Dometic CFX3 25L Electric Cooler

The Dometic CFX3 25L Electric Cooler is a versatile cooler that can be taken on road trips or used at home for extra storage -- no ice necessary.

I've spent a lot of time on the road wondering when my ice will melt and all of my food will go bad. When you love remote places like Utah's canyons and Colorado steep mountains, it can be tough to get a gas station. So, when I had the chance to test out the Dometic CFX3 25L Electric Cooler, I jumped at the opportunity. This was the cooler that all my van life friends stashed under their bed. 

Temperature Settings

One of the first things I noticed about this cooler was its massive temperature range. Yes, it could easily be set to 40-degrees to accommodate basic refrigerated food. But it also reaches temperatures of -7 degrees, or 7 degrees lower than the standard freezer. This felt like a game changer both on the road and while at home. 

Insulation

However, despite this cooler's high reviews, it left a little to be had when it came to insulation. It wasn't bad on its own, but I noticed very quickly that I couldn't plug and unplug it and expect everything to stay cool all day. I imagine this is probably why Dometic sells insulated covers. They might provide a little bit of extra support if you want to leave it out and unplugged all day. 

Another thing we noticed was that we couldn't just drop the lid and expect it to close. We had to actually make sure it was latched or risk losing that precious cold air. 

Long-Term Use

After a few months on the road with this bad boy, I ended up living in a cabin with a really crappy freezer. Even ice cream was frequently melting in that ancient artifact, so I decided to see how the Dometic CFX35 25L would do over a prolonged period of time, and it really did not disappoint. This cooler was plugged in for a year without noticeably impacting the electric bill. And it did a stellar job of keeping everything frozen -- we're talking rock hard ice cream. 

One thing we were quick to notice, however, was the noise. Although it was less intense at warmer temperatures, while we were using this cooler as a freezer it made a whirring sound every once in a while. Most of the time it wasn't much of a bother, but it was noticeablely louder than a standard fridge or freezer.

Capacity

When I'm on the road, I don't really want a massive cooler in my car. It takes up too much space, and requires extra ice to stay cool. Yet I found that 25L was the perfect size for most of my adventures. This cooler allowed me to pack basic food and beverages for about 3 days for my partner and I, and if we were really determined to fit more goodies in there, we could have. 

Background

This was my first electric cooler. I used it both on the road in Colorado and Utah for camping and while at home.