Say goodbye to your boring old esky and hello to your new EvaKool drawer fridge/freezer.  

By Ty Martens – As seen in the October 2026 issue of The Report

Keeping your food, drinks, bait and camping necessities icy cool has never been easier or more efficient than with an EvaKool drawer fridge/freezer. EvaKool’s products are proudly Australian made in sunny Queensland – meaning the company knows a bit about beating the heat. Born out of need in 1994, EvaKool’s original fibreglass icebox was just its starting point. Today, the company is leading the way in reliable and quality-built cooling products. In fact, EvaKool was the first company in Australia to offer a dual-zone fridge/freezer that was powerful enough to handle the tropics while still being energy efficient. 

On review here is EvaKool’s 40-litre drawer fridge/freezer. This compact unit will fit perfectly in almost any 4WD vehicle space, whether you are running a tray and canopy setup or a standard ute tub. It will even work in the boot of an SUV. With its dimensions at only 836mm x 595mm x 326mm (LxWxH), worrying about taking up too much space in your vehicle is no issue, which was one of the main reasons I chose this unit. 

With the price listed at $1,399, it comes in as a mid- to high-range priced fridge/freezer, but for the quality and functionality, tested in the harsh conditions of the Australian summer, it’s worth it. Plus, it is Australian made. What more do you want? 

Setup and operation 

Setup was quick and easy. Everything was ready to go in less than 30 minutes.

The process of unboxing to installation was simple, unlike with some other brands that have too many loose pieces and bits to put together, which more often than not leave you overwhelmed and confused. This unit arrived with a simple assortment of items, including an instruction manual, mounting bracket, and the necessary screws, bolts and washers. Keep in mind, though, you do have to purchase your own power supply cable, which may vary in size depending on the length of the run and type of connection to your battery. Thankfully, EvaKool was thoughtful enough to include a handy guide for choosing the right cable. 

On the lower back left side of the fridge is a 50A Anderson plug for connection to the power supply, so getting it up and running is simple – just plug it in and go. Once connected, the fridge automatically turns on. Then the choice is yours as to the operating temperature, which ranges from a deep freeze of –18° Celsius up to 10° Celsius, all with the press of the up/down arrows on the front of the fridge next to the digital temperature display screen, which has a built-in LED light to make the display clear and easy to read even on the darkest of nights or in bright sunlight. 

Once installed, I chose to set my fridge to 3° Celsius. It only took about 45 minutes to get to the setting, thanks to the Secop PBC 2.5 compressor, which is designed for portable fridges. Secop compressors are highly regarded for their energy efficiency, durability, light weight and quiet operation. They are meant to be used for mobile and off-grid use. By the time I had everything ready to load into my ute, the compressor did its job, and the fridge was ready to go. 

The SECOP compressor does its job well and is designed for portable fridges such as EVAKOOL.

For those who want to use the unit as a freezer for maybe bait or meat, getting the temperature low enough (-18° Celsius) to not risk spoilage only took two and a half hours from room temperature. 

The temperature display is easy to see day or night.

First use 

Packing for a week away, I was pleasantly surprised with the food and number of drinks I was able to store. Plus, the ease of packing the drawers and the ability to clearly see what is inside is much better than an upright fridge, which can have limitations on the height of containers or the ability to see what is stuffed in the back. And, compared to an esky, EvaKool’s drawer/fridge, was a no brainer. No lifting. No replenishing ice. And no water-soaked food when fresh ice in not available. Don’t get me wrong though, an esky, especially an EvaKool fibreglass icebox, has its place. But for regular and off-road travellers going fair distances, a fridge/freezer offers next-level conveniences. 

After a full day of driving rough 4WD tracks, everything was still where it was meant to be.

For my first outing, I opted to use half of the fridge for food and half for drinks. I was able to fit in 24 cans with ease, leaving the other half for a few days’ worth of refrigerated foods such as steaks, yogurt and vegetables. It was the perfect drinks-to-food ratio. If you plan to only use it as a drinks fridge, it has the capacity to hold 48+ cans; that’s right – 48 just like a large esky minus the hassle and cost of replacing the ice every few days, which is a huge win for those situations where the closest servo might be hours away. 

The only downside of the fridge I noticed, which I’ll admit might sound slightly picky but was a little inconvenient at times, it that there is no feature to keep the drawer in its open position if your vehicle is at the wrong angle. This means if your vehicle is set up with a slight tilt towards the back of the fridge, the drawer’s instinct is to fall back into the closed position if you aren’t supporting it. But when I adjusted the ute to a flatter surface, this wasn’t an issue, so pick your terrain wisely for optimal use. Having said that, if you were angled the other way, the drawer does lock shut, so you don’t need to worry about it sliding open unintentionally. 

Another benefit of a drawer fridge/freezer reveals itself after the trip…when it comes time to clean up. Just open the drawer and wipe out the compartments. Compared to an upright fridge, it wins hands down. No need to wrestle with unruly and tricky-to-clean shelving or tight spaces. 

You will never regret graduating from an esky to a fridge/freezer drawer. Of course, there are other products out there, but why would you look any further than EvaKool – a company that prides itself on being pioneers in ‘keeping the important stuff cool’? It’s been beating the heat successfully for more than three decades. 

Visit EvaKool.com.au for fridges, freezers, eskys, drinkware, cool accessories and spare parts. EvaKool’s fridge/freezers range from 40l up to 110l. 

EvaKool 40l drawer fridge/ freezer specs: 

• Dimensions: (L) 836mm x (W) 595mm x (H) 326mm 

• Power supply: 12-volt or 24-volt 

• Temperature range: -18° Celsius to 10° Celsius 

• Price: $1399 

• EvaKool.com.au