One of the reasons that Mike and I wanted to upgrade from the HC1 to the HCT was we felt that the bigger model would make for more comfortable long haul trips with the dogs - and for more boondocking. If you want to boondock for long periods, the consensus is you have to get (at least) three things right: your power, your water and storing your food. It makes sense - if you want to be away from civilization for multiple weeks at a time, you won’t last long if you don’t have these fundamentals sorted. In this article I thought I would share with you what decisions we made when thinking about our food storage options, knowing we want to be able to boondock for long periods, and what we included in our HCT order. I will also explain the different types of fridges because apparently, that’s a thing.
Fridge Types
Let’s start with fridge basics - there are two types of camper fridges: compressor and absorption. A compressor fridge is sometimes also called a 2-way fridge and they run on 12/24 volts and are powered by a vehicle or camper battery.
The absorption fridge is also called a 3-way fridge and is the same as the compressor but it also runs on LPG gas. For reference, I’ve included how they compare here but what you should know is that HC is currently offering compressor fridge solutions.
I couldn’t find anything that differentiated the efficiency so let’s assume it’s the same
Our Choices for the HCT
When we were finalizing our order in August 2020 HC offered two fridge options in the compressor category plus the cooler cube - and we (of course) decided to get all three. Here is my take on each to help you figure out what you might want to buy, either with your order or after-market.
The first is the Dometic CoolMatic CD 30 - the fridge drawer option. The only difference that we see in the product link provided by HC and the one installed is the handle, but we believe the specs are the same. I love this product for a couple of reasons. The first is that it’s integrated beautifully into the kitchenette. It looks like it belongs there. The second is that it is much more spacious than I thought it was going to be. If we were going on a short trip, I think that this plus the cooler cube (or your own cooler) would work great. I do think that this is a product that you can purchase through Amazon and implement yourself as an aftermarket option - if you are handy. We have a couple of Facebook group owners who have modified cubes to meet their needs and if you wanted to create a cube with this installed, I think that is very doable. But if you are like me and Mike, just buy it direct from Happier Camper!
The second fridge option is a mini fridge. The link provided by Happier Camper was to this Dometic CoolMatic CRX 50. It is a drawer fridge, but the one that was included in our order appears to be this Dometic CoolMatic CRX-65 which is more like that mini fridge you had in college. Before you buy this one, you need to really think through how you intend to camp. If I was only doing an occasional multi-week trip and weekends, I think that the drawer fridge and cooler cube would do it. You will ‘lose’ a full square of the floor to have this and depending on whether you have the HC1 or the HCT, you might want to prioritize storage over the fridge. It’s going to be interesting to see how much use we get out of this but as of right now, I’m glad we included it in our order. Both of these would be good options if you want to buy after-market and again, it would not be difficult to mount one of these to a floor panel and make that feel integrated into your camper. I will say that the Happier Camper provided version includes a bamboo back with handles which I assume is to make it easier to move.
And finally, the Happier Camper cooler cube. I really like this product. I think there are good arguments for and against so let me list them here.
For - The cooler cube is part of the Adaptiv system and it integrates into the camper layout perfectly. It’s roomy and stores more than you might think plus it really holds the cold well. Yes, you could bring your own cooler but it will be one more thing to pack in the back of your tow vehicle or to have in the camper, taking up valuable space.
Against - You can buy your own cooler and pay less money for it.
The irony in all this is that our decisions were based on a desire to do more long-haul trips in the camper, and that this is something that may have to wait until we retire which won’t be for about 8 years. I’m sure there will be newer and more efficient options by that time but as usual, we decided to get it all just in case. We have been kicking around the idea of trying a multi-month road trip, working remote but with Covid, it doesn’t feel like the right time to be doing that so it’s going to be interesting to see what we do in the next couple of years and how our decisions work out. Are you planning long-haul trips in your Happier Camper? What do you think will be important to figure out to make that work? Comment below!