Alternative Fridge mounting solutions

[kylealden]

For folks who (like me) are bummed that most decently-sized portable fridges won't fit in the frunk or tonneau cover of the R1T, here's an interesting solution: DIY Fridge Slide Alternative for Truck Camping and Overlanding | Take The Truck

There are a few things to like here:

1. Leaves the full bed available and can fold out to let the tailgate open
2. Conveniently places the fridge next to the camp kitchen and tailgate for meals & meal prep
3. Easier to access the fridge with something over the bed (like the rack or a rooftop tent)
4. Easy connection to 12V power via a super cheap 7-pin to 12V adapter
5. I can reuse the swing-out hitch adapter for my bike rack so I can get at the tailgate with bikes on
6. Aero impact should be minimal
7. Not that expensive

Cons:

1. Requires a weatherproof, dustproof, lockable fridge - I'm really only aware of the ARB Elements Fridge/Freezer, which is not cheap.
2. Occupies the hitch - no towing or hitch-mounted bike racks
3. Adds an extra step to getting in the tailgate
4. Reduces departure angle
5. Covers up that gorgeous R1T heiny
6. Not that cheap

Anyway - seems like it may be worth a shot. I'm leaning towards the ARB fridge anyway since it's the shortest high-capacity fridge I can find, so it may just squeak under the tonneau cover; if not, this feels like a good alternative and a more modular solution than a fridge slide.

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[the long way downunder]

Rivian has overlooked some of the not-so-minor details of the whole vehicle design.

A fridge in the frunk is a "use case" worth satisfying. There's three problems they've created for themselves:

1) lift-over instead of flat deck loading (the R1 should lift the nose with the hood.)
2) power (portable fridges use 12V and need and unswitched outlet with "battery drain" protection.)
3) dimensions (the frunk should have a cube space specfically designed to receive a variety of equipment and standard-issue cases.)

There's also questions of temperature control (does it freeze in winter driving or boil crossing a desert?) and cleaning/drainage – is it possible to "plug" the frunk and have it retain water and ice; is there drain to convenient release spilled fluids (without freezing) and allowing the frunk to be "hosed out" for quickly cleaning up after carrying muddy or snowy gear and boots, etc.?

As for fridge-freezers, I'd like to see Rivian explain their product plans so we know what's cooking (and not just the $5000 kitchen … I want to carry cooking gear, but not give up the whole gear tunnel, a modest backpack can hold a whole kitchen with gas (sorry) burner and titanium camping utensils, etc.)

It would be great for Rivian to work directly with ARB and others like ICECO (which I've used for years without failure) to design a fridge for the gear tunnel. I think a "gear tunnel fridge" can have two compartments (with the fridge compartment accessible from within the cabin through the access hatch between the back seats … cold drinks and snacks on the go!)

 

[the long way downunder]

I've generally given up on hitch-mount accessories (except for motorcycle and mountain-bike carriers.) The main gripe is everything gets ruined. Whether it's dust or road grime or mud and slush or the horrible black snow slush of freeway driving, anything back there suffers. I find fridges like an easy ride, but a hitch is a lever that amplifies the up-and-down of the rear suspension … the motor in a fridge compressor tends to suffer. So I reserve the hitch for the trailer or the bike carrier.

 

[kylealden]

2) power (portable fridges use 12V and need and unswitched outlet with "battery drain" protection.)

Worth noting there is unswitched 12V power in the frunk. Battery drain protection won't be an issue with 135 kWh. But agreed that other elements of the design could be much better - the F150's frunk design is clearly superior for this use case.

 

[Zoidz]

Rivian has overlooked some of the not-so-minor details of the whole vehicle design.

A fridge in the frunk is a "use case" worth satisfying.

I disagree, they didn't overlook it - they just didn't prioritize it to your preference. Everything is a compromise in functional design. Weight vs space vs performance vs cost vs handling vs regulatory vs you-name-it. In the case of the frunk, what are you going to compromise or give up to create more space for a refrigerator that maybe 1% of the customers will actually buy? See the picture below for reference.

Smaller drive train/housing, don't need that horsepower for towing. etc? Get rid of the cooling fan and associated ducting, compromise charge/discharge speed or fry the battery? Smaller active suspension struts and arms, don't need that ride height or durability? Or maybe you make the vehicle 6" wider and 6" taller to accomodate a frunk fridge, but can't fit in a garage, more wind resistance? Extend the front body 6" and reduce the approach angle, and make it longer than some people need? And don't worry about structural design to meet crash safety standards, just make room for the damn fridge!!!

I think Rivian designers have done a really good job of maximizing the design, and I'm glad that a frunk fridge was not a priority in the design.

 

[kylealden]

I've generally given up on hitch-mount accessories (except for motorcycle and mountain-bike carriers.) The main gripe is everything gets ruined. Whether it's dust or road grime or mud and slush or the horrible black snow slush of freeway driving, anything back there suffers. I find fridges like an easy ride, but a hitch is a lever that amplifies the up-and-down of the rear suspension … the motor in a fridge compressor tends to suffer. So I reserve the hitch for the trailer or the bike carrier.

I sympathize. The blogger I linked did a follow-up after 12k miles of overlanding where they said the ARB fridge held up after extensive offroading in all conditions, including deep water crossings, and can be simply hosed off - I agree it's not an ideal solution, but this unit does appear to be built to survive that kind of exposure.

ARB Elements Fridge: The Best 12v Camping Fridge for Overlanding - YouTube

 

[the long way downunder]

I sympathize. The blogger I linked did a follow-up after 12k miles of overlanding where they said the ARB fridge held up after extensive offroading in all conditions, including deep water crossings, and can be simply hosed off - I agree it's not an ideal solution, but this unit does appear to be built to survive that kind of exposure.

ARB Elements Fridge: The Best 12v Camping Fridge for Overlanding - YouTube

ARB fridges are the gold (and gold-priced) standard. For years in Australia, there wasn't any other compressor fridge-freezer (Engel is the only one that comes to mind, but when you saw one, you thought, "why didn't they get an ARB?")
ARB used to be just a rough and tough metal box that you saw "everywhere" and you thought "here I am two days into a week-long trip with an esky full of water and wet food, I wish I had the money to afford an ARB fridge."
I think it would be a huge success (just for grocery-getters) and in a $70K+ lifestyle vehicle, another $1500-2000 for a fridge in the gear tunnel … I'm easily dumb enough to make that purchase! : )

 

[crashmtb]

Rivian has overlooked some of the not-so-minor details of the whole vehicle design.

A fridge in the frunk is a "use case" worth satisfying. There's three problems they've created for themselves:

1) lift-over instead of flat deck loading (the R1 should lift the nose with the hood.)
2) power (portable fridges use 12V and need and unswitched outlet with "battery drain" protection.)
3) dimensions (the frunk should have a cube space specfically designed to receive a variety of equipment and standard-issue cases.)

There's also questions of temperature control (does it freeze in winter driving or boil crossing a desert?) and cleaning/drainage – is it possible to "plug" the frunk and have it retain water and ice; is there drain to convenient release spilled fluids (without freezing) and allowing the frunk to be "hosed out" for quickly cleaning up after carrying muddy or snowy gear and boots, etc.?

As for fridge-freezers, I'd like to see Rivian explain their product plans so we know what's cooking (and not just the $5000 kitchen … I want to carry cooking gear, but not give up the whole gear tunnel, a modest backpack can hold a whole kitchen with gas (sorry) burner and titanium camping utensils, etc.)

It would be great for Rivian to work directly with ARB and others like ICECO (which I've used for years without failure) to design a fridge for the gear tunnel. I think a "gear tunnel fridge" can have two compartments (with the fridge compartment accessible from within the cabin through the access hatch between the back seats … cold drinks and snacks on the go!)

There is video of Brian Gase saying they are(as of overland expo 2019) talking with dometic about a fridge for the front. So that’s somewhere in their R&D list.


motortrend used an ARB fridge in the bed on their TAT trip.

If it would fit, i‘d put a national Luna fridge in the front trunk.

 

[the long way downunder]

I disagree, they didn't overlook it - they just didn't prioritize it to your preference. Everything is a compromise in functional design. Weight vs space vs performance vs cost vs handling vs regulatory vs you-name-it. In the case of the frunk, what are you going to compromise or give up to create more space for a refrigerator that maybe 1% of the customers will actually buy? See the picture below for reference.

Smaller drive train/housing, don't need that horsepower for towing. etc? Get rid of the cooling fan and associated ducting, compromise charge/discharge speed or fry the battery? Smaller active suspension struts and arms, don't need that ride height or durability? Or maybe you make the vehicle 6" wider and 6" taller to accomodate a frunk fridge, but can't fit in a garage, more wind resistance? Extend the front body 6" and reduce the approach angle, and make it longer than some people need? And don't worry about structural design to meet crash safety standards, just make room for the damn fridge!!!

I think Rivian designers have done a really good job of maximizing the design, and I'm glad that a frunk fridge was not a priority in the design.

You're describing typical design processes (except the crash-testing)
There's no way the frunk "team" gets to impact the vehicle design, but the decision to not have a flat load deck was a big mistake. I'm sure they regret the mistake.
Ford Lightning, Chevy Silverado, GMC Hummer EV, Bollinger B1 and B2 (well, Bollinger didn't have to do crash testing) all managed to figure out how to put the hinges and latches and body seams where the nose could be part of the hood.

Last century and into this century, having the hood "participate" in crash testing became something the cool kids avoided (for low speed damage and insurance assessment, not for safety … survivability comes from impact structures.) It would have been a priority to protect the frunk from the wrath of the insurers (Tesla neglected this and all Tesla owners continue to pay high premiums for that mistake.)

Within the existing dimensions, aside from lower lift-over and maybe a retracting foot step, I would have liked to see the frunk hold something like a full-sized checked bag and hard-sided carry-ons for example. Maybe Rivian has it in mind to partner any of the plethora of case OEMs (Rimowa) or retail brands (Tumi, Samsonite, etc.) A combination of hard-sided and soft cases that snuggly fill the frunk and gear tunnel would be great.

 

[the long way downunder]

There is video of Brian Gase saying they are(as of overland expo 2019) talking with dometic about a fridge for the front. So that’s somewhere in their R&D list.


motortrend used an ARB fridge in the bed on their TAT trip.

If it would fit, i‘d put a national Luna fridge in the front trunk.

Thanks!
Dometic is probably just the right choice for a partner with the resources to make a "one-off" that fridge the frunk and a bespoke slider-mount that fits the gear tunnel. Thinking about it, there would have to be a heat-discharge port for the gear tunnel with air flow and still handle the 3-foot fording depth. So unless they have that hidden way and able to retrofit for a fridge-freezer, it might be a "Version 2.0" feature. I believe they use the same SECOP compressor as ICECO and a little googling shows Dometic has some those "champagne" fridges for auto makers.

 

[the long way downunder]

Worth noting there is unswitched 12V power in the frunk. Battery drain protection won't be an issue with 135 kWh. But agreed that other elements of the design could be much better - the F150's frunk design is clearly superior for this use case.

Thanks, I had it backwards, there's a 12V but no 120V or USB-C – which I think is a questionable decision. I imagine every photog, drone flyer, blogger wants all their gear safety arrayed in the frunk for easy access and all plugged in and charging. Maybe there was a real problem (cost, complexity of assembly) getting 110 to the frunk, but the omission of USB-C is clearly an oversight / mistake. Maybe that's something they'll update mid-run or even offer a retrofit panel.

 

[crashmtb]

Thanks!
Dometic is probably just the right choice for a partner with the resources to make a "one-off" that fridge the frunk and a bespoke slider-mount that fits the gear tunnel. Thinking about it, there would have to be a heat-discharge port for the gear tunnel with air flow and still handle the 3-foot fording depth. So unless they have that hidden way and able to retrofit for a fridge-freezer, it might be a "Version 2.0" feature. I believe they use the same SECOP compressor as ICECO and a little googling shows Dometic has some those "champagne" fridges for auto makers.

I suspect they’ll make a fridge or even just a cooer for the frunk. Not the gear tunnel - it’s a weird shape, and their kitchen goes there already.

 

[Soupdc]

Ok so I am confused...why does everyone want a fridge? Does a good ole cooler not work? I have camped most all my life and nothing but a cooler has been needed.

 

[mgc0216]

Ok so I am confused...why does everyone want a fridge? Does a good ole cooler not work? I have camped most all my life and nothing but a cooler has been needed.

Sure you can use a good quality cooler with ice, and that will work for quite a few days. But for longer trips where you might not have access to ice, that's not going to work.

These coolers were mainly aimed at overlanding trips to remote areas that would last longer than ice is my understanding.

If you're just kicking at a campground for a weekend, or you can easily make an ice run then you might not need one. However, even if you could get away w/ an ice chest, not having to deal with fishing your food out of water and dealing with all that is also a bonus.

 

[shamoo]

Maybe it is me but....you bought a pickup truck. What other pickup truck can accommodate a fridge?

Seems like most of the big overlanding rigs have the entire bed used, at which point you can fit any fridge in there. Or maybe should have waited for the R1S?

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