Quick Verdict

I’ve been really impressed with this portable fridge and use it regularly for camping and days out. I paid £122.99, and for that price it has proven to be a very useful bit of kit.

Its compact size means it fits easily into a small car boot, and being able to run it directly from a 12V socket makes it ideal for travelling. I’ve also powered it from my Jackery power station throughout a three-day camping trip without draining the battery.

The capacity isn’t huge, so you do need to be sensible about what you pack, but for keeping drinks and essential food cold it has been excellent. For the price I paid, I think it offers very good value for money.

Description

The Alpicool G22 is a compact 22-litre portable compressor fridge/freezer designed for camping, road trips, campervans and other situations where a normal fridge isn’t available.

Unlike a basic electric cool box, the G22 uses compressor cooling and has adjustable temperature control. It can be powered from a 12V/24V DC supply, making it particularly useful in the car or when paired with a portable power station.

Its relatively compact design makes it easy to transport and suitable for smaller car boots, although the 22L capacity does mean storage space is limited compared with larger camping fridges. It also includes a small ice-making compartment, which I’ve found surprisingly useful when camping.

Pros and Cons

Specification

TESTING

How I Tested It

Verdict

For the £122.99 I paid, I’ve been extremely impressed.

It strikes a good balance between cooling performance, power consumption and portability. Being able to plug it into a vehicle’s 12V supply while travelling and then move it onto my Jackery power station at the campsite makes it particularly convenient.

The biggest limitation is simply its capacity. It’s compact, and that inevitably means you can’t fit loads inside it. However, I’d rather have something this size that fits comfortably into the car than a much larger fridge that becomes difficult to transport.

Its ability to maintain a low temperature when disconnected has also exceeded my expectations. My eight-hour test on a hot day, where it only increased by around 3°C with the help of frozen bottles, was particularly impressive.

My Recommendation

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a compact portable fridge for camping, road trips or days away.

If you need lots of storage space, I’d consider a larger model. But if space in the car is important and you mainly want to keep drinks, food and a few essentials properly chilled, I think this size works very well.

For the £122.99 I paid, I’ve had enough use out of it that I consider it very good value.

Would I recommend it? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes

Would I buy it again?

I use it regularly and it has performed extremely well for what I bought it for. The compact size, low power requirements and ability to run from both a car and my portable power station make it one of the more useful pieces of camping equipment I own.

My Experience

I use this fridge all the time, but one of the things that has impressed me most is how well it holds its temperature.

On one particularly hot day while camping, I had the fridge disconnected from power for around eight hours inside the tent. I had added frozen bottles beforehand to help keep everything cold, and after eight hours the internal temperature had only risen by around 3°C, reaching approximately 4°C.

That was much better than I expected and gave me confidence that food and drinks could remain properly chilled even when I couldn’t keep the fridge permanently connected to power.

I’ve also used it with my Jackery Explorer 500 v2 for an entire three-day camping trip. Despite running the fridge from the power station, it didn’t drain the Jackery’s battery over the trip, which has made the combination extremely useful for camping. You can read my full Jackery Explorer 500 v2 review here.

Another advantage is its size. It fits easily into a small car boot, which is particularly useful when camping because boot space disappears quickly once the tent and other equipment are loaded.

The trade-off is capacity. It doesn’t hold a huge amount, so I wouldn’t recommend it for someone wanting to refrigerate food and drinks for a large family. For my needs, though, the compact size is actually part of the appeal.

The small ice cube tray is also a surprisingly useful addition when camping.