SMETA 100L Gas Fridge Freezer Review: a quiet 3‑way workhorse for vans and off‑grid setups

I’ve been using this SMETA 100L gas fridge freezer in a camper-style setup for a while now, running it mostly on 240V through an inverter and testing 12V a bit. I haven’t done a full multi‑week trip on gas yet, but I’ve fired it up on LPG to see how it behaves. My goal was simple: find a fridge that keeps food properly cold in summer without murdering my batteries or sounding like a generator all night.

Before this, I tried a basic 12V compressor fridge that looked good on paper but struggled in real heat and drew more power than I liked. It also made a low hum that drove me nuts at night. That’s why I went for an absorption 3‑way model like this: silent running and the option to use gas when I’m off‑grid for several days. On paper, this SMETA ticks all those boxes: 12V, 240V and LPG, 100L capacity (85L fridge + 15L freezer), and proper off‑grid use in mind.

In practice, it’s not perfect. There are some annoying details, especially around the instructions and wiring. If you’re not comfortable with basic electrics and gas setups, you’ll probably swear a bit when installing it. The manual is vague, and you’ll end up double‑checking things online. But once you’ve actually got it wired and level, it does what you want: it cools quietly and steadily.

So this review is more from the point of view of a normal user who just wants cold beer, safe food, and not too much hassle. I’ll go through how it feels to live with this thing: how cold it gets, what it’s like on 12V/240V/gas, how noisy (or not) it is, and whether I think it’s worth the money for a campervan, caravan, or off‑grid shed.

On value, I’d put this SMETA 100L in the category of “good if you need 3‑way, average if you don’t”. You’re paying for the flexibility of LPG + 12V + 240V and the silent absorption system. If those two points matter to you, it’s a decent deal. If you only ever plan to use it on 12V or mains and never touch gas, there are compressor fridges in the same price range that cool faster and use less power on DC.

The capacity is pretty fair for the price: 100L total with a proper separate freezer section is more usable than a lot of smaller camper fridges. For a couple or a small family weekend setup, it’s enough storage for fresh food plus a bit of frozen stuff. It’s also versatile: campervan, caravan, boat, glamping pod, or even a garage where you want a silent fridge that can run on different sources.

Where the value takes a bit of a knock is the lack of decent instructions and missing gas accessories. You’ll probably end up buying a regulator, hose, maybe fittings, and spending time figuring out wiring. If you’re paying someone to install it, that’s more labour. Also, the one‑year warranty is not especially generous for a big appliance, so you’re taking a bit more risk than with some big brand domestic fridges.

Overall, I’d say the value is solid if this fits your use case: relatively quiet off‑grid living, regular gas use, and you’re okay with some DIY. If you’re a pure campsite person with hook‑ups and no gas, or you just want something plug‑and‑play in a flat, then the value looks weaker compared to a standard compressor fridge or a well‑known 12V chest fridge.

Design-wise, this SMETA is pretty straightforward. It’s a plain white box with a top freezer compartment. No fancy digital display, no smart features, and honestly, that’s fine for something that might live in a van, shed or glamping pod. The front door feels reasonably solid, the matte finish hides fingerprints, and the overall look is neutral enough to disappear into a small kitchen or camper interior. It’s not stylish, but it doesn’t look cheap in a horrible way either.

Inside, the layout is practical: adjustable wire shelves in the main compartment, plus three shelves in the door for bottles, jars, and smaller stuff. The 15L freezer is small but usable for ice, a few frozen meals, or meat for a weekend. Storage is decent for one or two people on a trip. I wouldn’t use it as a main family fridge, but for a camper or annex it’s fine. The interior light works on mains, but note that on some setups, people report the light not coming on when running on 12V, which is slightly annoying but not a deal‑breaker.

Where the design falls down is on the user interface and wiring clarity. The power selection controls and gas ignition are old‑school and not very intuitive if you’ve never used a 3‑way fridge before. The manual doesn’t explain clearly how to switch between 12V, 240V and gas. Same with the 12V wiring: one reviewer pointed out that on the 12V plug, the white wire is earth and black is positive, which is the opposite of what many people expect. That’s the kind of thing that should be clearly printed and highlighted in the instructions, not discovered by trial and error.

So in general: the physical design is practical and suits mobile/off‑grid use, but the control layout and documentation make the first setup more stressful than it needs to be. Once you’ve figured it out, you probably won’t touch the controls much, but the learning curve is steeper than it should be for a fridge in this price range.

If you’re looking at this fridge, it’s probably because of the 3‑way power options, so it’s worth being clear about how it behaves on each. On 240V, it’s the most straightforward: plug it into shore power or an inverter and let it run. In my setup with two 115Ah leisure batteries and an inverter, the fridge ran all weekend without the voltage dropping dangerously, especially with some engine time. For someone who does a mix of campsites and wild camping, that’s workable.

On 12V, you need to treat it as a maintenance mode. It will keep an already cold fridge reasonably cool while you’re driving, but it’s not efficient enough to be your main cooling source off batteries alone. Also, the wiring is confusing: the supplied 12V plug uses white as earth and black as positive, which is backwards compared to what many people expect. The fridge terminals on the back are both red, which doesn’t help. You really need to double‑check polarity with a meter and not just guess. The manual barely helps here, which is a weak point.

On gas, once plumbed in with a proper regulator and hose (which you have to buy separately), the fridge comes into its own for off‑grid use. Gas consumption of about 0.65 kg per 24 hours is decent, and the cooling is steady as long as the unit is level and you’ve got good ventilation behind it. Lighting it is a bit old‑school with the ignition and gas control, but once running, there’s nothing to hear and not much to do. If you’re parked in one spot for several days, gas is easily the best option with this fridge.

In short: don’t buy this expecting a super‑efficient 12V fridge. Buy it if you want the flexibility of mains at campsites, gas when parked in the wild, and 12V just to bridge the gap while you’re on the move. If you mostly rely on a battery bank and solar, and rarely use gas, a good compressor fridge might suit you better.

Absorption fridges like this usually have a simple design with few moving parts, which is good news for long‑term use. There’s no compressor to fail, and the cooling system is basically sealed tubing. As long as you don’t damage the coils, keep it level, and don’t block ventilation, these things tend to last years. That’s one of the reasons I went for this style instead of another cheap compressor box.

The overall build on this SMETA feels decent for the price. The casing is rigid, the door doesn’t feel flimsy, and the shelves don’t bend under normal loads. The hinges and door seal are okay – not premium, but not flimsy either. The matte finish on the door helps hide scratches, which is useful in a van or garage where things get knocked around. It’s also CE marked, which at least means it meets basic safety standards for the EU/UK market.

Where I have some doubts is around the small details and quality control. The confusing wiring colours, the vague instructions, and the lack of included gas fittings give the impression that the manufacturer expects the user to figure out a lot on their own. It doesn’t scream “fall apart immediately”, but it also doesn’t feel like a high‑end European built‑in fridge. That said, user reviews around 4.1/5 suggest most people are happy enough once it’s installed and running.

Long term, I’d say: if you install it properly (good ventilation, solid mounting, correct gas setup), don’t bash the coils, and keep it relatively clean, it should give you several years of service. It’s not bulletproof, but for a mobile/off‑grid fridge at this price, the durability seems good enough as long as you’re not abusing it.

On actual cooling performance, this fridge is pretty solid for an absorption unit. Running on 240V through an inverter, I had it holding between 3 and 4 °C in the main compartment over a hot weekend (outside temps around 26–28 °C, so the van was warm). Once it’s cooled down, it stays stable, which is the main thing I care about. Drinks are cold, food feels safe, and the freezer is good enough to keep ice and a few frozen bits properly hard.

Where you need to be realistic is the difference between 12V, 240V, and gas. Like most 3‑way fridges, 12V is mainly there to maintain temperature while driving, not to cool a warm fridge from scratch. If you expect 12V to pull it down from room temperature quickly, you’ll be disappointed. On 240V, it cools reasonably fast for an absorption fridge, but still slower than a compressor fridge. On gas, once you’ve got it lit and level, performance is surprisingly good and stable, and that’s where this type of fridge makes sense for off‑grid longer stays.

Power consumption on gas is around 0.65 kg of LPG per 24 hours according to the specs, which is acceptable for off‑grid use if you’re staying several days in one place. On 240V via inverter, it didn’t hammer my batteries over a weekend (2 × 115Ah), especially since I drove a bit and topped them up. Still, for purely battery‑based setups, a modern compressor fridge will usually be more efficient. This SMETA is more about flexibility (gas + mains) than ultra‑low DC consumption.

Overall, in real use: it cools well enough, keeps a steady temperature even in warm weather, and is completely silent thanks to the absorption system. Just go in with the right expectations about 12V use and give it time to cool down properly before loading it to the brim.

The fridge is a 100L absorption unit with a small freezer box at the top (around 15L) and an 85L fridge section below. It’s a single front door, top‑freezer layout, with adjustable shelves and three door shelves. Size‑wise, it’s roughly 60 cm wide, 52 cm deep, and 82 cm high, so it fits under a counter in a van or cabin without much drama. Weight is about 36 kg, so two people can move it without breaking their backs, but it’s not feather‑light either.

Power options are the big selling point: you can run it on 12V DC, 240V AC, or LPG gas. That flexibility is why people buy these for campervans, caravans, boats and off‑grid cabins. It’s meant to sit level and be left running, not dragged in and out like a coolbox. There’s a thermostat for the fridge section (0–10 °C claimed) and a simple control panel to switch between power sources, plus a piezo‑style ignition for the gas mode.

Out of the box, you get the fridge, the 240V mains lead, shelves and door racks. What you don’t get is a gas hose, regulator, or any meaningful help on 12V wiring colours. For something clearly aimed at DIY camper builds, that’s a bit lazy. The manual exists, but it’s thin and not very clear, especially on how to switch between 12V and gas, or which wire is positive/negative. You will end up looking at reviews or guessing, which is not ideal when you’re dealing with both electrics and gas.

Overall, the presentation is: solid off‑grid fridge, decent size, three power options, but let down by poor documentation and the fact you need to source extra gas parts yourself. If you expect a plug‑and‑play camping fridge with hand‑holding instructions, this isn’t it. If you’re happy to tinker a bit and already know how 3‑way fridges work, it’s more acceptable.