This post is sponsored by BODEGA Cooler. All opinions are always my own and are never influenced by any free product I receive or relationship I may have with a company.
What I am Reviewing
I was really excited to receive an email from Bodega Cooler, asking me to review another one of their coolers. You may remember my first cooler review from them several years ago. Today I get to review the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler.
Specs at a Glance
- 12/24V DC Cigarette Lighter
- 100~240V AC Power Cord with 70W Adapter
- APP Control Function
- Built-in LED lights
- Drain Holes
- Dual Zone: Two zones can be independently controlled for temperature. The left zone is 43L (45 quarts), and the right zone is 32L (34 quarts), for a total of 75L (79 quarts).
- Dual Removable Reversible Door
- -4℉~68℉ Temperature Adjustment
- LCD Digital Display
- H/M/L 3 Voltage Protection Modes
- ECO/MAX Dual Cooling Modes
- 10 Side Expansion Holes
- Silicone Power Jack Waterproof Protective Sleeve
- Built-in Wide Handles
- IPX4 Waterproof & Dustproof Rating
- 17.7” D x 33.5” W x 18.3” H
- Weighs 42.1 lbs
- 31 dB
Typical Price: $550 + Tax on average on Amazon, but they frequently run sales and just had a flash deal bringing it to $450
WARRANTY: 5-year lifespan on the compressor and a 1-year warranty on all other parts
Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler Testing Conditions
As with all new products, I always test them at home first to make sure they not only work correctly but also to get to know the product and the functions/features before testing in the real world. So I did a test at home in a controlled environment, and I also did a test in the field during a month-long camping trip that saw highs in the day in the upper 80’s towards the beginning of the trip and lows in the 30’s towards the end of the trip.
I used Govee wireless thermometers to compare the actual temperature inside to what the cooler itself said it was reading.
At Home
Once I received the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler, I allowed it to sit upright for 24 hours before testing. Our ambient inside temperature was 80 degrees. I did the first test run with the cooler empty, and the second test run was with it loaded. Keep in mind that with any type of refrigerator, you want to pre-cool before adding items to it. I opted not to do that in the testing at home in order to push its limits. I properly cooled it before adding items when we tested it in the real world.
EMPTY: I set one side at 36 and one side at -2. The cooler said the inside of each side was reading 68 and 72. An hour after letting it cool down, the wireless thermometers said the inside temp was 35.8 and 10.7, while the cooler itself said it reached 36 degrees after 13 minutes; it actually didn’t reach 36 until an hour later. The side I set at -2 had not reached the target temperature at this point. Unfortunately, even after leaving it running for 4 hours, I could not get it to go any lower than -0.2 and it only dipped that low for a brief period. On average it stayed around 1 degree.
LOADED: Next, we loaded the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler with drinks after leaving it unplugged overnight. The starting inside temperatures via our wireless thermometers were 73.8 for both sides. I adjusted the temperature settings on both sides to 36 degrees. The cooler displayed temperatures of 70 degrees and 72 degrees. After 45 minutes, the right side (which has a ledge and I will always refer to as the freezer side) says it has reached 36 degrees according to the display on the cooler, and the left side reads 48; however, the wireless thermometers are reading 70.5 for the freezer side and 69.7 for the fridge side.
At around the two-hour mark, the thermometer was reading both sides as 67.9, while the cooler itself says it has reached temperature. I did expect it to take longer, as the cooler is now packed with stuff, so this is not surprising to me at all. After 24 hours, the thermometers read 41.5 and 40.1, and they never dipped below 40. I also decided to verify both sides with a temperature gun, which indicated a reading about a degree warmer than the thermometer’s registration (this is to be expected).
At Camp
We spent about a month testing the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler out while camping. Our temperature ranged anywhere from a high in the mid-80s to the high being in the mid-60s, with lows getting down into the mid-30s several nights towards the end.
We opted to pre-cool the cooler before packing it with items. As with any refrigerator, you always pre-cool it before adding items. Obviously, during the warmer days, the cooler worked harder to maintain the correct temperature, whereas on the cooler days, the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler’s temperatures were much more stable. However, we could never get the “freezer” side to go below 0 degrees. That’s not really an issue for us, since we don’t take frozen food with us. It kept ice frozen well, and as long as it stays at 0 degrees, there shouldn’t be a problem.
What I Liked
Overall Outer Dimension: The overall outer dimension of the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler is perfect, allowing us to store this in our truck bed with our bed cover closed. The one I reviewed prior was way too tall.
Dual Zones: You decide which side to use as the freezer zone or fridge zone. You can also choose to do both as a freezer or both as a fridge.
Dual Ways to Control Temperature: I love that you can control the temperature of each zone via an app (which came in useful when we were driving down the road and I wanted to set a side cooler or check on the temperature). If you decide to leave your phone at home, you can use the onboard display and buttons; no app is needed.
Large Capacity: The Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler can hold 114 cans, or 82 bottles of water, or 45 bottles of wine. We loaded it down with drinks, just to see if it was true, and while we didn’t test their claims, we had well over 80 bottles of a mixture of BodyArmor, water, and sodas packed in there!
Reversible Doors: You can choose which way the doors flip open. This actually came in pretty useful for us, as the plug in our bed is on the right side, yet when we got to camp, we set it up on the left, so we simply switched the doors so they would open away from us instead of toward us (which creates an awkward angle to try and grab items).
Interior Lights: It was really nice to open the cooler door at night and be able to see what you are grabbing!
Multiple Ways to Power: I love that you have multiple ways to power this thing! You can power it via a regular cord that you would use at home or via a 12/24V cigarette lighter in a car (or power station). We have a standard outlet in the bed of our truck, so we powered it through that while driving, then plugged it into our power bank when we got to camp.
What to Improve
Handles: The handles on the Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler are inset and small. It makes it difficult to grip and lift, which is a problem when it is loaded down. I would like to see deeper insets so you can get a comfortable grip or flip up handles.
Interior Basket: This was actually my husband’s idea, and it honestly is a pretty good one. He would like to see a shallow basket that could be added to (or removed from) the larger compartment side. This would help keep smaller food items, like tomatoes that have been sliced and are in baggies, string cheese, or sliced cheese, from falling down in between drinks or larger items in the cooler.
Overall Impression
The Bodega 79QT 12V Electric Cooler is a great size and will become one of our must-bring gear items on every trip. We find it much more convenient to use this electric cooler over a regular cooler where you have to get ice daily and then have all your food items get soggy. I am docking it a star for the small handles and inconsistency of the digital temp display.
While I would be mildly concerned about keeping frozen food in this, as I could never get the temperature to go below 0 (recommended to be at or below 0 degrees here in the USA), it did consistently stay around 1 degree and should keep food frozen with no issue. The ideal temperature for ice cream, though, is 10 degrees, =) and this can hold a lot of it!
Overall, I am super happy with this cooler; it kept our drinks and food cold and at a safe temperature with no issue. Just make sure you pre-cool it to the temperature you want before loading it, and I would also invest in a wireless thermometer to keep inside it if you plan on storing food, just to make sure the temperature doesn’t rise to an unsafe level.
Where to Buy
You can buy it from Amazon or directly through BODEGA.
Leave a Comment or Suggestion