BougeRV offers a wide range of outdoor products ranging from solar, batteries, and chillers aimed at outdoor and remote fieldwork. In this review, we look at two portable refrigerators for outdoor enthusiasts and IT workers. The Single Zone E50 53 Quart (50L) Portable Fridge Car Freezer and the Dual Zone CR55 59 Quart (55L) Portable Fridge Freezer are designed to keep food and beverages cool, as well as offer unique advantages for use cases such as astrophotography.
BougeRV offers a wide range of outdoor products ranging from solar, batteries, and chillers aimed at outdoor and remote fieldwork. In this review, we look at two portable refrigerators for outdoor enthusiasts and IT workers. The Single Zone E50 53 Quart (50L) Portable Fridge Car Freezer and the Dual Zone CR55 59 Quart (55L) Portable Fridge Freezer are designed to keep food and beverages cool, as well as offer unique advantages for use cases such as astrophotography.
When it comes to field deployments or on-location work, ensuring the proper cooling of equipment can be crucial for optimal performance and longevity. This is where portable refrigerators, like the BougeRV models, come into play, designed to operate in a wide range of extreme conditions. Here we’re looking at the dual-zone 59-quart unit as well as a large single-zone 53-quart model.
At the time of review, the dual-zone CR55 55-quart model has a street price of $426, while the single-zone E50 53-quart model sells for $286.
First up is the dual-zone CR55 which can operate two compartments as fridge/freezer, fridge/fridge, or freezer/freezer. With its combined 55-liter capacity, this gives you a large amount of storage capacity for supplies. The high-performance compressor can reach temperatures as low as -4°F (-20°C), giving you a wide temperature range for different requirements. This could be keeping certain devices chilled below ambient before installation or ice on hand to cool down perishables or equipment.
BougeRV Dual Zone CR55 59 Quart (55L) Portable Fridge Freezer Specifications
| Product Type | 12V Refrigerator |
| Model | CR55 |
| Rated Power Input | 60W |
| Rated Voltage | DC12V/24V, AC100~240V (using the adapter), Solar (12~50V) |
| Noise Emission | ≤45dB |
| Capacity | 59 Qt = 55 L = 1.94 cu. ft. |
| Temperature Range | -20℃ to 20℃ (-4°F to 68°F) |
| Climate Class | T/ST/N/SN |
| Dimensions (D*W*H) | 18.2 x 28 x 22.5 inches |
| Weight | 44.75 lb. |
| Warranty | 24 months |
Build and Design
Controlling the temperature and other settings is handled through onboard controls or wireless app connectivity. You can easily manage the temperature, select modes, and power on/off the fridge directly from your mobile phone or the control panel. The left and right compartments can be controlled separately, and both offer a temperature range from -4°F to 68°F. The digital panel can also be locked to prevent accidentally changing settings.
Regarding performance, the BougeRV CR55 can reach set cooling temperatures in as little as 15 minutes (68°F~32°F). Additionally, it offers two cooling modes: ECO mode, which consumes less than 45W, and MAX mode for more rapid cooling. Even on MAX mode, which has a peak power draw of 60W, the power consumption can remain under 1kWh consumed per day.
Next, we have the single-zone E50 53 Quart model, which is another offering from BougeRV. With a temperature range of -4 ℉~50℉, it allows you to use it as either a freezer or a refrigerator, depending on your needs. Similar to the CR55, this model also supports rapid cooling. It can drop its internal temperature from 77℉ to 32℉ in 16 minutes, and just 50 minutes to reach -4℉.
Single Zone E50 53 Quart (50L) Portable Fridge Car Freezer Specifications
| Capacity | 53 Qt = 50 L = 1.77 cu. ft. |
| Dimension | 25.74 x 13.58 x 20.75 inches |
| Temperature Range | -4℉ to 68℉ |
| Weight | 45.9 lb |
| Voltage | 12/24 V DC or 110~240 V AC |
| Wattage | Max Mode: 60W, Eco Mode: 45W |
| Noise | ≤45 dB |
| Freezing Zone | 40 L |
| Refrigeration Zone | 10 L |
The E50 offers two models of cooling speed. The first is ECO which draws less than 45W, as well as MAX which peaks at 65W. Just like the CR55 dual-zone unit, it is designed to consume less than 1kWh per day to maximize battery life.
Portable Refrigerators for Field Use
Having explored the specifications of this versatile portable refrigerator/cooler and the various applications it could have in our outdoor lives, let’s delve deeper into an unexpected but highly beneficial use – safeguarding your astrophotography camera and lens.
In the context of the outdoors, and particularly astrophotography, the rapid temperature drop post-sunset can pose a significant challenge. Your camera and lens, if left at ambient temperature, are prone to condensation or dew build-up, which can significantly compromise image quality and potentially damage the equipment. By pre-emptively, and slowly in a controlled manner, reducing the temperature of your gear in the portable cooler, you can mitigate this risk and secure a much longer photography session.
The cooler acts as a climate-controlled fortress for your equipment. By maintaining the temperature of the camera and lens closer to the colder anticipated outdoor temperatures post-sunset, the cooler helps prevent sudden temperature differentials that lead to dew formation. Additionally, this protects your gear not just from dew, but also from other potentially harmful environmental elements during transportation to remote sites.
Now, some might argue that the benefits of using a portable refrigerator/cooler for this purpose might not justify the investment. However, when you consider the potential cost of damage to high-end equipment due to dew, or the loss of once-in-a-lifetime shots to the haze of moisture, the benefits are hard to ignore.
Conclusion
Both the BougeRV Single Zone E50 53 Quart (50L) Portable Fridge Car Freezer and the Dual Zone CR55 59 Quart (55L) Portable Fridge Freezer offer reliable and efficient cooling solutions for outdoor enthusiasts. In the field, they both quickly reached and maintained their set temperatures, and best of all used very little power doing so.
Field operations generally require thinking outside the box, which in this case the coolers help for both hardware uses as well as food items too. Not all deployments are in perfect conditions, and sometimes you might want something cold to drink alongside your 8 hours of astrophotography. For that situation, the BougeRV line of coolers is a fantastic option.
CR55 ar Amazon | E50 at Amazon
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