Cover photo: Simon Morton / ZA Lifestyle, from ZA Bikers.
Ask ten Cruiser owners which fridge to buy and you will get ten answers, mostly the brand already in their load bin. Ours: for most owners, a 55 litre compressor fridge like the Dometic CFX5 55, at R11,355. A good camping fridge costs about R10,000 to R18,000 today, and budget brands start near R5,000.
The job is simple. Cold drinks at Twee Rivieren, and frozen meat on day ten in Botswana. Plenty of fridges can do it. The trick is the right size, the right wiring and a brand you can get fixed.
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Our pick and what a camping fridge costs
The Dometic CFX5 55 is our pick for most Land Cruiser owners. On each brand’s own website, it is the cheapest and lightest of the three big names at this size. It costs R1,845 less than a National Luna NL 52. It is also 4.2 kg lighter.
It holds 80 cans. It has a 3-year warranty, an app for your phone and bolt-down points in the base. It runs off 12V in the car and off the wall plug at home.
If a steel box and a factory you can drive to matter more to you than price and weight, buy a National Luna. That is a good choice, not a lesser one.
| Size | Dometic CFX5 | National Luna Legacy Smart | Snomaster stainless |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 40 litres | CFX5 45: R10,555, 18.3 kg | NL 40: R12,200, 22.5 kg | SMDZ-CL40: R11,299 |
| About 55 litres | CFX5 55: R11,355, 20.2 kg | NL 52: R13,200, 24.4 kg | No single zone at this size |
| About 75 litres, fridge and freezer | CFX5 75DZ: R14,695, 27 kg | NL 72 dual: R17,600 | SMEX-60D (60 litres): R12,999 |
| About 90 litres, fridge and freezer | CFX5 95DZ: R14,995, 28.8 kg | NL 90 dual: R17,500, 33.6 kg | SMEX-96D: R17,999 |
Prices from each brand’s own South African website, checked 23 October 2026.
Shop around: the same Snomaster can cost R1,500 to R2,500 more at one store than another. Here is what stores are charging today.
Live prices · 26 October 2026
Camping fridges on sale in South Africa right now
50 in stock at 8 South African stores today, from R4 995 to R19 715. Typical price about R11 499.
National Luna and Engel are missing, because none of the stores we track lists them. So this is not the whole market.
What size camping fridge do you need?
The rule you hear at every braai is to buy the biggest fridge you can afford and fit. The most common regret is buying too small.
| Size | Suits | Fridge size, length x width | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 litres | One person, or a couple’s weekend | CFX5 25: 569 x 342 mm | Back seat, or a Jimny or small SUV boot |
| 35 to 45 litres | Two people for a long weekend, or drinks only | CFX5 45: 693 x 398 mm | Prado or 300 boot, 79 single cab canopy |
| 50 to 60 litres | Two to four people for a week in Kruger | CFX5 55: 720 x 454 mm | Double cab load bin, 79 canopy, 76 or 300 boot on a slide |
| 75 to 95 litres, fridge and freezer | A family, or three weeks in Botswana | CFX5 95DZ: 961 x 530 mm | Canopy, big load bay or an off-road trailer |
Measure your space first, height included. Under a tonneau cover, owners have found only a few centimetres above the lid.
Think about lifting too. A full 90 litre fridge is too heavy for most people to lift. That is why many families run two fridges: one for drinks, one for food.
One zone or fridge and freezer?
A dual zone fridge has two compartments, each set on its own: one fridge, one freezer. The CFX5 95DZ splits into 55 and 39 litres.
Below about 45 litres, almost nothing is dual zone. Owners call the small ones too small for most uses. The 95DZ costs only R300 more than the 75DZ, so if it fits, buy the bigger box.
One catch: running a freezer side uses about three times the power.
Why a compressor fridge, not a gas or 3-way fridge
A compressor fridge has a small motor and pump, like your fridge at home. It runs off 12V, works on a slope and stays cold in the heat.
A 3-way fridge (also called an absorption fridge) cools using heat from a gas flame or an element. It must stand nearly level. It can only cool so far below the outside air, so on a hot Kalahari afternoon it becomes a cooler box. Dometic, which has made both kinds, says on its South African site that a compressor fridge freezes whatever the heat outside.
A few old hands still keep a gas fridge for camps with no power at all. For a 4x4, the compressor wins.
How long will a battery run a camping fridge?
You can’t use all of a battery. A lead-acid battery lasts longest if you only use about half. A lithium battery lets you use about 80% of it.
| Fridge and setting | Use per day (about) | 100Ah lead-acid | 100Ah lithium |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFX5 45, fridge only | 18 Ah | about 2.5 days | about 4 days |
| CFX5 55, fridge only | 21 Ah | about 2 days | about 4 days |
| CFX5 95DZ, freezer side at -15°C | 68 Ah | under 1 day | just over 1 day |
Rough guide, with the car parked. Dometic’s power figures at 12V and 32°C outside; the days are our sums.
Look at that last row. A family buying a big fridge and freezer for Botswana needs a bigger battery or solar, not just a bigger fridge.
Heat matters more than the brand. In National Luna’s own test, a fridge used about three times the power at 43°C outside as at 21°C. A closed canopy in the Kalahari gets far hotter than Dometic’s 32°C test.
A few hard lessons from owners:
- Don’t switch it off at night in a Kalahari summer to save the battery. By morning the chicken is half thawed.
- Don’t run it off your starter battery. The fridge cuts itself out before the battery goes flat. That saves your start, but it spoils the meat.
- Check the wiring first. Most “my fridge keeps cutting out” stories are thin cable, a cigarette socket or a dirty battery box. Run thick cable and a proper plug straight to the second battery.
Our dual battery guide covers the second battery and solar. You will also want a DC-DC charger, which tops up the second battery while you drive. Dometic SA lists the Intervolt DCC Pro at R7,495, sold through its dealers. Other batteries and chargers are on our dual battery and 12V page.
At home, every CFX5 runs off the wall plug and off 12V. So if load shedding comes back, it can keep the food cold off a battery.
Dometic, National Luna, Snomaster and the rest
Dometic. Older Dometics were sold as Waeco, and plenty of people still say “my Waeco”. Dometic SA sells seven CFX5 fridges, from 25 to 95 litres. Owners like the light weight, the quiet running and the app. The weak spot is service. Dometic SA lists no walk-in service centre: you claim through an online form, and return shipping is free if the claim is approved. Some owners have struggled to get parts in the past. Independent fridge repairers around the country fix most makes.
National Luna. The local favourite. It is developed and made in South Africa, with its factory in Edenvale, Johannesburg. The Legacy range has a stainless steel body and goes colder: down to -30°C on the NL 40 and NL 52, against -22°C on the CFX5. Size for size it costs more and weighs more. The warranty is 3 years, through the shop or the factory, and you pay the transport to the factory. National Luna says it has over 350 shops and service centres. If you want a steel box and a factory you can drive to, this is the honest pick.
Snomaster. Of the 50 fridges in stock at the stores we track today, 24 are Snomasters. The cover, remote and baskets often come in the box, and owners count that as value. The stainless Expedition range is the SMEX models. The warranty on 12V fridges is 3 years, with walk-in service in Kempton Park and Montague Gardens. The expensive failure to know about is an internal gas leak, reported on some older units after about four years. It costs R4,000 to R6,000 to fix. It hits several brands, and usually after the warranty.
Engel. Old faithful. Owners report 20-year-old Engels still running, but they are noisy, and we found no current South African price.
Ironman 4x4 and myCOOLMAN. Both sit near the big names on price. Ironman’s Icecube 70 litre is R12,320 in stores today.
Budget brands. D.A.G, Alpicool, Snomaster’s plastic range, National Luna’s Travel Box and Flex Adventures, a newer local brand sold direct. Size for size they cost R5,000 to R8,000 less. They cool fine on day one. The real question is who fixes yours in Maun, so ask before you buy. And the D.A.G “NL40” is a D.A.G, not a National Luna.
Slides, straps and covers
On a slide the fridge comes to you, so you don’t climb into the load bin. For a CFX5, buy the Dometic slide made for it. It comes with four straps and locks open on a slope.
Front Runner slides are the cheaper route for other brands’ fridges. Check the inside tray size against your fridge first (690 x 403 mm on the smaller one).
| Slide | Made for | Price | Load rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dometic Fridge Slide 35L to 45L | CFX5 35 and 45 | R4,000 | 90 kg |
| Dometic Fridge Slide 55L | CFX5 55 | R4,700 | 90 kg |
| Dometic Fridge Slide 75L | CFX5 75DZ | R6,100 | 113 kg |
| Dometic Fridge Slide 95L to 100L | CFX5 95DZ | R6,500 | 113 kg |
| Front Runner Fridge Slide 40L to 52L | Most fridges of 52 litres and smaller | R2,600 | 100 kg |
| Front Runner Fridge Slide 80L to 90L | 80 to 90 litre fridges | R4,200 | 100 kg |
Prices on dometic.com, checked 23 October 2026.
Check the load rating. A litre of food weighs roughly a kilogram. Add the fridge itself, and a full 95 litre fridge can weigh more than a 100 kg slide is rated for.
Tie it down. A strap through the handles stops the fridge flying forward when you brake hard. The Front Runner Quick Release Fridge Strap costs R259. On the back seat, a seatbelt through the handles does the job for a small fridge.
Cover it. A padded cover keeps heat and dust off. The CFX5 55 cover is R2,499. National Luna sells its cover as an extra. Some Snomasters come with one.
Lock it away. A locked canopy or trailer is the real defence against theft. A fridge cage holds the fridge in place, but it is not a lock.
Add up the full bill. A CFX5 55 at R11,355, its slide at R4,700 and its cover at R2,499 come to R18,554. That is before a second battery and the wiring.
Other builders’ slides are on our drawers and storage page, and canopies in our canopies and trays guide.
Keeping it cold in 40 degrees
Give it air and keep it out of the sun. Snomaster says to leave 150 mm clear around the fridge, and airflow round the motor matters more than the brand on the lid. The CFX5 55 is rated for up to 43°C outside. Past that, any fridge struggles.
Run it colder while you drive, then turn it up a little at camp. Freeze your meat at home days before you leave, and vacuum pack the red meat. Buy the rest in town before the park. For what to cook, see 5 easy meals while overlanding.
Which fridge should you buy?
- Most owners: the Dometic CFX5 55 with its matching slide.
- A family that wants a freezer: the CFX5 95DZ if it fits, and budget for a bigger battery.
- You want local service and a steel box: a National Luna.
- Tight budget, weekends only: a budget brand, but buy where you can get it fixed.
Once the fridge is sorted, the next thing on most lists is a bed. Our rooftop tent guide covers that.
Thank you to Simon Morton / ZA Lifestyle at ZA Bikers, Dometic, Front Runner and National Luna for the photos.
Prices checked on dometic.com and South African stores on 23 October 2026. Prices in the live table update daily.
