Brand · Camp Gear
Iceco makes one thing on this site: 12V compressor fridges, the plug-in kind that runs off your truck instead of a bag of ice. The Iceco fridge lineup comes in six series, from a 13-quart shoulder pack to dual-zone fridges near 80 quarts. Pick by size first, then one zone or two, then how you'll power it. (Renee says I've finally found a cooler that needs a charger. She means it as a warning.)
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On this site, Iceco covers one product type: powered coolers. Every Iceco in the grid above is a compressor fridge, which works like the fridge in your kitchen, only it runs on your vehicle's 12V outlet. No ice, no meltwater, no Saturday-morning drain plug.
The grid splits into six series:
Iceco's own site also sells batteries, solar panels, covers and slide mounts. This site doesn't list those, so look on the maker's site for them.
The grid changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the series and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week. All the Iceco specs here come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those values. The maker's pages confirm the series names, sizes and zone layouts.
Real talk: the model names do half the work for you once you know the code.
So a VL45 is about 45 liters, which the listing gives as about 47 quarts. An APL55 is 55 liters, listed at 58 quarts. A quart is a quarter gallon, and a liter is a bit more than a quart, which is why the quart number always comes out a little higher. I've watched Walt read "45" on a lid and pack it like 45 quarts. It held. It just held more than he thought.
The VL series is where most of the Iceco grid lives. The listings run from the VL35 ProS at about 37 quarts up to the VL75 ProD at about 79 quarts. In between sit the VL45, VL45 ProS, VL45 PLUS and several VL60 versions.
What separates them, per the listings and the maker's VL page:
The maker's VL collection page describes the VL45 and VL60 as metal. The VL45 PLUS is listed separately at about 44 quarts, and the maker markets it with what it calls three-way access. The page doesn't explain that, so I won't guess.
A couple of VL listings name battery protection. That's the setting that shuts the fridge off before it drains your vehicle battery. More on that below.
The maker describes the JP Pro series as wheeled fridges sold with a cover. In the grid, the JP40 Pro and JP50 Pro are single zone, and the JP40 ProD and JP50 ProD are the dual-zone versions. The JP50 listings give about 51 to 52 quarts. Every JP listing that gives a low setting says -4°F, a little colder than the VL series.
Wheels matter more than people think. A loaded fridge in the 50-quart range is not a one-hand carry, and unlike an ice cooler it doesn't get lighter as the weekend goes on. The cover helps too: it's one more layer between the box and a sunny truck bed.
The maker calls the APL fridges aluminum. Its APL page lists the APL20 as a 21-quart single zone, the APL35 as a 37-quart dual zone it calls ultralight, and the APL55 as a 58-quart dual-zone fridge it lists as app controlled.
In the grid:
"Ultralight" is the maker's word, and the maker doesn't give a weight on the collection page. So I'm not giving one either. If weight is the deciding spec for you, find it on the maker's product page for that exact model.
The GO20 is the small dual-zone one: about 21 quarts, 0°F low, 12/24V DC plus AC. The maker's GO page describes it as working as a freezer or a fridge.
The GOPACK12 is the smallest Iceco in the grid at 13 quarts. Its listing gives a 21°F low, which is fridge territory, not deep-freeze territory. One version runs off your 12V outlet. The other lists a built-in 250Wh battery, so it can run away from the truck for a while. Think lunch for two, not a weekend of venison.
The BF65 is listed at about 66 quarts with dual zones and 12/24V DC. Its listing gives fewer specs than the others, so the grid shows some dashes. Read the listing for the low setting before you plan on freezing anything in it.
My one opinion on this page: buy for the longest trip you take, not the average one. The reason is that a compressor fridge doesn't shrink as the ice melts, because there's no ice. You get the whole box every day, so a slightly smaller fridge often holds what a bigger ice cooler did. But you can't add a second fridge halfway through deer week the way you can add a bag of ice.
Rough guide from the grid:
Sizes across brands are on the car fridge page and the portable fridge page.
A dual-zone fridge splits the box so one side can freeze while the other side stays cold. That's useful if you bring frozen meals and fresh food, or if you want a freezer side for meat. A single zone is simpler and gives one big space. The JP, VL and APL series all come both ways in the grid. The portable freezer page covers freezer use across brands.
CDC's food safety guidance is to keep a refrigerator at 40°F or below and a freezer at 0°F or below. Every Iceco in the grid except the GOPACK lists a low setting of 0°F or -4°F, so they can all reach freezer temperature on paper. The GOPACK's 21°F low is a fridge, plain and simple.
Most Iceco listings name 12/24V DC plus an AC adapter: truck outlet on the road, wall outlet at the cabin. Iceco's FAQ adds three things:
Some listings add a built-in battery, a magnetic battery or solar input. The FAQ says solar panels must charge a battery and can't run the fridge directly. Electrician's note: that's how every solar setup works. The panel feeds the battery, the battery feeds the load. More on that is on the solar cooler page and the battery powered cooler page.
If you're comparing a compressor fridge to the cheaper plug-in kind, the thermoelectric cooler page explains the difference.
Iceco's FAQ has a few rules worth following on every model:
Dometic's portable fridge article has general advice that applies to any compressor fridge. Run it for a few hours before you load food, fill empty space so there's less air to cool, pack the last day's food on the bottom, and keep it out of direct sun or under a cover. Every lid opening lets the cold out. Decide what you want before you open it. (Walt opens a fridge the way he opens a tackle box: slowly, and then he stares.)
Perishable food shouldn't sit out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, per CDC. That's true at a tailgate in October too.
Both make 12V compressor fridges in single- and dual-zone sizes, and both show up in the same searches. On this site, the difference is in the mix:
Iceco's FAQ names Secop compressors, with a 5-year compressor warranty and 1 year on other parts. If you want a fridge and a hard cooler from the same brand, that's Dometic's side of the grid. Compare capacity, zones and power options model by model. The Dometic brand page has its lineup.
Both sell 12V compressor fridges from small to large, and many on both sides list dual zones, 12/24V DC and an AC adapter. Most Bodega listings on this site give -4°F as the low setting. Iceco's run from -4°F on the JP and APL series to 0°F on the VL series. Iceco's grid also includes the small GOPACK models, one with a built-in battery. Compare the exact listings for capacity, zones and battery protection. The Bodega brand page has its lineup.
Here's what I could verify from the maker's own site:
I couldn't verify a founding year, a parent company or where the fridges are made, so those are left out.
Size by the longest trip, zones by what you freeze, power by where you park. Then plug it in the night before, so the drinks are cold before you are.
Here's what's checkable. Iceco's FAQ says its fridges use Secop compressors, with a 5-year warranty on the compressor and 1 year on other parts. The listings in the grid give capacity, zones, the lowest setting and power inputs. Whether one suits you depends on the size you need, whether you want two zones, and how you'll keep it powered.
The VL45 is a single-zone compressor fridge in Iceco's VL series. Its listing gives about 47 quarts, a 0°F low setting, 12/24V DC power and an AC adapter. The grid also has a VL45 ProS and a VL45 PLUS. The maker's VL collection page lists the VL45 among its metal-bodied models.
The APL55 is Iceco's largest APL-series fridge, listed at about 58 quarts with dual zones and 12/24V DC power plus an AC adapter. The maker lists it as app controlled. In the grid, the Bluetooth versions list a -4°F low setting and the other APL55 listing gives 0°F, so read the exact listing.
Either. The JP50 Pro listing gives about 52 quarts, a compressor and a -4°F low setting, so you can set it as a fridge or run it as a freezer. The maker's JP Pro page describes the series as wheeled, with a cover. The JP50 ProD in the grid is the dual-zone version.
Iceco's FAQ says solar panels must be connected to a battery and can't power the fridge directly. Some listings in the grid name solar input, a built-in battery or a magnetic battery. The solar cooler page on this site covers how solar setups work across brands.
The product grid on this page links to Iceco listings on Amazon US. Iceco also sells its fridges, covers, batteries and slide mounts on its own site, icecofreezer.com. Check that the listing names the exact series, size and zone layout you want.
