Here Is What THEY Say About It:

Dometic CFX-65DZUS Fridge/Freezer:

The new Dometic CFX cooler/freezer models are a result of many years of research and product development. After gaining an understanding of travel leisure, we have taken your feedback into account to develop a cooler that is tough enough to endure the harshest outdoor environments. We figure if it will perform there, it will perform in any situation, so you can go anywhere!

The CFX-65DZUS Dual Zone has a 42 litres fridge and a 19 litres freezer which function at the same time. It comes with two baskets, and the freezer compartment comes with a lid. The fridge compartment fits 60 cans and up to a standard Riesling bottle. It also features a dairy compartment for perishables.

• 42-liter refrigerator compartment and separate 19-liter freezer compartment
• Reversible lid can be hinged from either side for optimized interior access (tools required)
• Generous 10 mm wide lid seal gasket with air pocket for added insulation
• Removable storage baskets
• USB charging outlet, for charging mobile phones, tablets, etc.
• Ergonomic control panel with user-friendly angle - blue LED display for clarity even in sunlight
• Strong drop down handles, factory fitted, spring loaded handles with glass filled nylon ends ideal to use as tie down points
• Taking out the removable divider at the freezer section will allow you to use the entire unit as 100% fridge or 100% freezer depending on what you set the temperature of the unit

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Here Is What WE Say About It

Over the past 10 or so years I've found it a necessity to try out a number of options for keeping food and beverages cold while on a weekend or week long camp. Like most of us I started out with the cheap method, your standard cooler then moved on to the "extreme" coolers. While the most expensive coolers claimed to keep ice for up to a week, my experience with them was I might have some very cold water after 3 days but no where near a week. That's not good when you are in the wilds for a week or more with no way to resupply your ice.

From ice cooler I moved on to those plug in coolers that can keep food cold or warm depending on the outside temperatures. They were about twice the price of ice coolers and while they are acceptable, you just can't get a cold one at the end of the day because they aren't that efficient in keeping things cold. There is a reason why they call them coolers.

The next step was to do what every serious overlander seemed to be doing and that is to buy a 12v compressor driven refrigerator/freezer. Since 2008 I've tried several of these. My first was a simple 43quart model. It worked very well, keeping my food as cold as I wanted and my beverages quite frosty but it drew a fair amount of electrical current and it was a heavy one. Never the less, I finally found a product that I don't know how I ever lived without, or did I?

Over the past 7 years I've acquired and used a number of different makes and models of fridge/freezers. All of them were perfect for a weekend or a week long or longer trip. There was one thing though, they would either freeze or refrigerate but not both at the same time. So you could freeze everything and have ice to keep your drinks cold or you could refrigerate at 34 degrees and keep things very cold. I missed my ice but it wasn't practical to freeze everything and models that did both were big and heavy. Until now..........

If you own any kind of RV, you probably recognize the name Dometic. It's probably the refrigerator that came with it from the factory. My travel trailer had one, and when I sold it after 14 years, the Dometic fridge was still going strong. While it might not be a household name here in the US, Dometic/Waeco products are well known world wide for quality and performance. Best of all, they've introduced a new line of portables ready for your Jeep or off-road trailer, the CFX line of fridge/freezers.

Looking to replace a 43quart model I've used for a few years my search began for something that could keep my ice frozen while keeping my other items cold. Many of the models were just too big for the expensive fridge slide I had. By chance my searches brought me to an Australian website that talked about Waeco fridge/freezers and how they were perfect for the hot temps of the Outback. I'm from Phoenix, I know all about hot temps in the summer. Waeco was a brand that I've never heard of, but was quite famous internationally. Their website pointed me to the Dometic website for USA customers.

There it was, the model I was looking for, exactly as pictured in Australia but with the name Dometic on the side instead of Waeco. This model would do everything I wanted and while it has a 61quart capacity, would still squeeze into my fridge slide. Will the Dometic CFX-65DZUS do the job?

My new fridge/freezer was delivered one afternoon and I couldn't wait to take it out of the box and give it a good looking over. The first thing I noticed is that it was much lighter than the other 60 quart model I've used in the past. For some, you will certainly take notice to the attractive styling and features like a lid that can be reversed, front controls with a USB port to charge your phone or tablet, the spring loaded handles that hug the unit when not being used to carry it, the spacious interior and the LED light that will help you see what you are looking for at night. As far as looks are concerned, this model is a work of art, but beauty is only skin deep, you need a fridge that will perform as well. A 4 day trip thru the southern AZ desert to the northern pines of the Grand Canyon should tell me if this unit will do the job.

I took some measurements and it will fit in the fridge slide I had my 43 quart model mated to. The good news, it will fit, the bad news is I won't have enough time to install the slide in my ZJ before the CFX-65DZUS's first journey. Not a problem, it will fit well in the cargo area with lots of room to spare for gear.

Now I had to decide how to keep my fridge running with the freezer section at about twenty degrees for 4 days without a dual battery system. A new ArkPak (see the review elsewhere in this issue) comes to the rescue to provide continuous power for the four day trip.

With my new Dometic placed in the back of the Jeep I wanted to see how fast it would take to bring the freezer from the ninety degree temps here in Phoenix to a frosty twenty degrees. I was pleased that in about forty minutes, I was at my target temperature and the temps were still dropping. I had set the thermostat for minus seven degrees, the lowest operating temperature this unit will cool down to. Within about two hours the gallon jug of water that was placed in the unit was frozen solid.

Over the next two days the temperature was monitored and it didn't vary more than three degrees. The other thing I noticed was the compressor is extremely quiet.

The people from Ark, told me that the Ark Pak should run my new fridge for at least three days without being recharged. Ok, that was good to know but not to take any chances I ran a long 12v extension cord to the rear of the Jeep to charge the Ark Pak when driving on my trip. I have a lot of confidence in this set up and four days to let it prove itself.

On the eve of departure, fridge at my set temperature, it was loaded with a ten pound bag of ice in the freezer. The fridge section got a gallon jug of water, six large cans of iced tea, two quarts of chocolate milk, an assortment of fruit and pudding cups, two containers of lunch meat, cheese, fresh tomatoes & lettuce, six containers of yogurt, a quart of jello, condiments for sandwiches and several vacuum bags of sausage gravy & scrambled eggs. My food supply for the trip is ready to go.

Over the next four days my ice stayed solidly frozen and my non-frozen items remained well chilled. We drove over some smooth roads, some paved roads and lots of bumpy, rocky and sometimes rough trails. None of that had any effect on the CFX-65DZUS. Temperatures remained constant within a few degrees the entire trip. When the guys with coolers were letting the water out of their coolers and filling them with fresh ice, my ice supply was as good as it was three days earlier. My Ark Pak powered the fridge and conserved my Jeeps battery as advertised. You can say that I am very pleased.

I like the new CFX-65DZUS, it looks great and performs like a champ. The best feature is having separate freezer and fridge so you can keep ice frozen and not affect the items in the fridge section. If you want to use all the space in the CFX-65DZUS as just a freezer or refrigerator, you simply take out the removable divider and set your temperature accordingly. The best feature is that this unit is not a power hog. It draws less power than my 43 quart Edgestar fridge and significantly less than my 60 quart Engel. After the trip I wanted to see how long the Ark Pak would continuously power my Dometic without any external charging. Four days plus with the freezer set at 21 degrees.

There is one feature I haven't mentioned yet and it's the Emergency Power Switch. I've never seen this feature an any other portable fridge. This switch when moved to the "on" position will bypass the thermostat and electronics and keep the fridge running at 100% in the event of a problem.

It is no wonder with the Dometics' features and performance that ARB chose them to manufacture their new line of fridge freezers. The new CFX-65DZUS is a solid winner. Proven in the Outback and other remote areas of the world and tested in Arizona. The Dometic CFX models from small to large should be on your short list when shopping.





You can buy Dometic dual voltage fridge freezers at a number of online stores like West Marine and Amazon.com

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