Who needs a small, electric cooler? Maybe you should have one in your survival and preparedness gear!
by Leon Pantenburg
Disclaimer: Bodega® supplied the product in this review. I don’t work for that company, and at the time of publication, there is no advertising or affiliate relationship with Bodega. This is strictly my opinion, and nobody had any input into this post. All we ever promise is a fair field testing and review.
Most of us don’t give much thought to coolers.
I never did – I had several moderately-effective coolers of different sizes in the garage. We used them for picnics, river trips, bringing home meat from hunting camps, hauling fish and an occasional tailgating party. They were adequate and worked just fine.
But that was yesterday. Today, my cooler collection is high tech, and ranges from a 5o-quart Patriot, to an Orion 65 quart, to a 36-can Titan. Last year, we bought an electric Anker Everfrost® before a June desert vacation in Arizona. My wife just won a new Yeti® Tundra 65® at the local home show. Now, I have the luxury of picking the best cooler for the job.
The Bodega 26-quart cooler can hold a lot of food and drinks, as well as safely store medicines.
Initially, I was lukewarm about electric coolers. But I changed my mind after seeing the Asheville, North Carolina hurricane disaster. On the news, we saw people totally isolated, with no electricity or power, for days and weeks at a time. Cut off from the outside world, many of them had to rely on whatever food, water and equipment they had on hand. Our Anker Everfrost proved itself in the Arizona desert heat, but it was a little heavy and bulky for a day-to-day cooler in the truck.
These were my thoughts before agreeing to review the Bodega 26-quart cooler. It appeared that a small, portable, electric cooler, that could be easily recharged from a variety of sources, could be invaluable.
Here’s the point and the kicker:
In a situation like Asheville, you don’t need cold beer, but your child with diabetes needs to keep the insulin cool.
Insulin isn’t the only critical medicine that needs refrigeration. Many medicines need to be refrigerated to maintain effectiveness and prevent spoilage. These include vaccines, certain liquid antibiotics, and biologics. Other medications that need to stay cool include some eye drops, ear drops, and certain injectable medications.
So your carefully-researched and acquired stock of medications could be ruined in a few days of excessive heat.
A severe storm can knock out power. Ice may be unavailable for extended periods.
Here are the Bodega® specs, according to the website:
- Ultra-Quiet & Fast Cooling DC Compressor BODEGACOOLER Car Fridge Equipped with a high-efficiency DC compressor and professional vibration damping technology, operates at just 31 dB (library-quiet). Chill drinks in 15 mins with high-efficiency tech! (-4°F~68°F) Wide temperature range adapts as a portable freezer (frozen goods) or cooler (meal prep)—ideal for road trips or tailgating. Check out the ice making ability.
- Compact Electric Cooler, 20% More Capacity: Perfect as a portable fridge for snacks, drinks, or essentials. Dimensions：13.6″D x 22.4″W x 14.8″H
- Weight (empty) 23 pounds
- IPX4 Splash-Proof: Water-resistant design protects against rain, spills, and humidity.
- 45° Anti-Shock Portable Freezer: Engineered with shock absorption to work reliably at 45° angles—ideal for trucks, RVs, or uneven terrain. Your portable refrigerator stays stable on rough journeys.
- 3-Stage Voltage Protection: Smartly safeguards your car battery! BodegaCooler 12V refrigerator reduces risks of over-discharge/overload—perfect for camping coolers paired with cars, trucks, or portable power stations.
- Dual Cooling Modes (ECO/MAX: BodegaCooler 12v refrigerator lets you switch between MAX mode (15-minute drink cooling) and ECO mode (40% longer runtime), outperforming single-mode camping coolers.
- Fit Triple Power: AC/DC/Portable Battery: Compatible with 110V-220V outlets, 12/24V car sockets, and solar generators. (Package includes: 1*dc power cord, 1*ac power cord, 1*user manual)
For more survival information, check out my book “Bushcraft Basics.”
Here’s how the cooler worked out:
Solar coolers don’t need ice and you can’t rely on finding it: Ice can be expensive or unavailable. This alone may make a standard cooler obsolete. During a disaster, you may not find any ice anywhere.
During the Pacific Northwest heat dome of 2021, we were camped near Sisters, Oregon and using a relatively inexpensive, moderately-effective cooler. We experienced record high temperatures in the mountains of 108 degrees. Ice was a scarce commodity in town, a 30-minute drive from camp. An eight-pound bag of ice was selling for $4.50, if you could find it. We were going through 2 bags every day.
Do the math. I spent almost $4 for a gallon of gas, and my truck gets about 23 miles per gallon. Eight pounds of ice ended up costing about $8 a bag.
Small and compact: I have big, efficient coolers. But the car fridge is my emergency cooler. At 23 pounds, I can carry it, if need be, or stow it in a small spot in the SUV.
Rechargeable: Get a solar panel setup and the battery can be charged anytime there is sunshine. This is huge in an off grid situation. You can save time, energy and gasoline that you otherwise might spend acquiring ice.
Freezer or refrigerator? You decide. It can be either, but not both at the same time. You can use the Bodega to make ice for other coolers.
Road trip! This is a great choice for a several day road trip or vacation. Pack it with cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks and avoid the gouger prices at some truck stops. Besides, shouldn’t we all be eating healthier anyway?
It’s quiet: The high-efficiency compressor is so quiet you might not believe it’s running.
Charging options: Several options mean you can charge it just about anywhere. This means you never have to worry about keeping the battery topped off.
Great lunch container: If you work outside in hot or cold weather, the Bodega would be great for taking your lunch and cooling soft drinks. Or if it’s cold, the Bodega could keep lunch and drinks from freezing.
Do you need a Bodega?
I consider coolers to be important survival tools. I also think the electric, rechargeable coolers ae the way to go. The Bodega could prove to be a tool you need in your survival gear.
Please click here to check out and subscribe to the SurvivalCommonSense.com YouTube channel – thanks!
