The Best Portable Ice Makers for Camping, RVs, or a Boat

Realize it or not, ice makers are a part of our daily life. We use them in our homes, businesses, and offices, but did you know that ice makers are also great for camping, RVing, and on our boat? It’s true.

We go camping every summer, and always take a portable ice maker with us. I don’t think we could go camping without a portable ice maker now, that’s how much we’ve grown to love it.

If you’re looking for a portable ice maker for your outdoor adventure, then you’re in the right place.

In this article, we’re going to break down the uses of a portable ice maker for camping, RVing, a boat, or any outdoor activity and why you should consider purchasing one today.

3 Reasons Why Portable Ice Makers are Perfect for Camping, RVs and Boats

Most of the time, people with RVs or boats will take a large cooler filled with ice with them on their trip. Others will just pick up a bag of ice here and there when they stop for a bathroom break or have to fill up with fuel.

Most adventurers are discovering that the best way to handle their need for ice is to purchase a portable ice maker to take along with them. Portable ice makers are easy to set up, easy to store and make ice in as little as 6 minutes. They also produce up to 50 lbs of ice each day which is perfect for filling up a cooler, making a delicious batch of iced tea, or chilling your beverage as you lay out in the sun.

Below are some other reasons why people tend to use portable ice makers on their camping trips, aboard their yacht, or on their RV.

1. Portable Ice Makers Save You Time and Money

The first reason to bring a portable ice maker with you when you go exploring the outdoors is that it can save you money. It’s not like bags of ice cost a ton of money, but they can add up over time. It’s also annoying running out to grab a bag of ice every time you run out. 

Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of getting bagged ice. If you are on your boat in the middle of a lake, it’s hard to get to a store that sells ice until you can locate a marina. This is why having a portable ice maker with you is a great idea.

If you are camping at a campground that has a power outlet, then making ice during the day will save you the time, hassle, and money of always buying ice. 

I am guessing that you would need at least 2-3 bags of ice each day. If ice costs you $4 a bag (could cost more or less depending on where you are located), then it could cost you about 8-10 dollars a day.

You can purchase a portable ice maker today for about $100.

2. Portable Ice Makers Provide Refreshing Beverages

Secondly, portable ice makers are useful for supplying refreshing beverages on the go. Whether you’re on your RV, camping at the KOA, or enjoying some relaxing time on a boat, a portable ice maker will chill your beverages on the hot days of summer.

Related: The Best Marine Coolers With A Cushion Seat

Every year we go to the KOA camping, I will always bring my portable ice maker. We rent a cabin for a week, and I sit by the pool with my Pepsi poured over a glass of ice. It’s wonderful. I would never go camping or RVing without my portable ice maker. It makes the trip so much more enjoyable.

3. Portable Ice Makers are Fun

The final reason why you should consider a portable ice maker for your outside adventure is that it’s fun to have ice. I know your kids will agree with me on this one.

You can make fun desserts, slushies, fun beverages for the kids, or use the ice to chill your drink.

There are so many cool ways that you can implement ice into your daily outdoor adventures.

What Makes The Perfect Portable Ice Maker for an RV, Camping Trip, or Boat?

When purchasing a portable ice maker for your RV or camping trip, there are some essential features that you want to consider.

Below is a list of features that you should look for when purchasing an ice maker for your RV, camping trip, or boat: 

• Size and weight of the unit
• How much ice it produces
• The type of ice it produces
• The cost of the portable ice maker

We have taken all of these features into account when we have put together our best portable ice maker list for camping, RVs, and boats. We have tested, researched, read real customer reviews, and put together a list of the best options available to you right now.

The Best Portable Ice Makers For Camping, RVs, or Boats

Below are my top 11 portable ice makers to bring with you outdoors. All of these portable ice makers are great, so which one you purchase all comes down to design and price.

We’re going to break down these units even further. Below are detailed features of these ice makers and why they’d make a perfect unit for camping, RVing, or your boat.

The Newair AI 250W

The NewAir AI 250W is the perfect ice maker for your RV or camping trip because it checks off the two most important boxes when it comes to a portable ice maker for camping – lots of ice and easy to carry around.

Most ice makers either make a lot of ice and weigh a lot, or they make about 28 pounds of ice and weigh about 20 pounds – with the NewAir AI 250W, you get the best of both worlds (50 pounds of ice & weighs only 21 pounds).

This portable ice maker is easy to operate. You have a single button that controls the operation of the unit. It makes ice every 6 mins which means you won’t have to wait very long before getting ice for your beverage or cooler.

The well-insulated ice bucket also means you’re going to have ice longer than other portable ice makers.

We found that this countertop ice maker was the best choice for camping trips, your RV, or anything to do with the outside.

It makes a lot of ice and it’s easy to transport. Enough said.

The hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker

The hOmelabs portable ice maker is perfect for camping, boats, or RVs because of its simple design, fantastic price-point, and durability.

This portable ice maker is a great size for camping – at only 12.9″ deep and 14″ high.

It produces small and medium ice sizes, and will produce 26 pounds of ice every 24 hours. This ice maker also produces bullet-shaped ice.

One of this ice maker’s best features is that it will create ice in as little as 6 minutes. This means that you don’t have to wait long to have ice.

The hOmeLabs portable ice maker is straightforward to operate in just a couple of simple steps, you’re making ice.

I love using this ice maker, and that is why I have chosen it to be a great choice for your boat, RV, or camping trip.

The Colzer Countertop Ice Maker

This ice maker gets the award for the most inventive. I mean that too! 

It’s a portable ice maker that has a handle, so you can carry it around with you. When you’re outside, you are constantly carrying your portable ice maker from one place to another. You move it from your boat to a campground or take it from your RV and place it on a picnic table – this ice maker gives you the ability to move it around with ease.

The Colzer Countertop Ice Maker produces 26 pounds of ice every 24 hours and makes ice every 7-15 minutes. In our testing, it was closer to about 8 mins to produce ice.

This is perfect for camping because you can carry it to the beach, or the campfire. It’s ideal for making ice and putting your beverages right inside the ice maker and taking it with you. 

This ice maker isn’t just good to be used as an ice maker but makes a great cooler as well. You can produce ice wherever you can plug into a power source, you just fill it up and then throw some cans of pop inside to keep them chilled.

I love this ice maker and think it’s a terrific idea for camping. I also put it to the test and it’s extremely practical and easy to use – It’s a home run in my opinion.

The Frigidaire EFIC101

The Frigidaire EFIC101 is very similar to the ice maker listed above. It has a sleek black design that looks great. This portable ice maker takes a bit longer to make ice then others in this guide – at about 15 mins.

The one thing that this ice maker has, that not many other ice makers can say they have, is a reputation in the industry. Frigidaire is a powerhouse when it comes to fridges, freezers, and ice makers. Their products are built well, and their support and warranty are there to back up their claims.

The Frigidaire EFIC101 ice maker will produce ice in about 8-15 mins and will produce 26 pounds of ice each day. It offers a very easy-to-operate control panel that makes working the unit easy. 

This portable ice maker is a top-rated unit and is commonly used in RV’s, boats, and camping. We do have to mention that this ice maker is one of the cheapest units online. You can click on the button above to learn more on Amazon.

The NewAir Portable Ice Maker

The NewAir Portable Ice Maker is the largest ice maker of our picks. This unit will weigh far more than the other units on our buyer’s guide (37 Pounds compared to 20 pounds, which is the weight of the others) and may be a little more challenging to carry around, but it’s good for the larger ice production.

This ice maker will produce an INSANE 50 pounds of ice each day. This is twice as much as the other units I’ve listed above.

It makes ice every 7 mins, which we like, and features a beautiful stainless steel design. 

NewAir is a great company, and they make great ice makers. This portable ice maker produces three ice sizes and is easy to operate and maintain. 

I’ve been using this ice maker for several months now, and enjoy using it. It comes with a self-cleaning feature which is helpful and simple operation. It’s not only a good ice maker for camping, but a perfect addition to any home.

The Vremi Countertop Ice Maker

The Vremi Countertop Ice Maker is a great ice maker for camping because it only weighs 23 pounds and measures 9.5 x 12 x 13.5 inches. This unit is perfect for moving around.

This ice maker makes 26 pounds of ice every 24 hours. It’s quiet to operate and efficient. This ice maker runs at 20 watts with a silent cooling function, which is another excellent reason for bringing it camping with you – especially if you are using a generator.

This is a great ice maker for any occasion, but camping seems to be one of the reasons this portable ice maker is purchased.

I like this unit and think that paired with its functions, ease of use, and sharp design – it’s a good deal.

The Hamilton Beach PIM-1-3A

The Hamilton Beach Ice Maker has a high-efficiency compressor that’s quiet to operate. It’s an ice maker that performs well, but it’s priced just right. This ice maker will produce 26 pounds of ice each day. It takes 15 minutes to produce 24 cubes of ice. This unit is nice because it only weighs 19 pounds, so it can be easily transported from one location to another.

You can easily take it to a picnic, use it on your sailboat or have it on the counter of your RV.

This ice maker has a large ice bucket that can store 2.4 pounds of ice at one time. It also gives you the ability to choose which size ice you would like – small, medium or large.

It’s also a great looking unit. If I were a microwave, I would be really jealous. Its stainless steel finish looks great, and it’s compact as well. 

This unit is easy to operate with an LCD control panel. It has a large water reservoir (2.2 Litres), so it means you’ll have a steady flow of ice coming your way.

The Sentern Portable Electric Clear Ice Maker

The Sentern Portable Ice Maker produces gourmet-style ice. This ice is more rigid, denser, and transparent. It doesn’t create bullet-shaped ice like most of the other portable ice makers on this list. This unit produces actual ice cubes that are crystal clear. People love this type of ice because it takes a longer time to melt, melting ice will water-down your beverage.

It takes 15 minutes to produce 24 cubes of clear ice.

This ice maker isn’t going to produce the same amount of ice as the others, but it’s a better quality ice.

The Aicok Portable Ice Maker

The Aicok Portable Ice Maker is an excellent unit for your RV. This portable ice maker makes 26 lbs of bullet-shaped ice each day. It takes about 6-10 minutes for it to run through the ice cycle. It’s small, but quick to make ice.

This unit is straightforward to use. All you do is add your water, plug it in, turn it on, and you’re making ice.

This portable ice maker has standard features. It comes with a 1.9-liter water reservoir. It holds 1.3 lbs of ice at one time and runs efficiently. You don’t have to worry about it overflowing with ice because it will automatically stop when the ice bucket is full.

This ice maker comes with a BPA-free ice scoop and storage basket. It’s stainless steel design is both eye-pleasing and durable.

The Aicok Portable Ice Maker comes with a 2-year warranty which means you can buy with confidence.

The U-Line Undercounter Marine Ice Maker

This U-Line Undercounter ice maker is a great choice for your boat. This ice maker produces 25 pounds of crescent ice in 24 hours. It has a storage capacity of 25 pounds and uses only three gallons of water each day. Now you never have to worry about running out of ice even when you are on the sea.

This ice maker has a wonderful stainless steel design that is corrosion and UV-resistant. It also doesn’t need a drain, so it’s easy to install.

The standard door latch gives you that extra security while you are on the open waters.

This ice maker is perfect for yachts or luxury boats. It also can be installed in larger RVs.

It’s a great ice maker from a trusted manufacturer.

The Whynter MIM-14231SS

This compact portable ice maker fits nicely in your boat or RV. It measures 16″ Long x 14″ Wide x 24.5” High. It produces 23 pounds of crescent ice every day. This ice maker keeps your ice frozen, so there is no need to install a drain line.

The storage bin for this ice maker holds 12 lbs of ice every day. It’s easy to operate and automatically shuts off when the ice bin is full.

The Whynter ice maker is specifically designed and engineered for boats, yachts, and RVs. It’s built with high-quality stainless steel; it’s perfect for mobile situations. The Whynter MIM-14231SS is easy to install and simple to use with a one-button operation.

The ice maker comes with a 5’ food-grade waterline which is included in your purchase. It’s front vented so it can be built-in your cabinets or used as a freestanding unit.

Conclusion

There you have it, folks.

These are my recommended ice makers for your next camping trip, RV or to take with you on your boat.

You can click on the link provided above, and get the best price online.

We hope that this article was helpful to you and that you have all the information that you need to make the right decision.

If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them below.