Ice Cold Anywhere – The Snomaster Portable Fridge Freezer (SnoMaster SMDZ-CL56D)

The Snomaster Portable Fridge Freezer (SnoMaster SMDZ-CL56D) –  There’s nothing quite like pulling into your camp after a hard days touring , getting a nice big fire going, preparing dinner and sitting down to enjoy a cold beer from your portable fridge freezer. With an increasing selection of portable fridge freezer products of all shapes and sizes now on the market and with the addition of a dual battery system and portable battery power packs we can now literally stay at our favourite camping spot and have the fridge running for a couple of days.

Portable fridge freezers have come a long way in the last few years, becoming more robust and efficient with better performing compressors and as a result bringing a whole new dimension to touring and camping .

If you are in the market for one you should consider a couple of things, first of all the size of the unit (do you require a dual zone fridge/freezer), whether it has removable baskets (this allows easy access to your food and drinks), the power draw (they do vary amongst products on the market), the strength (if you are going off road you should make sure that your unit is well built and has suitable tie down points to prevent the unit from moving around), the compressor, the quality of the compressor in intense heat will predict how hard it will need to work to keep your food and drinks cold, and the harder it works the more power it draws.

And lastly the warranty some fridge freezers like the SnoMaster range come with is an impressive 5 years , which tells a lot about the company’s confidence in its fridge freezers.

SnoMaster in recent years has very much started to make a name for itself for building top quality units within the fridge freezer market in Europe and internationally.

Originally constructed for tough use in South Africa, SnoMaster fridges and freezers can now be found in the back of 4WD vehicles and camper trailers all over the world. The development of these fridge freezers has been ongoing over the last number of years with the 12v SnoMaster Compressor initially launched in 2000.

In 2014 SnoMaster entered the European market and convinced by the quality and attractiveness of these fridge freezers Genesis Import GmbH from Schwarzach am Main, Germany, has taken a leading role in the import and distribution of these hardy SnoMaster refrigerators.

On first taking the SnoMaster SMDZ-CL56 out of the box you can tell that this product is built for longevity with the stainless steel body,locks, hinges and handles giving it a very high quality look at first glance. Unlike other fridge freezers the SnoMasters also come with an insulation bag, this bag protects the surface of the cooler from dirt and damage, but also provides additional insulation.

Anyone traveling in hot weather or dusty environments, will appreciate the benefits of an insulation bag especially if your vehicle is not air conditioned. The protective case is closed with a sturdy zipper and has a storage pocket for power cables,remote control, and general storage.

The the high quality stainless steel honeycomb outer shell which is also very easy to clean gives the SnoMaster fridge freezers a unique appearance for sure in comparison to the plastic bodies that you see on some of its competitors. The surface is also more scratch resistant than plastic, smooth aluminum or steel surfaces.

This fridge freezer incorporates two storage compartments, with separated hinged lids covering each compartment. This is very beneficial particularly when used in hot weather, remember each opening of the lid means that the temperature in the freezer rises slightly and then has to be cooled again, putting extra work on your compressor/battery.

By having two lids this will save energy and keep contents at a more consistent temperature.

This unit is also fitted on the left side with two stacked baskets and on the right side with a basket that sits just above the compressor. This setup is perfect for separating your food and drinks and means you don’t have to take everything out in order to find your frozen steak for your camp dinner, it just means that it helps with the organisation and easier access of your food. As regards insulation the shells are 60 mm for the Classic Series and 70 mm for the Expedition Series, so they have excellent cold storage capacities at higher outside temperatures.

Within the fridge freezers compartments,you will also find seal-able drains. These are very useful when defrosting food and cleaning the interior of the fridge freezer, nothing worse that trying to clean up a spilled liquid from the bottom of your fridge freezer,these plug holes just make life easier,simply pull out the plug and drain the unwanted liquid.

Another very interesting feature of this fridge freezer is the innovative remote control supplied. SnoMaster fridge freezers are supplied with a wireless remote control that can be charged with a USB and solar power. The wireless remote keeps the coolers fully monitored and controlled and displays the desired/ actual temperature, battery voltage and the control conveniently allows the cooling setting to be turned on or off via the unit. The unit also has a built in back light to view in the dark and wait for it an integrated LED flashlight should you drop your keys under the seat and can’t find them after dark, no shortage of innovative and practical; add-ons here.

In order to prevent deep discharge of the battery supply all SnoMaster fridge freezers are also equipped with a built battery monitor.This can be set via the control panel or the remote control in three stages between 10.0, 10.7 or 11.8 volts. When falling below the voltage, the cooler is automatically turned off avoiding your battery from being discharged and damaged.

To guarantee the best cooling performance, SnoMaster has also developed its own compressor. The SnoMaster compressor is designed to resist dust and dirt, and for those of you who love to get off the beaten track it is built to withstand vehicle vibrations that can result from challenging terrain and driving on corrugated tracks.Snomaster are so confident with the toughness of their compressor that it comes with a 5 year warranty.

Additional features include a power-saving LED light that automatically turns on when the lid is opened,an alarm tone that will sound after 90 seconds to remind you that the door of the fridge freezer may have accidentally been left open. As regards setting the coolers settings, each compartment can be set anywhere from 10° to -22°C according to your needs allowing you to use one compartment as a fridge and the other as a freezer.

And finally the units comes with an attachable bottle opener that can be screwed into the pre-drilled points on the front or on the right side of the fridge freezer. When mounted on the right side, the bottle caps fall right into the pocket below in the protective cover. This is just a simple idea but one that we absolutely love.