I actually saw that slide system on youtube. The guy built it for himself but had so many comments in the video about people wanting to buy it so he started producing them. Pretty cool. And since we are talking kitchen setups, I'm also looking at a couple budget brand fridges. I wish I had the funds for a Dometic but I can't justify it. I've been kind of leaning towards the BougeRV, about the same price as a decent cooler. What does everyone else have for a budget fridge?
This is the one I have but it's not available anymore.
Ausranvik 48qt Fridge
It was about $350 when I got mine. They have smaller versions that are a bit cheaper (like the 45qt which is under $300, which is available).
I use mine as a spare fridge in the garage for beer, cokes, beer, kids drinks, and sometimes (more) beer. I've had it for 2 years. I (finally) got around to running some extra wire to the cargo area of my Jeep for it, but haven't really taken the fridge on enough bounce tests to verify it's ruggedness on the trails.
It's definitely not as rugged looking as a Dometic or ARB, but I've been pretty happy with it and it's a lot cheaper than the big brands. It's light for its size. I used two 6ft "ratchet style" cinch straps to secure it to my Jeep's D rings. To me, the handles feel like they could bend or crack if you crank down on the strapping, but it was strapped tight enough to not budge when on the go. I don't know how this would fair for a hard core wheeler or if you're bouncing off the rocks. For the forest roads though, it's more than good enough for me.
The only two knocks I have really is the 12V plug doesn't seem to fit too securely in the 12V socket I installed. The 12V socket is not a big name brand either, so that could also have something with it. The fridge door can be set to open from the side (mine) or the front. The one knock about having it open from the front is the hinge port is the same side as the display. I wished it were the other way around so you can see the fridge status when grabbing food/drinks.
With the side open option for the door, the door hinge is on the right side if the display is to the front. Since my 12V socket is on the driver's side, I either have to move the fridge to the passenger side or turn the display end toward the seats to easily access the fridge. There's enough length in the power cord to do this and may not be a big deal for some, but thought I would mention this anyways.
I don't have a lot of trail miles on mine as it's been used more for a spare fridge in the garage for drinks (and beer), but I've been happy with it. If you're a weekend warrior that runs the light trails (like me), then this might be worth looking into. If you're going for those days long expeditions or hardcore rock crawler, then maybe something more robust is in order. Hope this helps (sorry for the winded post).
