I do have the insulated cover on it, so my assumption is that helps.
It's hooked up to an AGM Goal Zero Yeti 400 (with an additional battery connected to it) and it uses very little power. It is very good at keeping temperature and it hasn't burnt out with low airflow when the tongue box lid is closed in the 100+ degree weather we have here in Texas. Doing the research Engel has an awesome reputation and they use a different compressor motor than any other manufacturer and the motors are made in Japan. The main reasons I got this fridge is I needed something that would fit inside the tongue box on the trailer (built for an ARB 50) and I really wanted something that I could use as a freezer and a fridge at the same time. Picked this up at Overland Expo East 2018 (the mud bath) and it hasn't failed me yet. Also was able to cook bacon and a cheese omelet by opening and closing the lid of the grill over the pan.
Took me a while but was able to use the percolator coffee pot by laying down tin foil across the grill (as a diffuser) and closing the lid on the coffee pot allowed it to boil the water. That being said, it did save my but on the last day of camping this weekend as the regulator on my JetBoil Genesis Basecamp stove bit the dust. I like to have control when I cook of the temperature, so this isn't the right grill for me, I like the overall design, just not it's performance. With the grill area there is no way for the flame to reach directly to the food, which also means the raised bars make for nice sear marks. It has a nice rectangle area, but I've found with the burner only going down the middle there are definitely hot and cold spots, also the control on the regulator is useless, with the lid closed I can only adjust it between 450 and 600 degrees, which means I have to adjust temperature by lifting the lid and there is no easy way to prop it open only slightly, so you have to get creative. I went with the Char-Broil over the Weber Q as it seemed to be better setup for travelling/camping than the Weber Q, I also thought the infrared would calm fires from dripping fat. There is a Camp Chef Instant Propane Water Heater inside the trailer.Ĭomes in a great carry bag that you can put away somewhat hot as it doesn't encapsulate the entire grill when closed. The grill is sitting on a carving board as the trailer came with a three burner stove that I didn't like using. Here's the kitchen fender setup on the X-Venture X-V2 Trailer, you'll notice I'm using the shower hand-held unit for the kitchen faucet, because the quick connects are leaking on the actual faucet, so I need to get those replaced. Obviously with the heat in central Texas I was only using it for ambiance and not heat, so wasn't that big of a deal. The park sheriff made me turn off my propane campfire, even though when I registered the park staff said I could use it. Overall a nice getaway but nothing to write home about, I stayed in an equestrian camping spot, so it was a bit wide open for my liking, but it was the only spot left that had a bit of a view of the lake. Luckily it was a cloudy day, because the sun on 98 degree is aggressive and even applying 100 spf sunscreen every hour, I did get sunburn in places that don't usually see the sun (no not there, my chest, shoulders and back). I spent about 4 hours on the water and watched some wildlife and the undisturbed shores around the lake. I didn't get to kayak until Sunday with the intention of circumnavigating the lake, until I found out how long/big the lake was. There are quite a few different trails, but none of them take you anywhere special and there is a 13.6 mile trail to one of the other State Parks on the lake. I haven't been impressed by Texas' State Parks and the Nail's Creek Unit wasn't well maintained but was certainly livable for a weekend trip. I wasn't expecting much, just wanted to get away for the weekend. Took the trailer as the X-Cover was already attached and having shower and sink faucet hookups and a fender kitchen makes for a nice basecamp, not that there were any trails for the truck around. Got the truck and the trailer setup on Friday morning, not being able to bring my trailer to my house, I packed the truck and then filed the trailer. Being only an hour and half from Austin, it was a quick get-away for me, especially since I had to be back in Austin on Saturday for an appointment.
Built by the US Army Core of Engineers back in 1967 it has an 85-mile shoreline and is a complete State Park, no development other than State Park structures along the shoreline. Time to report on my short weekend trip to a State Park - Somerville Lake - Nails Creek Unit.