hen you’re planning a road trip, food and drinks are a necessity. For trips on major highways, it’s easy to make a pit stop at a convenience store to buy sodas and snacks or hit a grocery store or restaurant for larger meals. However, when you’re venturing off the beaten path — especially for multiday off-road expeditions — you’ll need to bring all your food and beverages with you. While it’s true that you could rely entirely on shelf-stable MREs and freeze-dried camping meals, these items are often costly, unappetizing, and/or unhealthy due to high levels of sodium and preservatives. The ability to bring real food — fresh meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, veggies, and so on — makes every trip more enjoyable, whether it’s a half-day solo outing or a cross-country family expedition. Fresh food isn’t just tastier, it’s healthier and more cost-effective than vacuum-packed “camping food.” This realization led me to upgrade my 2022 4Runner overland vehicle build with a Dometic CFX3 fridge, which runs on AC power from a wall outlet or 12V DC power from a vehicle or mobile battery pack.
