Fresh, healthy food is a must if you plan to use your 4x4 for four-wheel drive touring. Non-perishable snacks and canned food are fine, but when you’re out in the wilderness camping for a long time, then eventually you’re going to start craving fresh vegetables (or just a cold beer.)
A portable fridge mounted on the back of your truck is a must for these trips. Fresh food and cold drinks significantly improve your off-roading experience. It also increases the amount of time you can spend away from civilization.
If you already have a portable fridge, you might already have run into the issue that every outdoor lover with a fridge comes to face eventually: easy convenient access. Depending on the type of fridge you have, getting stuff out of it when your car is loaded up with gear and luggage can be challenging.
A drop-down fridge slide solves the problem of fridge accessibility. When combined with other vehicle accessories like a roof rack and fridge barrier, it makes off-grid food storage and prep a breeze.
Keep reading to find out in detail what a drop down fridge slide is and how it’s different from a basic fridge slide. And also how fridge barriers can help make everything work.
A fridge slide is a metal frame that mounts into the back of your vehicle. The frame is usually constructed of steel - but can also be manufactured with aluminum components. Your fridge mounts into the frame, and the frame slides in and out of the vehicle, allowing you easy, convenient access to your fridge.
There are a couple of different types of fridge slides. Which one you choose will depend on the type of fridge you have and the size of your vehicle. The good news is that you have many options. If you can't find a fridge slide that fits your particular needs, most manufacturers will be happy to work with you to build a custom solution.
A traditional fridge slide allows the fridge to slide directly out of the back of the vehicle, giving you access to the lid. The slide is very much like the slides you would find on a set of drawers. It operates like a regular drawer slide, and the fridge sits on top of the metal slides.
The fridge attaches by straps that run through the slide and the fridge’s handles, or it can be bolted permanently to the slide. Fridge slides come in several sizes and are labeled to fit specific fridge capacities.
Always check that the dimensions of your portable fridge fit into the slide you are considering. Just because a slide is labeled for a certain capacity refrigerator, does not necessarily mean that any fridge of the same capacity will fit into it. Other specifications to look at when choosing a fridge slide include its weight capacity, holding capacity, and the quality of the drawer slides.
A fridge that slides out from the back of your vehicle is great, but a basic fridge slide does not always solve accessibility needs. A fridge mounted on a basic fridge slide sits higher than the fridge sits when mounted to the floor of your vehicle. This height difference can make reaching the top of top-loaded fridges difficult.
The solution to this problem is a drop-down fridge slide or tilting fridge slide. A drop-down slide drops the fridge down to a more accessible height after it slides out, while a tilting slide tilts the fridge toward you, allowing access to the top of the fridge.
Two of the best fridge slides available are the MSA 4x4 Drop Slide and the Dunn & Watson Slide and Tilt Slide. The MSA drop slide lowers the fridge by 30cm as it slides out, while the Dunn and Watson model tilts the fridge toward you as it slides.
Both of these models accommodate fridges up to 200kg or more. The ingenious designs allow even a very heavy fridge to return easily to its stowed position.
The MSA Drop Slide uses a gas strut to help return the fridge to its original position. Just a flip of a lever swings the fridge back into the vehicle. The Dunn and Watson model uses struts to tilt the fridge forward as it slides out. The struts also aid in returning the fridge to its level position.
Once you have solved the accessibility issue, the next problem you might run into is stowed luggage falling into the space left behind by the fridge as it slides out of the vehicle. You can solve this problem by installing fridge barriers.
A fridge barrier is a cage or metal box that encases the fridge while stowed. The barrier prevents luggage and other items from falling into the space behind the fridge when the fridge slides out.
A fridge barrier also allows ventilation space around the fridge, keeping items away from the fridge’s air compressor and condenser. A fridge barrier should be sturdy enough that you can stow luggage on top of it.
When used correctly, a drop-down fridge slide and fridge barrier system will increase the amount of storage space available in your vehicle, and make provisioning your next off-road trip easy and fun.
