New fridge - Iceco VL45plus... the one with the side door

[nakman]

Yeah so I jumped on the Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, along with several thousand other people. I have been intrigued by the idea of the side door for a while now, and it's come up a few times as we tend to brainstorm improvements to our gear while out on trips. So I was really psyched to receive my fridge on Friday, and install it yesterday.








I feel like the honeymoon is quickly fading here.. . yeah it's a side door, but the basket makes it almost impossible to pull anything out of it, without also removing the basket. it's smaller than my other VL45 Iceco without the side door, the case is better with more attachment points, and there's a 12v battery display now, probably the best of the innovations. I think time will tell how much I like/use that side door, also hopefully it doesn't become a failure point. That said, it's always fun to get a new fridge so if nothing else today's a good day.

did anyone else get one? Let me know if you agree with my assessment...

View: https://youtu.be/bMFUQi4Aa5U

 

[Romer]

I always enjoy your reviews. Thanks for doing them

 

[Corbet]

I didn’t watch your whole video but enough to see the configuration.

My take is the 3rd door does not offer much in your traditional top of drawer on a slide mount. If they made the baskets more side door friendly. Or added an optional shelf so the top was one big level compartment and you could still keep drinks in the bottom but just access them quick from the side door cool. Maybe the internal shelf was hinged so you could still access from the top.

Where this fridge would shine would be in a storage system that placed the fridge at the bottom with a shelf over the top. Then it would almost act like a drawer fridge. But without the need for a permanent drawer fridge. You could remove the whole system easier. However without the top access that little basket would be a pain to access. So still not a home run. I’m sure as the market continues to innovate this will either improve or disappear.

If you could fab up a little shelf like I described above maybe you’d love it. Top access for mealtime. Quick side access for beverages.

 

[Runnin on E]

Sorry about this one....all your cold air spills out from the side loader. For top load you can dig around a while and your cold air isn't going anywhere. It seems that the side load fridge would cycle more, especially when it is hot out. When I camp I might not move my vehicle for a couple days or more if it is a nice spot. I rely on a folding solar panel and can get away with not starting if I am careful with power management. I built a 380 watt fast charger for my LifePo4 battery that runs off the alt but I try not to use it if I can help it. We'll, that's just me so.....opinions happen.

 

[nakman]

Sorry about this one....all your cold air spills out from the side loader. For top load you can dig around a while and your cold air isn't going anywhere. It seems that the side load fridge would cycle more, especially when it is hot out. When I camp I might not move my vehicle for a couple days or more if it is a nice spot. I rely on a folding solar panel and can get away with not starting if I am careful with power management. I built a 380 watt fast charger for my LifePo4 battery that runs off the alt but I try not to use it if I can help it. We'll, that's just me so.....opinions happen.

Well I don't really care about the cold air.. the walls of the fridge are still cold, and the stuff in the basket is still cold, so that air inside will get cold again soon enough. Air is a terrible mass for retaining temperature anyway.

My bigger beef is just the design of the baskets honestly... as I mentioned in the video if it were more like the other VL45 with a big basket up top for groceries, and a smaller basket down below for drinks, this would be much better. I want to just open the door, grab a beer, and shut the door, without having to take out the big basket. to that end, I will likely be modifying the current baskets, and/or making alternatives from sheet metal.