My rig came with the 12V/absorption combo.
The knock against absorption refrigerators are safety and cooling effectiveness, especially at freezing. Absorption is great to have but my personal preference is to conserve propane for cooking / heating and a dual fuel generator if so equipped.
My primary challenge was how to keep food cold when in transit. Leaving propane on is for obvious reasons frowned upon, while leaving it on battery power, well drains the main batteries. Not to mention leaving items in the fridge will toss most everything around like a salad.
My solution was to add a 12V/120V portable refrigerator/freezer to my equipment list in combination with a portable 500W bluetti generator. Total game changer.
- Super efficient. When running, mine only draws 40W in ECO mode. I've gotten up to a 24 hour runtime on my solar generator.
- Great for overflow If the main fridge/freezer is full. Use as a fridge, freezer or both
- Never need to buy ice. Food stays dry!
- Transfer food to it when in transit or when food supplies get low in the main fridge. During transit, I keep it inside my truck cab plugged into a 12V socket
- Keep it outside for drinks and ice, reducing traffic into the trailer.
I picked up this particular one. At the time, the 38 qt. was on sale with a $60 coupon for $240 total (although it's now $300). Great reviews and less than 1/2 the cost of a Dometic.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Includes Bluetooth monitoring and battery protection