Tradie Triton ute build: Dometic CoolMatic CRX 50 upright fridge

Forget carting an Esky or lunchbox with cold packs onsite every day.

Thanks to portable upright fridges like the innovative Dometic CoolMatic CRX 50 those days are long gone. With its stainless-steel effect front and generous 45 litres of cool storage, including an optional 4.4 litres of freezer space, this smart refrigerator is a gamechanger for hot work days and weekends getaways.

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One of the standout features of Dometic’s CRX series is its ingenious design, allowing for quick changes to suit your needs. When you need more fridge space to fit in a few more tins after work, simply pull out the removable freezer compartment. It’s easy to set your desired temperature using the soft-touch control panel, which is seamlessly integrated into the inner interior wall alongside an LED light.

This well-designed fridge uses integrated electronics in the hermetic compressor to regulate its speed, resulting in claimed energy savings of up to 25 per cent, and Dometic claims an average power consumption of just 40 watts. This obviously makes a big difference when you’re off-grid and looking to maximise battery use, and with the Triton’s Projecta 12V power management system and generous 400Ah lithium battery, we’ll be able to keep drinks and food chilled for days on end.

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As well as compressor efficiency, the CRX 50 features plenty of insulation in the form of CFC-free polyurethane foam. Another neat feature includes an ambient-temperature controlled fan speed which minimises noise, while the aforementioned interior LED light makes finding your favourite drinks or snacks a breeze after sundown.

Despite its upright architecture, the CRX 50 has relatively compact exterior dimensions (380mm x 534mm x 500mm) so will fit in a surprising number of spaces. For those after something bigger, the Dometic CRX range is available in CRX 65, CRX 80, CRX 110 and CRX 140 models, so there’s one to suit just about every activity from four-wheel driving to caravanning to boating and more.

To say we’re happy with the Dometic CoolMatic CRX 50 would be an understatement, and I have no doubt it’s going to become one of the most used additions to our Tradie Triton build.

RRP: $1509