My three-year-lap of Australia: A review of Bushman 130L upright fridge and 30L drawer fridges

I’ve been travelling around Australia for the last three-years and can very confidently head off grid for extended periods and know that I can rely on my Bushman fridge/freezer set ups to perform for years and in tough conditions.

Ultimately, I believe in buying properly once. The Bushman fridge brand is one I can confidently recommend to anyone and is one item that I knew I wouldn’t have to replace.

Why Bushman fridges have been a remote trip gamechanger

If you’re remote with no support or service agents close by, you need to be able to rely on your equipment, and Bushman fridges meet this requirement easily.

I started my lap leaving from Port Macquarie in October 2022 with a plan to settle on the Sunshine Coast to return to work in January 2024…. well, that didn’t happen. By December 2024 I had only just made it Perth!

Since then, I’d travelled north to Cape York, South to Tasmania, across to Adelaide, WA and the NT, into Arnhem land again then onto the Sunshine Coast.

During my time traveling, my setup – whilst good – wasn’t giving me the ability to go off-grid for any length of time without my caravan; so in October 2024 I ordered a new vehicle with the aim of setting it up to be able to go remote, minus the caravan.

My new setup is a Chevrolet 2500HD with a canopy. I have an upright 130 litre fridge and two 30 litre Bushman drawer fridge/freezers.

Why Bushman

Their energy efficiency is excellent. Running all three Bushman fridges for 24 hours uses about 60 amp of battery which is very energy efficient. If you have a good solar and battery system this usage should be recovered in about 3-4 hours on a good day.

How I use three fridges off-grid

The medium sized 130-litre 12v fridge is kept for food storage primarily. One of the 30-litre drawer 12v fridges is used as a drinks fridge as it fits cans perfectly and the other 30-litre drawer fridge is kept as a freezer. This gives me heaps of space and plenty of flexibility.

What I love about my Bushman fridges

• Australian owned
• Well-made
• Warranty is excellent
• After sales service is excellent
• They look good when installed

Bushman fridge / freezer: more than 17-years of continuous usage

I’ve used Bushman fridges for almost two decades now. My first Bushman was a 35-litre chest fridge/freezer which was included in a camper trailer I bought as a package 17 years ago.

I’ve given this fridge to my daughter and it’s still running today. I also bought an additional 35-52 litre Bushman fridge with the extension kit and had that running in my old Prado back then. It served me well for over 10 years before I sold it with the Prado.

My honest review of Bushman fridges

Bushman fridges have been very good in the 17 years of using them. They are very energy efficient, sturdy and hold temperature very well, even when the outside ambient temperature is north of 35 degrees. 

With my three fridges running the draw on my battery is only around six amps when the ambient external temperature is high. That’s very good.  

My original Bushman camping chest fridges were also amazing – 17 years old and still going strong. They’re a well-built fridge, with a huge bonus that they are an Australian owned business.

It’s always amazing to be able to support Australian owned companies – and it’s even better when the quality and longevity is this good.

My top fridge tips

1. I always ensure seals are clean, this stops air/moisture from getting in and helps stop condensation and icing up. 
2. If the fridge does start to ice up, defrost it as quick as you can. I’ve found a battery hand blower helps do this quickly and won’t damage the fridge, which can happen if you try to scrape the ice out.

What’s next

The plan next is to head north for the winter, another visit to Birdsville for the Big Red Bash and then back into the NT for an extended period to experience the Build Up, Wet and Run Off.

From there, I think it’ll be another visit to WA and perhaps an extended stay there as well. It is an enormous state and one I have only scratched the surface of to visit.

Tips for anyone thinking of doing a lap

I’ve experienced so many amazing things – from swimming with whale sharks twice, flying over Ningaloo on an Ultra-Light with Birds Eye View and staying in Cyclone Creek at the Horizontal Falls and witnessing the power of the tides and nature.

My biggest tip is to allow as much time as you can and just pull the pin and go!!

Australia is an amazing country, and it is huge!! Try not to book too much in advance, your plans will change. There are so many hidden gems that you will find out about when you get to areas, if you take the time to look and meet the locals.

Be ready to get addicted to driving around this amazing country. Once you’ve started it will be hard to stop!

Final thoughts

Bushman camping fridges are well worth the investment. Mine have last for almost 2 decades and are still going strong. They are energy efficient and are flexible so you can set them up in a way that works for you.

If you’re looking for a fridge for your off-road adventures, it’s hard to go past the Bushman fridge.