Re:FOOD
Hungry Jack -
We bought a 40 quart Coleman thermoelectric cooler from WalMart (go to Walmart.com and enter "Coleman therrmoelectric cooler" in the search box). For us, it has worked great! It almost doubles the capacity of the TM refrig, and it can be moved into the tow vehicle to provide cold sodas and lunches while on the road. We don't leave home without it, unless we will be totally dry camping.
If you consider a TE cooler, be aware that they operate run from 12 VDC only, and you need an AC adapter to run it from household AC power. For some reason, the adapter is really expensive if you buy it separately. The Coleman coolers from Walmart include the adapter, and the total cost is about $63.
A TE cooler draws a fair amount of power. If you will have hookups, no problem. If you will be driving every day, no problem. But if you are going to be dry-camping for a few days, it is not the right solution since it will kill your battery. On the other hand, if you don't have power available, it still works quite well as an unpowered conventional cooler.
As for eating out being "easier", my wife and I have a deal. She cooks (she is great!), and I wash dishes (I'm pretty good at that). Given a good refrigerator, which the TM refrig plus the TE cooler provides, cooking is no harder than it is at home. Washing dishes is a back-breaker (someone here mentioned it on the WishList thread), but I am willing to do it.
In fairness, not everyone has had good luck with the TE cooler. You might do a search, just to see the comments. I am sure that the old problems in the 12-volt outlet have been corrected by the 2004 models.
I have had no problems. And I sure prefer a TE cooler to buying ice.
Bill
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