BougeRV 12v refrigerator 30 Quart, -8℉~50℉ Portable Freezer for Car, Black

Why it's worth it

The CR28 is a 30-quart single-zone compressor fridge that reaches -8°F, runs quietly enough to sleep beside, and sips little enough power to live off a modest battery setup. For one or two people, it's the least complicated way to get real refrigeration into a car.

It freezes, it doesn't just chill. BougeRV rates the CR28 from -8°F up to 50°F, so you can run it as a proper freezer and carry ice cream, frozen meat, or actual ice. The spec sheet lists 15 minutes to drop from 77°F to 32°F and about 50 minutes to reach -5°F. That means you can load it at home, plug it in, and be cold before you've cleared town.

It's quiet enough to sleep next to. BougeRV rates it at 45dB, which is roughly a soft conversation in the next room. In a moving vehicle you won't hear it. In a truck bed or a tent at 2 a.m. you'll hear it cycle, but it won't wake you. The unit also has a shock-proof design and keeps running at up to a 30-degree tilt, which matters on washboard roads.

From our review of 10 portable car refrigerators, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +It freezes, it doesn't just chill
• +It's quiet enough to sleep next to
• +The power draw is modest, so your battery lasts longer
• +Battery protection you can actually set

What to know

• –It's one temperature at a time
• –The app is Bluetooth only
• –Keep it out of the sun and out of the rain