AC/DC Portable Electric Cooler

Wayne and I are on a short winter trip to the cabin. It's quite cool, but we are staying warm thanks to our trusty woodstove. 

Normally, we use our propane refrigerator for fresh food, but because this is a short trip we are using ice chests.

To maximize space we are using a variety of containers. For ice cubes and drinks we are using insulated coolers with blue freezer packs. For fruits and vegetables, a plastic tub. These remain outdoors where it's cool.

Indoors for dairy, meats, cheese and condiments we are using our new knox gear (k-box) electric cooler (it also has a warmer feature that we don't need right now).

It's well insulated on all sides and the lid. The cooling unit on top runs with either a 110V AC cord or 12V DC cord and power adapter plug. 

For ease of use, we have ours connected directly to the cabin's battery bank.

It could also be used with a vehicle power port. 

The inside fan distributes cold air throughout the interior. 

It works best with pre-cooled groceries. For extra cooling, I froze large water bottles and two blue freezer packs.

One of two large water bottles I froze in town to augment cooling.

During our six day cabin trip, all of our foods stayed cool and fresh. I even had ice cubes left on the front porch for my last evening cocktail. 

The 48-quart model has plenty of room. They also have a smaller version.

I would say this has been a successful test of our short-term winter refrigeration needs. What kinds of strategies do you use on camping or off-the-grid trips? -- Margy

Shared with Your the Star at Stone Cottage Adventures. And Tuesdays with a Twist at Stone Cottage Adventures.

Hop on over to the Simple Life Mom and see some great ideas for homesteading and simple living.

And Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop at Ridge Haven Homestead.

Float Cabin Living Series: Tiny Home on the Water

Float Cabin Living Series

Tiny Home on the Water

In 2018, I wrote a series about float cabin living. Below you will find links to each of the posts. I invite you to visit (or revisit) the articles to see why Wayne and I love float cabin living so much.

Wayne and I purchased our float cabin home on Powell Lake in BC in 2001. It was the best decision we ever made.

Our float cabin fits the tiny home definition. In fact, it was featured in Lloyd Kahn's book Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.

Our float cabin is past First Narrows at picturesque Hole in the Wall where we pay annual lease and property taxes.

Click on the links below to go to the posts. If you have questions, please leave a comment.

1. Float Cabin Living: The Series (an overview)
2. Does the cabin move around the lake?
3. What is the weather like?
4. What happens during storms?
5. How do you stay warm?
6. How do you get power? Propane, Solar, Alternatives
7. Do you have a telephone, television and the Internet?
8. How was your cabin built? Float, Cabin
9. Why did you choose to live in a float cabin?
10. Can you have a garden?
11. How can you live in such a small space?
12. What do you DO with all your time?
13. How do you handle waste?

For more information there are posts under Float Cabin Living in the sidebar. You can also visit the PowellRiverBooks.com website for information about my husband's Coastal BC Stories series of books. Many include chapters about cabin life and Powell Lake.

If you have questions, please leave a comment or use the email link in my profile. I always enjoy sharing about our life up the lake. -- Margy