Let's talk Inverters folks……..

I am not super into inverters, but I will try to help.

First, to run 110 items on a battery, you'll need more than one battery. Usually, it's a battery bank using 6 volt golf cart batteries. Anything with a motor or heating element drains a battery very quickly.

I doubt a factory equipped vehicle/alternator will keep up with a refrigerator. Depends on the fridge. If you went with a Norcold AC/DC, (can you spell spendy?)it would be more efficient than a dorm unit. Just depends on the vehicle alternator output. You could upgrade and use larger gauge wire to accomplish the charge while on the road...

There are a lot of complicated issues to research before you go this route. Our vintage trailers are quite efficient as they are. Many inverters are run off a subpanel, which allows only certain circuits to operate. In other words, any dedicated circuit (such as an air conditioner or a power CONverter) is not run off the inverter. A transfer switch is required. Inverters generally have a fan that requires power as well.

Do some searching and see what you find. Personally, I'd use a good quality ice chest. We take one every trip anyway. Please let us know your results.

you could just do a stand alone system, a deep cycle battery with a power converter hooked to it,

my dorm fridge is a higher line one that is energy star rated at 4.5 amps, so a deep cycle 100 amp hour battery should power it for 20 hours minus the power consumed from the inverter.

I would think you could put the battery in the tow vehicle, get some long proper gauge wire and put the converter in the camper then plug the fridge into it. but I am in NO WAY an electrician, and know very little about this stuff.

They don't run 24/7 but the compressor kicks on and off frequently and that pulls a lot of power each time, just like start up. I know. I tried this last summer with just a battery that wasn't being charged while I was using it. It only took a few hours to drain the battery, and I had two. However, with the temp turned down to the coldest setting, the food stayed cold for quite some time without keeping it plugged. I'd start out with it cold and then halfway to my destination plug into the inverter for a while, then unplug which worked much better than keeping it plugged in continuously. Like a house fridge/freezer, if you don't open the door it stays cold for quite a while.

I have an "ice box" and if I put a block of ice in there, it will keep things cool enough for several days. old school. that said I keep my meats etc...in a top flight ice chest that is designed to keep things cold for 4-7 days if packed correctly and not left open.

If I were replacing my ice box I'd go with a dual fuel fridge that uses propane and shore power. Pretty pricey though, which is why I stay with my old school solution. Here's a bunch www.campingworld.com/category/compact-refrigerators/1325