Renogy 50L Portable Refrigerator

Short Product Summary

A 50 litre dual-zone 12V/24V compressor fridge-freezer built on an LG compressor, with app and touch-panel control, three-stage battery protection and a temperature range from -20°C to 20°C. It draws 45W in ECO mode and 60W in MAX, runs off your caravan battery, a DC-DC feed or mains through the supplied adapter, and rolls on two large wheels with a telescoping handle. At 50 litres it holds roughly 60 cans, which is a genuine week of food for two on a long gravel tour.

Why This Product

A fridge is the single item that decides whether a trip feels like camping or like living. Ice chests are a compromise everyone eventually stops making: you buy ice in every dorp, everything sits in meltwater, and by day three the meat is a gamble. A compressor fridge simply keeps working — in the Karoo at 40°C, on a Kalahari two-track, and at home during load shedding when the house fridge is down.

What makes this one worth the money is the compressor. Renogy fits an LG unit here, and it pulls a load from 30°C down to 0°C in around 15 minutes. That matters on a South African tour more than it does anywhere else: you open the lid in blistering heat, warm air dumps straight in, and the fridge has to claw the temperature back without running flat out for an hour. A fast, efficient compressor is what keeps the average draw low over a full day.

The dual-zone layout is the other reason it sells. Two independently controlled compartments mean frozen meat on one side and cold drinks and dairy on the other, from one appliance and one power feed. Anyone who has run a single-zone fridge as a freezer, and then had nowhere cold to put the milk, knows exactly what that is worth.

Now the honest part, because it is what prevents disappointment. At 45W in ECO mode this fridge draws around 3.75A at 12V while the compressor runs. It does not run continuously — duty cycle depends on ambient temperature, how full it is and how often you open it — but plan on somewhere around 25 to 45Ah a day in a South African summer, more if it is standing in the sun and you are cycling the lid. That means a 100Ah lithium bank is a sensible minimum for a fridge-only setup, and if you are also running lights, a water pump and charging devices you want more, plus solar or DC-DC recharge to put it back. A 100Ah AGM will technically start it and will not enjoy the life you give it. Get the bank right and this fridge becomes invisible infrastructure; get it wrong and you will be watching a voltage display instead of the view.

Key Features

• LG compressor – cools from 30°C to 0°C in about 15 minutes, which is what keeps the average daily draw down when you are opening the lid in real heat.
• Dual zone, dual control – two independently set compartments, so you can run one as a freezer and one as a fridge, or both as one, from a single power feed.
• -20°C to 20°C range – deep enough to freeze properly, warm enough to be used purely as a drinks and produce cooler when that is what you need.
• 45W ECO / 60W MAX modes – ECO prioritises battery life on long unpowered tours; MAX pulls the temperature down fast when you have just loaded up in town.
• Three-stage battery voltage protection – high, medium and low cut-out settings so the fridge stops before it strands you with a flat battery and no way to start the tow vehicle.
• Bluetooth app plus touch panel – set and monitor both zones from your phone within 10m, or use the panel on the lid when you would rather not.
• 40° anti-shake design – the compressor keeps working on steep, uneven ground, which matters on a mountain pass or a rutted riverbed track.
• Telescoping handle and two large wheels – 17.5kg empty is heavy enough that you want wheels; loaded with a week of food it is essential.
• Reversible and detachable lid – open it from either side or lift it off entirely, which is the difference between an easy fridge and an awkward one in a tight nose cone.
• 12V, 24V and AC operation – runs off the caravan bank on tour and off a wall socket at home, using the supplied adapter.
• ≤45 dB noise level – quiet enough to sleep next to in a small camper.
• 60 can capacity – 50 litres works out to roughly 60 × 355ml cans, or a realistic week of food for two.

Ideal For

• Off-road caravan and camper owners doing long unpowered tours through the Karoo, Kalahari or Namibia
• Overlanders and 4x4 canopy builds that need dual-zone fridge and freezer from one appliance
• Families who want frozen meat and cold drinks on the same trip without two cooler boxes
• Households that want a reliable backup fridge for load shedding as well as a camping fridge
• Anyone finally done with buying bagged ice at every filling station

Local Support from 4Matt Campers

4Matt Campers is a Renogy dealer in Cape Town, serving the Western Cape and delivering across South Africa. We build and service 12V systems on caravans, off-road trailers and campers, which means we can tell you before you buy whether your battery bank will actually carry this fridge for the trip you have planned.

Send us your battery type and capacity, your solar setup and whether you have a DC-DC charger from the tow vehicle, and we will work through the daily amp-hour budget with you. If the fridge fits, we will say so. If you need a bigger bank or a DC-DC charger first, we will tell you that too, and quote the whole thing so there are no surprises on the road. We will also confirm the mains adapter supplied with your unit suits South African 230V sockets before it ships.

Technical Specifications

• Model – DCCR50L-G1
• SKU – DCCR50L-G1-SA
• Brand – Renogy
• Capacity – 50 litres (53 quart / 1.76 cu. ft.), approximately 60 × 355ml cans
• Compressor – LG compressor
• Zones – dual zone, dual independent control
• Rated power – 60W in MAX mode, 45W in ECO mode
• Rated voltage – DC 12V / 24V, or AC via the supplied mains adapter (Renogy's datasheet lists the AC figure as 120V for the US market; we confirm the adapter supplied for South African 230V mains before shipping)
• Temperature setting range – -20°C to 20°C (-4°F to 68°F)
• Cool-down performance – 30°C to 0°C in approximately 15 minutes
• Noise level – ≤45 dB
• Battery voltage protection – three-stage, high / medium / low
• Control – touch panel and Bluetooth app (10m range, unobstructed)
• Climate class – T / ST / N / SN
• Dimensions – 692 × 453 × 515 mm (L × W × H)
• Net weight – 17.5 kg
• Other – 40° anti-shake operation, reversible and detachable lid, telescoping handle, two easy-roll wheels

What's Included

• Renogy 50L portable refrigerator × 1
• DC power cable and mains adapter as supplied by Renogy for this model
• User manual

Renogy revises accessory packs between production runs. If the exact packing list matters to your install, ask us to confirm the current contents before you order.

Optional Fitment & Upgrade Notes

Start with the battery. For a fridge-only setup a 100Ah LiFePO4 bank is a sensible minimum; if you are also running lights, a pump, a diesel heater or device charging, step up from there. Lithium is the right chemistry for a fridge because you can use most of its capacity night after night without punishing it, and it holds voltage steady as it discharges instead of sagging and nudging the fridge toward its low-voltage cut-out.

Then plan the recharge. On a stationary camp, roof or portable solar with a matched MPPT controller carries the fridge comfortably. On a moving tour, a DC-DC charger from the tow vehicle is the more reliable option because it works on overcast days and while you drive. Most people running a fridge like this end up with both.

Wire it properly. Run adequately sized cable on a dedicated, correctly fused circuit rather than daisy-chaining off a cigarette socket that was never intended for a continuous load. Voltage drop on a long thin run is the most common reason a fridge nuisance-trips on low voltage. Set the battery protection level to suit your chemistry — the low setting gives you maximum runtime on lithium, while a higher setting is the safer choice if the fridge shares a battery with vehicle starting.

Finally, think about where it lives. Give the compressor and vents clear air, keep it out of direct sun where you can, use a fitted insulating cover in Kalahari conditions, and strap it down properly for gravel. A slide or a tie-down in the nose cone costs little and saves the fridge.

Complete Your Setup

Pair the fridge with the right bank from Lithium Batteries, keep it topped up with Solar Panels and a matched Solar Charge Controller, and finish the circuit with cable, fusing and busbars from Electrical Accessories. The full Renogy range lets you keep batteries, charging and monitoring in one ecosystem.

FAQ

How much battery do I need to run this fridge?
Plan on roughly 25 to 45Ah a day in South African summer conditions, depending on ambient temperature, how full it is and how often you open it. That makes a 100Ah LiFePO4 bank a sensible minimum for a fridge-only setup, with solar or DC-DC recharge to put it back. Add capacity if you are also running lights, a pump and device charging.

Can it freeze and refrigerate at the same time?
Yes. It is a genuine dual-zone unit with two independently controlled compartments, so you can hold one side below freezing for meat while the other side keeps drinks and dairy cold. You can also set both zones the same and use the full 50 litres as one space.

Will it protect my battery if I leave it running?
It has three-stage battery voltage protection with high, medium and low settings, so it shuts down before the battery is drawn too low. Use a higher setting if it is sharing a battery with vehicle starting, and the low setting when it is on a dedicated lithium house bank where you want maximum runtime.

Does it work in Kalahari and Karoo heat?
Yes, and that is where the LG compressor earns its keep — it recovers from 30°C to 0°C in about 15 minutes, which is what a fridge needs after you have opened the lid in full sun. It will simply run more often in high ambient temperatures, so budget more daily amp-hours for a summer trip than for a winter one.

Can I use it at home during load shedding?
Yes. It runs on AC through the supplied adapter as well as on 12V and 24V DC, so plenty of customers keep it as a backup fridge or freezer at home between trips and simply move it to the caravan when they travel. Ask us to confirm the adapter for South African 230V mains before you order.