).

Real talk: those two boxes share a footprint. The only difference in your truck bed is two and a half inches of height and ten quarts of venison.

NCF and CHS: fridge freezers with app control

The maker lists the NCF55 at 49.4 liters with a range of -20°C to 20°C (about -4°F to 68°F) and app control. The CHS55 is a dual-compartment fridge freezer with separate temperature control, -4°F to 68°F, app control and a metal case, per the maker. In the grid, the CHS55 listing gives 42 quarts.

Dual zone with wheels

The grid's "with wheel" listings run from 42 to 61 quarts, dual zone, -4°F. On the maker's store, the wheeled dual-zone line is the TWW series, which the maker says has a wheel, a telescoping handle and a detachable battery sold separately.

Wheels matter once a big box is loaded, since the fridge itself has to be lifted or rolled to the truck either way. (Walt's line on fridges with wheels: "So it's a cooler with a trailer hitch." He then asked if he could ride it down the porch ramp. The answer was no.)

Which models use an LG compressor

This comes up a lot, so here's the maker's own list. Alpicool's FAQ names four models with an LG compressor: the LGT50, LGT60, LGCF45 and LGCF55. The rest use a Chinese-made compressor, and the FAQ says the LGCF45 and CF45 are otherwise identical. The same FAQ says the T, TA and TAW series offer separate freezer and fridge temperatures in one unit, and that noise in Eco mode on a 12V socket is "nearly unnoticeable." If a bunk-room fridge hums, somebody at camp will hear it. Usually it's the same guy who hears me open a bag of chips at midnight.

How to choose within the Alpicool lineup

Size first

Pick the quart count for what goes in it. Most of the grid falls into three bands:

1. Cab size, about 9 to 16 quarts: drinks and lunch for one or two
2. Mid size, about 20 to 40 quarts: a weekend's food for a small camp
3. Big boxes, about 42 to 62 quarts: the whole camp, or meat on the way home

Then check the exterior dimensions in the listing against the space you have. More on sizing across brands is on the car fridge page.

One zone or two

One zone is simpler: the whole box is a fridge or the whole box is a freezer. Two zones let you freeze on one side and chill on the other. If you're bringing back meat and also want cold drinks, two zones is the plain answer. If you're just keeping lunch cold, it's an extra wall you don't need. The compressor fridge page has more on how these work.

App or no app

The maker says the C15, C20, GE40, NCF55 and CHS55 have app control, and the C9PT, C12PT and MG15 don't. Decide whether you want your phone involved. At Hemlock Run, there's one bar of signal and it lives on the porch.

Power plan

Most listings in the grid name 12/24V DC power and an AC adapter. Several name battery protection, and a few add solar input. The portable fridge page covers power stations and battery math across brands.

Setup rules from the maker

Alpicool's FAQ has a few rules that matter on the first day:

• Upright first: if it arrived on its side or upside down, stand it upright for at least 12 hours, or as the booklet says, before you plug it in
• No steep tilt: the FAQ warns that plugging it in after tilting past 45 degrees can burn out the compressor
• Power button: hold it for 3 to 4 seconds; a light tap won't start it
• Cycling: the fan and compressor stop at the set temperature and restart as it warms, which is normal
• Unplugged: the maker says it stays cool for about 4 hours without power

Trust the wiring, and trust the 12-hour rule. A compressor that went for a ride upside down needs to sit like a dog at the vet: still, and not happy about it.

Keep the food safe, not just cold

My one opinion on this page: put a cheap appliance thermometer inside the fridge, and believe it over the display. The CDC says to keep a refrigerator at 40°F or below and a freezer at 0°F or below, and to keep an appliance thermometer inside when there isn't one built in. The display reads the sensor. The thermometer reads where the venison is.

The CDC also says not to leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, like a hot car. That's the number to remember when the fridge gets unplugged at the gas station and nobody remembers to plug it back in.

Brand facts and warranty

Alpicool's own site says the company was founded in 2013 as Foshan Alpicool Holding Group Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of portable refrigerators, and that it moved to a new headquarters in Lunjiao, Shunde, Foshan, in Guangdong, China, in 2023. Its store FAQ lists a warranty of 1 year on the whole unit and 2 years on the compressor. The maker's pages cited here don't spell out the warranty's exclusions or claim process, so those are left out.

Other fridge brands on this site include Dometic, Iceco and Engel.

Size, zones, app, power. Measure the truck first, plug it in second, and stop opening the lid to check on it. It's fine. Renee says the same thing about me.