hey i'm travelling this summer and looking for an electric food cooler to plug into the boot plug. in the past i have used a few of them and not had great luck in terms of longevity. has anyone used the cooler made by mini??
any other leads on a better product?? please advise.

 

I have the MINI cooler and use it on all my road trips. It only gets used a few times a year, but I've had it over 2 years now and I'm very happy how it cools and have never had a problem with it.

 

Boot Plug?

 

Like whats described in this thread?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht=mini+fridge

 

dont waste ur money on the MINI. Costs way too much.

Just go down to target and pick one up, maybe $30.

 

I got mine at Sharper Image - it was $50-60 or so, but it does a great job of cooling, fits perfectly in the MINI's boot, and if you want it to look MINI, just slap a MINI logo on it and you're good to go!!

 

UUNetBill, what are the dimensions of your Sharper Image cooler? Is it approximately the same size as the OEM MINI cooler? Hard to tell from the nice piccie you posted.

And Samantha, there is a plug in your MINI's boot (I believe it may be on the left side) that you can plug the cooler into! My 2002 Cooper had one, then for some reason, it was not included in 2003's , but since 2004, I believe they're back in the boot!


Clover

 

Clo,

It's about 'yay' wide (holding my hands apart) and 'yay' deep (again holding my hands apart). . .

Seriously, from the Sharper Image website:

Portable device measures 16 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" and weighs 8 lbs.; includes adjustable shoulder strap. Insulated interior is 10" x 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" deep — plenty big enough for at least six 12-oz. beverage cans and a sandwich. Also features two external cup holders (without hot or cold functions). When closed, the insulated latched lid doubles as a slide-proof tray. Comes with 9-ft. DC power cord. One-year warranty. Created by Sharper Image Design®.

Just last night I had it in the back seat, I used the shoulder strap to hang over the rear seat headrest and ran the cord to the rear outlet. Worked fine, lasted a long time!

 

The one from Taget is a little smaller and cheaper.


Keep your snacks and drinks cold with this portable electric cooler. Just plug it into any auto, boat or golf cart 12V power outlet and you're ready to go. The cooler is lightweight and durable and fits neatly between or behind vehicle seats. It has a gray plastic interior with a dark blue quilted nylon case and foam top. Includes a black canvas adjustable shoulder strap and power cord. Great for drinks, baby bottles and snacks for the kids. Imported. 10Hx17Wx8D".
• Catalog # : 534813 ASIN: B0001DI44U

 

So you've been happy with yours? I bought a Sharper Image little travel fridge (looks like a shunken refrigerator) for a friend and it promptly died on the first trip it was used for. The replacement one doesn't work very well either It wasn't cheap at the time and has kinda put me off Sharper Image stuff

 

i opened my boot, and immediately saw what looked like it was trying to be a cigarette lighter. I was looking at it in my work parking lot, and luckily a coworker saw me staring at the back of my car and came over asking wtf i was doing. I couldn't pull the black thingy out, so she gave it a try. We finally got the black thing away from that orange light up ring and saw it was some wanna be lighter. Guess it's supposed to be just a piece black plastic that looks like a dummy lighter?? I took the lighter from the front of the mini and put it in that slot and it fit. So being blond, i'm going to just ASSUME that's my cigarette lighter back there. But the black plastic was so tight it felt like it was glued to the slot :/

I haven't tried it out, but i did (with her help) get the whole thing out and the whole contraption looked like a lighter! I'll try out something with a cigarette plug tonight. BTW, it's a 10/03 build... why don't the 03's have lighters?

*i can't believe you remembered my name was Samantha, Clo!

 

The outlet in the back of the car is a power outlet. Originally made for the MINI Cooler to run off of.:smile: But it can power anything that plugs into a normal cigarette lighter outlet.

 

Oh I see... that was a "serious question"... and all this time I thought Short Bus was bein' a perv!

Has anyone seen my cig lighter? I think my car didn't come with one (i DID get (both of) the standard "sockets" though, in their expected locations ).

No one has mentioned that if you need an electric cooler, you may just not be drinking fast enough.

Tatt

 

Only used it twice so far, but it's still running!! I think some Sharper Image stuff is overpriced for what it is, and some of it is really nice. I like the mini-cooler so far, yeah.

 

I use the Coleman cooler in my Mini. Plugs right into the boot plug. It can be used hot or cold. For real long trips when I want to cool the grub down fast I use the freezer jell packs in the cooler too. Don't waste your $$ on the Mini cooler.

 

I said i was blond, did i not?

I saw the "nub" in the back of the mini before, but couldn't tell what it was. And when i tried pulling it when i first bought it (and after i read this thread) i couldn't get it out until i got help.

I'm also a very little person.

It would be neat to have a cooler back there. I carry cans of cola with me all the time in the rear passenger floor (with an 80 mile a day commute and many road trips, i do get a little thirsty.) And in the summer... they get hot. I took a sharp turn a little faster than i should have the other day and WHAP PSHHHHH Vanilla coke everywhere. :( Luckily it only hit the floor board and the whole back side of my seat, which is plas-teck.

 

That's where controlled explosives come in handy. That, or large caliber handguns.

 

Or banging it with any cleaning supplies/tools i can find in the back of the mini.