However, if you’re only off for a picnic or a few days of camping, then a standard coolbox should be perfect. Ultimately, cool boxes can make for an excellent addition to your arsenal of camping equipment, and could well make your shopping list when you’re identifying the camping essentials. Why shop at Halfords? Electric coolboxes use the 12v power from your car to keep things cool. If you’re heading away for a longer journey, perhaps for anything from a few days to a few weeks, then these devices are perfect for you - and larger capacity electric coolboxes are better suited to longer trips. The EcoCool offers two cooling modes with a cooling delta of up to 25°C below the outdoors temperature on the MAX setting operation. This means that even on a scorching day, you can still get temperatures close to freezing. On its warming and cooling capabilities, the lowest the fridge can go is 3°C, while the highest is 65°C. It’s worth mentioning the noise the fridge makes too – it doesn’t! It is almost completely silent which can be a godsend when it’s running in your tent and you’re trying to sleep.

The 45l ECO Deep offers the convenience of using either AC (240V) or DC (12V) power connection. Current draw is low at only 5 amps, even on 12V power which means a typical 100Ah leisure battery will not get drained until after about 20 hours of continuous operation. Cooling is by the thermoelectric effect and again is a little limited. It will get you to around 10°C in our experience on a standard UK spring day (i.e. not too hot outside). Vonshef actually suggest 12°C as the minimum temperature which is way off from where we would prefer to be – around 5-6°C. Still, it can definitely chill and is great for cooling drinks in this respect, when you don’t have to be completely ice cold. A 20 litre capacity is not going to set the world on fire if you’re planning a long trip, but it’s ample for a night or two away. Hi-Gear make cheap, dependable equipment and we were impressed with the quality of plastic used on this cooler. It looks more expensive than it is!Despite being a decent-sized cool box (storage volume measures 63 x 51 x 42cm), the Eco Deep is portable enough to move around when required. Weight is a fairly hefty 17kg, but the presence of a decent folding handle and wheels makes transport simple and efficient. The cheapest cool box in our recommendation is the HI-GEAR 20L Cooler. It is another 12V only system which can cool food and drinks to around the 10°C mark. For the money, it’s excellent value and has a few extra little design touches we like. Outwell is a case in point. They make some of our favourite pieces of outdoor equipment and have a strong pedigree of providing reliable gear and great customer service. The Outwell ECOCool 35L Cool Box is a case in point for a thermoelectric cool box which can operate on both 240V hookup and 12V battery power and provide a substantial amount of cooling power. We love the fact that it comes with an internal basket, a built-in LED light for viewing your grub at night, and an adjustable thermostatically-controlled temperature system. There is a digital display too which we found legible and easy to use. Cooling Ability The EcoCool could also be called the EcoHeat as the cooling action can be switched to heat for temperatures up to 60°C higher than ambient. This is plenty for keeping soup or pies warm whilst you go out for a late night winter walk. This cool box has all year round use!

We think 20 – 30 litres is the sweet spot for a camping trip away for one to four people. It can store just enough stuff to keep you all going for a few days, and the fewer of you there are, the longer you can last between reloading!At Halfords, we’ve got coolboxes and cool bags perfect for outdoor adventures. Our standard coolboxes use freezer boards to keep food and drink fresh. They aren’t the only cool box option though. Electric coolboxes The size of the EcoCool is 52 x 32 x 43 cm and it weighs around 8kg which is fairly substantial. There is a great swing handle for lifting the box and it does not struggle with a fully laden fridge.

The ECO Deep Extreme has several different capacity options in the range. The coolers start at a ‘car-friendly’ 26 litre capacity up to our favourite in the range shown above – the 45 litre giant which has its own carry handle and wheels to help move it around. We’ll concentrate on that one for this review.The alternatives to electricity include gas powered fridges which can take cannisters of propane/butane to provide the chilling action. The problem with this is both cost and supply – you might run out when you need it most! However, most gas fridges can also run off electricity, but cost more than pure electric alternatives. It also features two removable shelves inside so you have plenty of space for anything – from your favorite beer to a good old Cornish pasty! First impressions count, and the dazzling blue of the VonShef Electric Cool Box really catches the eye. It’s big and blue and ready to cool for you! Someone should hire me to write the TV jingle….