Dometic CFX 65W

TEXT AND IMAGES BY WILL MARSHAL

This fridge was hand delivered to us at the top of a 12,000-ft mountain pass in southwestern Montana. If that is not the best way to start this story, we are not sure what is. Generally you have all of your gear set up in a vehicle before the start of a 5,000-mile road trip, but in this instance, we threw out the guide book and decided to do most of our outfitting at the destination. This allowed us an incredible opportunity of comparing two methods of keeping cold foods cold: the ice-filled cooler on the way there and the Dometic CFX 65 on the way back.

ICE-CRISIS

Running around with a cooler is a familiar experience for everyone, stopping every few hours for ice —most of us have lived this life. It is effective, but not always convenient or optimal for the situation, especially if you are in the middle of nowhere or your trip has you away from services for multiple days at a time. Suddenly, the idea of having to deal with ice goes from being the everyman's solution, to another item on the list that is giving us anxiety.