Six months with the Dometic CFX5 95DZ dual-zone fridge in a truck bed, at a cabin and on a DELTA 3 Ultra during outages. Honest pros, cons and verified specs.
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I have had the Dometic CFX5 95DZ for six months. I bought it mainly for my truck bed, and it ended up doing a lot more than that. It rides in the truck, it comes to the family cabin in North Central PA, and it runs at home during power outages on my EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra.
The short version: the two zones are the reason to buy it, and the price is the reason to think hard first. It is expensive. My take is buy once, cry once. One thing still catches me off guard, and I cover it below.
Six months is not a lifetime test. This review covers what I have seen so far and the specs Dometic and Amazon publish, nothing more.
Check the Dometic CFX5 95DZ on Amazon
The truck was the reason. I wanted real cold storage in the bed instead of a cooler and a bag of ice. I picked a 95 liter dual-zone unit because I am feeding a family of five, and I wanted one fridge that could cover the truck, the cabin and the house instead of buying separate gear for each.
In the truck. This is the job I bought it for. It lives in the bed and goes where the truck goes.
At the cabin. The cabin is in North Central PA, and the fridge comes with us. Having one unit that moves between the truck and the cabin is a big part of why it has earned its spot.
During home power outages. I have spent 22 years as a union lineman, so I know outages happen and the power comes back. While it is out, my EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra powers the Dometic.
My favorite feature is the two zones. I can run it as a fridge and a freezer, or switch it so both sides are fridge. Dometic describes it as "Two cooling zones allow you to bring refrigerated and frozen foods all at once." When I need frozen food, I have a freezer side. When I just need more cold space, I set both sides to fridge.
That flexibility is what makes one box work for the truck, the cabin and an outage at home.
The price. It is expensive, no way around it. My take is buy once, cry once. If you are going to use it as much as I do, spending once on a unit you trust beats buying something cheaper twice. If you only need a fridge a few weekends a year, the math may not work for you.
The handles. The side handles are spring-assisted and fold themselves back. Dometic calls them "self-folding aluminum alloy handles." When I set the fridge in place and let go, they snap back, and they still surprise me. Keep your fingers clear when you set it down.
Every number below comes from Dometic's US product page or the Amazon listing for the 95L DZ option. Anything I could not confirm on those pages is left out.
| Spec | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total volume | 94 L (IEC 62552-3) | Dometic |
| Cooling zones | Two (dual zone) | Dometic, Amazon |
| Temperature range | -7F (-22C) to 68F (20C) | Dometic, Amazon |
| Power input | AC 100 to 240V, DC 12/24V | Dometic |
| Rated input power (AC) | 65W | Dometic |
| Rated input current (DC) | 9.8A at 12V, 4.5A at 24V | Dometic |
| Energy use at 12V, 39F inside, 90F ambient | 1.53 Ah/h | Dometic |
| Energy use at 12V, large zone 4C, small zone -15C, 32C ambient | 3.26 Ah/h | Dometic |
| Battery protection | 3-stage dynamic battery protection | Dometic, Amazon |
| Compressor | VMSO 3.5 | Dometic |
| Insulation | Vacuum insulated panels | Dometic, Amazon |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth smartphone app | Dometic |
| USB port | Yes | Dometic |
| Mounting | M6 threaded inserts in base | Dometic |
| Dimensions (D x H x W) | 37.87 x 18.58 x 20.87 in | Dometic |
| Net weight | 63.5 lbs | Dometic |
| Operating ambient | 61F to 109F | Dometic |
| Warranty | 5 year limited (Dometic US) | Dometic |
I am not going to give you a runtime number I did not measure. What I can give you is the method, so you can run it for your own setup.
Treat that as a ceiling, not a promise. Conversion losses, how often you open the lid, what you load warm, and the temperature around the fridge all cut into it. Our power station runtime calculator does the same math with your own numbers.
This fridge makes sense if you will use it a lot and in more than one place: a vehicle, a cabin or camp, and as backup cold storage at home. It fits a bigger family or longer stretches away from a grocery store, and it fits people who want the option to freeze.
If it is one or two people, short trips, or a smaller vehicle, a 95 liter unit is a lot of box to move and a lot of money to spend. A smaller single-zone fridge may cover you for less. Start with our 12V fridge guide and size it to how you actually travel. If you are still picking a battery, see our portable power station guide.
Yes. Dometic lists AC input of 100 to 240V and DC input of 12/24V, with cables for both included.
Yes. I switch mine between fridge/freezer and fridge/fridge. Dometic lists the unit as dual zone with a range of -7F to 68F.
Dometic lists a 3-stage dynamic battery protection system that "prevents draining a vehicle battery or allows deep draw on dual batteries."