REVIEW – Those of you who have read some of my previous reviews, will know that I’m building out my truck as an adventure vehicle. Nothing crazy, but I want to include things that would make my weekend adventures a little more comfortable. An ice chest has always been the go-to for storing cold items for road trips and camping. It works great as long as you have access to ice, and if you don’t mind the contents getting wet. This BougeRV 12V 23qt Colorful Portable Fridge should give me all the convenience of an ice chest, without all the hassle (well, maybe some hassle). Read on to see how well it works for me and my adventures.
What is it?
The BougeRV Colorful Portable Fridge is an option for on-the-go adventures. This mini fridge supports both AC and DC charging and is 23qt or 22L in capacity. This review unit came in the Colorful Mint Green colorway.
What’s included?
- BougeRV Colored Portable Fridge
- 12/24V DC power cord
- 110~240V AC power cord
- User manual
- BougeRV JuiceGo Portable Power Station*
- USB-C to USB-C charging cable*
- Car charging cable*
- Quickstart guide*
*included item with the BougeRV JuiceGo Portable Power Station
Tech specs – BougeRV Portable Refrigerator
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- Capacity: 23QT /22L / 0.78 cu ft
- Exterior size: 22.7in X 12.6in X 13in
- Interior Size: 13.8in X 9.8in X 9.8in
- Weight: 21.16lbs
- Temp range: -7F~50F (-22C~10C)
- Wattage: 45W (max mode) / 36W (eco mode)
- Refrigerant: R134A
- Warranty: 2 years / 10 year life span compressor
Tech specs – BougeRV JuiceGo Portable Power Station
Click to expand
- Battery: LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) 3,500+ recycle times
- Capacity: 240Wh
- Weight: 2.85kg/6.28lbs
- Charging Performance: Type-C 100W AC Charging, 100W Solar Charging, 100W Car Charging
- AC Output: 150W
- DC Output: 130W
- USB-C Output: C1=100W, C2=30W
- USB-A Output: 18W
- Product Dimensions (DxWxH): 260mm X 170mm X 67mm (10.24in X 6.69in X 2.6in)
- Flashlight: 3 LED modes
- Warranty: 5 years
Design and features
The BougeRV 12V 23qt Colorful Portable Fridge comes in three colorful shades: Mint Green, Pink, and Purple. I requested the mint green color and it is a muted sea-foam green – I like it! When shopping for a portable fridge, there are a few things to note.
- physical size
- internal size/capacity
- charging options
- efficiency/performance
- warranty
Let’s break it down.
Physical Size
The BougeRV 12V 23qt Colorful Portable Fridge is less than 2 ft wide, a little over a foot deep, and a little over a foot high and weighs a tick over 21 pounds. All this adds up to a small, yet capable fridge for daily use that can easily be moved from the house to the car, to wherever.
The control panel includes:
- an On/Off button (hold 3 seconds to turn on or off)
- pressing the gear icon will cycle between Max and Eco modes, as explained below
- ‘+’ and ‘-‘ to adjust temperature settings
- holding the gear icon and the ‘+’ button for 3 seconds will change the temperature setting from ºC to ºF
- holding the gear icon for 3 seconds will lock and unlock the control panel to avoid accidental touches and changes to temperature
There is also a convenient USB-A port to charge small electronics. I could not find in the documentation the power output of the USB-A port.
Internal Size/Capacity
Internally, the dimensions are considerably smaller to account for the compressor and insulation. The inside space is about 10 inches deep, 10 inches high, and almost 14 inches wide. This space can hold:
- 20 – 550ml bottles
- 32 – 12oz cans
- 4 – 2L bottles
Charging Options
This fridge can be charged with the included AC adapter that plugs into a standard wall socket, or with the included 12V DC adapter that plugs into the “cigarette lighter” (for those of you who remember), or through solar panels. I did not test the solar panel option but it’s good to have that option for those longer camping trips in sunny areas. NOTE: 12V DC charging is more efficient and does not have the inverter overhead when using a 120V AC plug.
Efficiency/Performance
There are two modes; Max mode and Eco mode. Max mode runs at 45W to get down to the desired temperature. This allows for faster cooling and is estimated to use about 450Wh per day. Meanwhile, the Eco mode runs at a more energy-efficient 36W and consumes about 360Wh per day. This is a very efficient fridge. With the optional 240Wh battery, it should keep the fridge powered for about 6-8 hours in Max mode and when running in Eco mode, probably closer to 10-12 hours.
When used as a freezer, the temperature can be set as low as -7ºF. Frozen meat, ice cream, and other frozen foods will be fine. As a refrigerator, the temperature range is 32ºF – 50ºF. This range is a good choice for fruits vegetables and beverages.
Warranty
BougeRV is fast becoming a name brand in the camping and overloading community. Their products are well-reviewed and do not cost a fortune. This BougeRV 12V 23qt Colorful Portable Fridge has a good warranty. The entire unit has a 2-year warranty and the compression is covered for 10 years. Extended warranties are available.
BougeRV JuiceGo Portable Power Station
BougeRV also sent me their 240Wh portable power station to review in conjunction with testing the fridge. This is the most compact portable power station that I’ve seen or used. Usually, power stations in this capacity are 2-3 times bigger. This power station does not have too many ports:
- 1 – AC port (150W max)
- 1 – USBA port (18W max)
- 2 – USBC ports (100W and 30W)
This is perfect for powering this fridge and a very other smaller electronic like your phone, tablet, camera, etc. It also includes an LED light that cycles through three modes. It uses Lithium Iron Phosphate battery technology (LiFePO4) and is rated to last more than 10 years with over 3500 discharge cycles.
There is a small LED screen that shows the remaining power and power consumption per port. This is a great feature as it eliminates guessing what each bar or light means as it pertains to battery use.
Interestingly, the BougeRV JuiceGo Portable Power Station can not be powered by an AC Adapter. To charge this power station, you must use the top USB-C port or 12V car socket or solar panel. What makes this an interesting choice is that to quickly charge, the USB-C cable must be plugged into a high-powered USB-C brick, something like the Apple MacBook Pro adapters or something from Ugreen, Anker, or another manufacturer that can output up to 100W. The USB-C phone charger isn’t going to cut it.
What I like about the BougeRV Colorful Portable Fridge
- Light: this fridge is not heavy and moving it from one location to another was very easy
- Color: having something other than silver, black, or some combination of the two is a nice option
- Charging options: solar options (not included), car charging from the 12V socket, and AC wall charging
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing for the fridge, but the JuiceGo power station does not have an AC charging option (only USB-C, solar, or 12V)
Final thoughts
I do have a much larger and heavier dual-compartment fridge/freezer that I occasionally use in my truck. That beast of a unit is best for my trips lasting more than a week or for Costco runs. The BougeRV Portable Fridge is the option that I tend to grab more often when going out for the day or catching sunrises/sunsets at the beach. It’s more convenient and doesn’t take up nearly as much space. I’ve used this colorful mint green fridge on the back seat of a Subaru Crosstrek. It’s easy for my passenger to open and grab a cold beverage or snack while driving. Or I’ll keep it in the bed of my truck and it’s a great excuse to pull over, grab a snack or beverage and stretch the legs.
Having a portable refrigerator is a game changer and after having used mine, I will not be going back to ice chests!
Price: $239.99
Where to buy: BougeRV and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by BougeRV. BougeRV did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
