Once I first noticed the Ecoflow Glacier, introduced at last year’s CES, I instantly thought, Nobody wants this. Properly, not nobody. I want it. However I dwell full-time in an RV. I’m an outlier. Hardly anybody wants a transportable, battery-powered cooler. Not lengthy after that, I used to be on the seaside in Florida once I noticed two college-aged males struggling over the sand dunes with an enormous ice maker, semi-portable fridge, and gas-powered generator. I’m flawed! Individuals do want the Ecoflow Glacier. It’s not simply me. The Ecoflow Glacier would have eliminated all of the humor from the scene, however it possible would have made this group’s spring break a bit simpler.
With an impressively giant storage space, a built-in ice maker, an honest set of wheels, and an elective battery, the Ecoflow Glacier is every thing it’s essential to hold your meals and drinks cool on a sizzling day on the seaside, or a weekend within the woods. It most likely received’t roll over dunes all that effectively, however it’s not too exhausting to hold.
Ice Chest
EcoFlow targets the Glacier at full-time RVers, van lifers, and boat homeowners, however when you’ve acquired the house and cash, it’s an important substitute for an ice chest irrespective of the place you reside. It’s an important possibility for weekend journeys when you choose up the battery (bought individually), which is able to mean you can be off the grid for as much as 40 hours (much less when ambient temps are larger). Throw in 200 watts of photo voltaic panels and also you’ll be capable to have refrigeration practically indefinitely as long as the solar is shining.
Sadly, out of the field, the Ecoflow Glacier can’t cost off photo voltaic, nor do you get the battery. It’s nonetheless a positive fridge, and the worth is aggressive at $1,000. That will get you the unit itself, 12-V and 120-V chargers, a basket, and a divider. The divider lets you break up the principle compartment into fridge and freezer sections. What’s good is that if you’re not utilizing it, the divider tucks neatly up into the lid, out of the best way.
Every little thing in regards to the Glacier is extremely effectively designed. The seals are tight, however it’s straightforward to open. It’s gentle sufficient that I can carry it round simply with the included handles (it’s 51 kilos when empty). When you load it up with meals it will get more durable, however two individuals can handle it.
The management panel is straightforward to make use of; I by no means needed to learn the handbook. Talking of, you don’t get a handbook, which is disappointing in a product geared toward individuals going off-grid. You may obtain the handbook from Ecoflow, however I might have most well-liked paper.
{Photograph}: Ecoflow
The Glacier has a 38-liter capability. For reference, that’s about 60 12-ounce cans. You need to use it as both a fridge or freezer, setting the temp to wherever between 50 to 32 levels Fahrenheit (10 to 0 levels Celsius) for the fridge mode, and 32 to –13 levels Fahrenheit (0 to 25 levels Celsius) for the freezer mode. In the event you use the divider you find yourself with one part that’s 23 liters and one which’s 15. You may then set the temperature independently, with both facet as a freezer. The Glacier detects when the divider is in place, and mechanically presents two temp settings on the display, which is fairly slick.
There’s one catch to the divider. The left facet may be as a lot as 77 levels Fahrenheit larger than the suitable, however the suitable facet can solely be 59 levels Fahrenheit larger than the left. This barely unusual limitation most likely received’t come up for most individuals because it’s exhausting to give you a situation the place you’d need that large of a temperature distinction.
Temperature, together with every thing else in regards to the Glacier, may be managed both by way of the app through Bluetooth or you’ll be able to add the unit to your Wi-Fi community. In the event you don’t need to use the app, you’ll be able to all the time use the settings panel on the Glacier. There are good large plus and minus buttons that make it straightforward to manage every thing on the unit. The app is superb although and makes a pleasant possibility when you’re planning to place the Glacier in a drawer in a van or RV.
The constraints are that the Glacier can’t run instantly off photo voltaic panels with out the battery. You’re not powering the Glacier, you’re charging the batteries. Equally, you’ll be able to’t make ice off the 12-V energy provide. You want the battery (or to be plugged into the wall). For these causes, I extremely counsel you purchase the battery, which additionally offers you a bidirectional 100-watt USB-C PD port so you’ll be able to cost devices whereas additionally powering the fridge (powering each off photo voltaic when you’ve got the panels).
Six Months of Testing
I examined the Ecoflow Glacier for greater than six months and located it delivers on all of Ecoflow’s claims. It cools the quickest of any moveable fridge I’ve ever tried, shockingly effectively, and it held its inner temperature after every thing summer season threw at it.
For some context, I dwell full-time on 12-V refrigeration powered by photo voltaic panels. I’ve a Vitrifrigo refrigerator (which I don’t advocate) and an Engle freezer (which I like, though it may very well be quieter). For many of final summer season, I swapped out the Engle with the Ecoflow Glacier. Ecoflow charges the Glacier able to 40 hours off the 298-watthour battery. That is below utterly preferrred circumstances with nothing within the fridge. In my real-world testing with ambient temperatures starting from 75 to 85 levels Fahrenheit, the Glacier’s battery held up for practically 24 hours, which is spectacular.
