An authority in square-cornered chest fridges for overlanders, campers and other adventurers, Iceco has innovated an interesting twist. Its all-new VL45 Plus combines the advantages of top-loading and door fridges with a triple-access system that all but eliminates the need for a separate slide costing hundreds of dollars. It also boasts vacuum insulation and a slap-on magnetic battery that lets you unplug from the vehicle without losing chilling power.

Thanks to two-way lids designed to open from the wide front or back side, several Iceco fridge models already offer versatile access to the frosty contents inside. The VL45 Plus incorporates this bidirectional lid-flipping capability and then takes its multi-access system one step further with a trap-door design that provides access directly from the narrow end that stores closest to the tailgate or trunk door. The entire end panel drops down to access the basket, which slides out atop the folded panel so you can grab what you need.

The design is, of course, most useful for those who store their fridge lengthwise in the vehicle, with the drop-down access panel accessible right inside the tailgate. The top-loading lids can be difficult to access if the top of the fridge is near the vehicle ceiling, has gear loaded on top of it and/or is stored on a higher floor – like in the bed of a high-riding lifted pickup truck. And if you can't easily pop the lid open and reach inside, you might have to pull the entire thing out every time you need a cold drink or snack – or at the very least, jump up on the tailgate and rummage around.

A small door fridge could solve this problem, too, but they're more optimal for installing in a dedicated space in an RV, less optimal for hoisting into a pickup bed or jeep trunk. Food and drinks are more likely to bounce around, fall over and possibly spill out of the door than in a chest fridge.

As we've seen on countless off-road camping trailers and RVs, fridge makers (including Iceco) and RV/overland accessory companies already offer slides to make access more convenient, allowing you to slide the entire fridge out from under the vehicle roof to get inside. These are typically sold separately, though, costing hundreds of extra dollars. Plus, they work better with some vehicle types than others.

And level slides don't even solve the problem of high-mounted top-loading fridges on lifted vehicles since you still might not be able to see or reach inside with the fridge pulled straight outward. To solve that problem, you'd need an even more expensive slide-and-tilt system.

Or the VL45 Plus.

One problem that comes to mind with a fridge using two large access doors is the potential to bleed cold air and run inefficiently given the extra set of seams. Iceco works around this possible pitfall with a combination of vacuum-insulated panels and bolstered 2.8-in-thick insulation designed to deliver superior insulation capability, mitigate temperature increases from opening/closing, and maintain efficient performance.

Determining if Iceco's strategy works out in the hot, shadeless wild will require some independent testing, but even if it's less efficient than comparably sized fridges, the convenience of the added access point might prove worth a small bump battery drain.

The VL45 Plus gets its numbering from its 44.4-quart (42-L) capacity, which Iceco estimates as large enough for 62 individual 12-oz (355-ml) cans. It's also tall enough to fit in standing 2-liter soda bottles and 750-ml wine bottles. The fridge features a rugged metal skin, spring-loaded carry handles, an internal LED light, integrated tie-down points, and an external control panel (with Bluetooth app connectivity) just over top the drop-down access hatch.

In terms of cooling, the VL45 Plus relies on a compressor from well-respected German brand Secop (formerly Danfoss) and has a listed cooling range of 0 to 50 °F (-18 to 10 °C). Iceco says it operates quietly at under 33 decibels.

One interesting VL45 Plus add-on option is the available 17,400 mAh magnetic battery pack. The 3.7-lb (1.7-kg) pack provides enough juice to power the fridge for up to eight hours, according to Iceco (set at 32 °F/0 °C on Eco cooling mode in 77 °F/25 °C ambient temps). The standalone battery is useful if you want to use the fridge away from the base vehicle or are worried about running down the vehicle battery. It secures magnetically to the metal side of the fridge for easy transport – electrical connection is via hard wire, as shown in the photo.

Iceco is winding down a VL45 Plus Kickstarter campaign this week. The innovative 57.6-lb (26.1-kg) fridge is still on offer at pledge levels starting at US$639 for the fridge alone or $749 when bundled with the magnetic battery. Iceco says it's already begun production and plans to get initial backer deliveries started this month, with the rest following in August. With three days left to go, the campaign has more than quadrupled its $50K goal.

The video provides a good look at the VL45 Plus' main innovations in action, including its bidirectional lid.

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Source: Iceco