Whether you’re going on long road trips or short camping vacations, having a fridge in the back of your van is a huge convenience. Imagine being able to have all of your favorite snacks and meals from home, wherever you go.

So, can you put a mini FRIDGE FREEZER in a van? Absolutely! There are several brands to choose from, and two different methods to power them. You will need to secure the fridge in place, and you also need to make sure that it’s not always hit by direct sunlight.

Now that you know you can bring along a fridge in your van, let’s check out the ways that you can power them.

How Do You Power A Mini Fridge In A Van?

Mini fridges offer all sorts of storage, and some of them even come with freezers inside as well. Unfortunately, you can’t power them with AA batteries. They require much more electricity, which is why you need to have a constant source from either the car battery or a solar power setup.

Let’s compare the two types of sources below.

Using A Car Battery To Charge A Mini Fridge

Every vehicle has a power source right under the hood. A car battery has tons of electricity (which is why they can keep a vehicle moving). The main concern that you need to be aware of if you decide to go this route is that you have to monitor your car’s battery.

We all know that running too many lights or other electronics from a car battery can deplete it quickly. Fortunately, most mini fridges that you’ll use for your van have a shutoff that prevents it from draining the battery too low. However, it’s still not good to constantly go through a full cycle.

To prevent these issues, you need to turn on the vehicle and run it for 15 to 20 minutes a few times throughout the day. When you start the car, it uses the alternator to charge the battery. This process keeps your battery charged, giving you all the power that you need to keep your fridge powered.

All you have to do to hook it up is grab a 12 volt DC plug adapter and run it from your car battery to the fridge. The good news is that most modern vehicles have 12 volt plugs right at the front panel, otherwise known as cigarette lighter outlets. You can plug the fridge into the socket for an immediate power source.

Using Solar Power To Charge A Mini Fridge

Solar power gives you the ability to charge all of your favorite devices, including a mini fridge. Here’s how you can set up the panels and use them to power your mini fridge:

Mount the panels to the roof.

Run the cables through the ceiling and down to a charge controller.

Hook the charge controller to a 12 volt deep cycle battery.

Once you have the battery charging from the solar power, you can hook up a 12 volt DC plug adapter to the battery terminals. The other end has a socket that you can plug in the mini fridge.

That’s all there is to it.

Solar power seems a bit complicated, especially when you’re trying to condense it into two paragraphs. You’ll be able to tackle the project in an hour or so, maybe even less if you have a few extra pairs of helping hands.

To avoid the time-consuming process of assembling all the individual components, check out this user-friendly solar kit. The kit includes solar panels, charge controller, cables, brackets, and connectors.