I'm taking a crosss country trip in the Range Rover this summer and am considering buying a medium sized electric cooler that plugs into the 12V outlet near the rear hatch. Does anyone here own or have any experience with these? How noisy are they? How well do they work? How quickly will they drain the car battery if I leave it plugged in? Any recommendations?

 

Most of the cheap (sub $75) coolers are pretty worthless. I've owned one or two and have used others. The fan is noisy, and especially so if placed at the rear of the load floor so that the sound is reflected off the rear glass into the cabin. Check for brands like Norcold, Engel, and Koolatron for something with a real cooling capacity. None of these small reefers will really chill a warm drink quickly - you will want to pre-chill anything you put into the box - or buy it cold.

Battery drain will be significant for a really good cooler. Look for current draw on the label. Anything over 3 amps will probably drain your battery overnight. Fortuately you can probably leave it unplugged overnight, relying on the insulation to keep the contents cold. Some 12/115 v. coolers will let you take them inside overnight and let you plug them into the house power.