Travoca Rigel 35 eCooler Review: Premium in All the Best Ways
Excellent build quality and performance make this the electric cooler to beat.
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Thanks to advances in technology and construction, portable electric coolers have come a long way in recent years, somehow becoming both more powerful and more efficient. Still, these mini refrigerators have always felt like a luxury item made exclusively for the jet-setting crowd who don’t mind spending a lot of money just to sip cold champagne on top of some remote mountain. With its impressively high-quality materials and impeccable build quality, the Travoca Rigel 35 eCooler does little to shatter that illusion. But it does so at a price point that is approachable, leaving you to wonder how you ever got along without one for so long.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
A Premium Cooler Experience
When we took the Travoca Rigel 35 eCooler out of the box for the first time, there were several things that were immediately apparent. First, with its cold-rolled steel exterior—accented with bamboo panelling—the cooler looks amazing. Its green color is somehow both subdued and eye-catching at the same time, giving it an aesthetic unlike anything else on the market. Durable handles match the design perfectly, and the durable silver lid further enhances the look while conveniently opening from either side.
The second thing we noticed was the weight. The aptly named Rigel 35 is the 35-liter version of the cooler (Travoca also sells it in 25L, 45L, and 60L versions) and tips the scales at a burly 51.1 lbs. For comparison, a 35-liter Yeti Tundra weighs in at just 21.4 lbs. Obviously, most of the additional weight comes from the eCooler’s compressor and other electronic parts, which keep it cold when powered on. That eliminates the need for ice, which not only adds weight, but reduces cargo capacity. And thanks to the aforementioned rugged handles, the Rigel 35 is actually fairly easy to move around, even when full.
Once we got over the weight of the Rigel 35, the next thing we noticed was just how well built the cooler is. Everything about it screams quality, with all of the components precision-crafted to fit together neatly and effectively. The result is a product that feels built to last, whether you’re using it in the backyard at home, tailgating at the big game, outside your RV at the campground or at a remote boondocking site in your overlanding rig. This eCooler is built for adventure and seems like it can take anything you throw at it.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Cold, Fast, and Quiet
Unlike some powered coolers that can run off of a rechargeable battery, the Travoca Rigel 35 needs to be plugged into an AC outlet in order to function. The good news is that it’s a 12V refrigerator, meaning it doesn’t require a lot of power to operate. While testing, we plugged it into the wall at home, where naturally it ran flawlessly. But we also powered it on the go using both a portable power station and the AC outlet in a vehicle. In both of those cases, it also functioned perfectly, keeping drinks cold, fruit fresh, and ice cream frozen.
Travoca says the Rigel 35 can run off a 1,500Wh power station for up to 18 hours, which reflects just how efficiently it runs. The eCooler can maintain a temperature as low as -4ºF and even has a removable partition that turns it into a dual-zone refrigerator/freezer. This allows you to keep liquids cold on one side of the unit and completely frozen on the other, with independent temperature controls for each zone. The cooler can even rapidly cool from an internal temperature of 79ºF when first turned on, all the way down to 32ºF in just 20 minutes.
In our real-world testing, we found those numbers to actually be conservative. Out of the box, the cooler reached an optimal temperature several minutes faster than expected and held that temperature without wavering in a variety of conditions, including outside in the hot sun. In dual-zone mode, both sides stayed at their respective temperatures, too, with the contents of the cooler remaining cold or frozen as requested. And best of all, it did it all while remaining incredibly quiet. In fact, we’d go so far as to say this is the quietest electric cooler we’ve tested, to the point that we opened the lid a few times just to make sure it was still running. It was.
The 35-liter Rigel is capable of holding 40 cans of your favorite beverage, with room left over for two pints of ice cream. The Yeti Tundra mentioned above can hold up to 39 cans, but that’s without ice. Add ice to the equation and you’re carrying significantly fewer beverages, while quickly closing the weight gap between the two coolers. Of course, Yeti is renowned for keeping the contents of their coolers cold for days at a time, but the Rigel 35 will stay cold indefinitely, so long as it has power. And thanks to its vacuum-insulated panels, Travoca’s offering continues to maintain its temperature quite well, even without electricity.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Attention to Detail
There are a number of tiny details that show just how much thought went into the design of the Rigel line of electric coolers. For instance, Travoca has put power ports on both sides of the device, allowing owners to plug in from either end without worrying about which side needs to be facing the AC outlet. This, combined with the lid that opens in both directions, also makes this cooler easy to permanently install in an RV or overlanding vehicle. Essentially, there is no wrong way to drop it into place, as you’ll always be able to run electricity to it and access the contents inside.
The Rigel 35’s controls are located on one side of the cooler, where a power button turns the device off and on, and a settings button cycles between max cooling and energy-sipping eco mode. Plus and minus buttons adjust the temperature settings up and down, respectively. The cooler can also be controlled and monitored using an app on a smartphone, allowing users to adjust settings remotely. App control is quick and easy to set up, and adds additional functionality for owners.
The cooler comes with built-in battery protection to ensure that it won’t drain your vehicle’s battery when plugged in for power. Instead, the Rigel 35 will automatically shut itself down when voltage levels fall below a certain threshold, then power itself back on when voltage increases. The cooler also comes with a built-in drainage port and has interior LED lighting that makes it easier to find things in the dark. Travoca even ships the unit with both an AC power adapter for use with 120V home outlets and a 12V DC power cable for use in a vehicle.
Photo Credit: Travoca
Highly Recommended
As you can probably tell, we’re pretty impressed with the Travoca Rigel 35 eCooler. In fact, we’re hard-pressed to think of anything negative to say about it, aside from it being a bit on the heavy side. Otherwise, this is a portable refrigerator that looks and performs incredibly well, delivering a lot of value for its $699.99 price tag. That puts it lower in price than most of its competitors, while delivering amazing build quality and convenience in an attractive package. With all of that in mind, we highly recommend this unit to anyone currently in the market for an electric cooler. It is the perfect fit for RVers, overlanders, or anyone with an active outdoor lifestyle.
To find out more, visit the Travoca website.
Kraig Becker is a writer in the RV, outdoors, and adventure travel space. Over the course of his career he has contributed to such outlets as Popular Mechanics, Outside Online, Business Insider, TripSavvy, Digital Trends, GearJunkie, The Adventure Blog, and countless others. An avid runner and cyclist, he enjoys camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and just about any other outdoor activity. His travels have taken him to seven continents and on many amazing adventures.
