This easy to use Clearview fridge slide is a marriage saver


We test out the Clearview drop-down Easy Fridge Slide from a woman’s perspective. Here’s how it went down.
When it comes to camping fridges, mine was becoming a problem. The fridge itself wasn’t the problem. After all, it’s a trusty Engel so it runs like a champ. The problem was with my marriage.
Why? Because when the fridge is secure in the back canopy in its rightful place, I can’t see or reach into it and neither can the kids. It’s just too high. This means that every time someone wants food or a drink, my other half, who is taller, has to get up from his camp chair and get it out.
Do you know how many times a day a seven and ten-year-old need something out of the camping fridge, let alone myself? My husband tells me It’s a lot. Now I don’t really mind because, being honest, I kind of like passing off domestic chores. But hubby was getting quite snippy about it and no one likes a snippy husband.
So when Clearview offered to send me one of their u-beaut drop-down Easy Fridge Slides to test it out from a woman’s perspective, I was pretty keen.
It’s no secret that fridges are bulky and awkward to get in and out the back of your rig so most people tend to mount them on a slide so that they can be pulled out like a drawer. This is great for ease of access but doesn’t solve the problem that not all family members are tall enough to see inside the fridge.
The Clearview Easy Slide does this neat magic trick whereby with the pull of a handle, the fridge drops down over the side of your vehicle and it’s now at a usable height for everyone.
Basically, it’s a marriage saver…or so my husband says.
Yes, fridges are heavy. But this is actually what makes the Clearview fridge slide easy to use because it’s designed so that the weight of the fridge does all the work for you. Even better, gas struts push the fridge back up in place when it’s time to pack it away. In fact, it’s so easy to use that you can do it one-handed. Just to prove a point, you can watch me do it in the short below while I’m knocking back a cold beverage.
In case you’re wondering, it’s ginger beer.
All you do is unlock the travel lock mechanism by pushing it to the right and pull the drawer out to its full extension just like a regular, less awesome, fridge slide. Next is where the magic happens. Grab the red handle and pull in the yellow tab as you push down slightly. The weight of the fridge on the Clearview Slide ensures you don’t need much muscle. Keep pushing the red handle till it’s the height you need and wohooo, you can now see inside your fridge.
To put the fridge away, simply pull the yellow lock again and push down slightly on the red handle. This releases the fridge from its down position and the gas struts push it back up. Now you can simply push the slide back where it belongs like closing a big drawer.
The fridge lowers up to 290mm but if you are not particularly vertically challenged, or would like to hide some treats from the kids, there are three different platform heights you can ‘stop at’ before reaching the full drop.
For those of you with short attention spans for reading, here’s a short video on how to use it.
The Clearview Easy Slide comes in three different sizes and suits most 12-volt fridges. I’m using the 40 Litre 60th Anniversary Engel and it fits perfectly on the ES-100 slide with a tray size of 390mm x 738mm. If you’re not sure what size slide you need, Clearview has this handy guide on its website about halfway down this page. All you do is select your fridge from the dropdown box.
Most campers will mount their Clearview fridge slide either in the canopy or in the back of their vehicle. Don’t worry if you have a modern 4WD with a kind of curvy back end as the back runners actually overextend 120mm past the base so it’s no problem if it’s impossible to mount it flush against the tailgate.
Also, don’t worry about overloading it. It boasts a massive 180kg load rating!
In general, the Clearview Easy Fridge Slide is a great, quality product that really does solve a common problem and solve it well. It’s one of those things that you put off buying because they’re a bit on the pricey side. However, it’s also one of those items that as soon as you get it, you realise that it was absolutely worth every cent and you now can’t live without it.
Pssst. I haven’t tried this Clip Out Tray yet that you can get as an extra for your slide but it looks pretty handy for making sandwiches when you pull up trackside. It holds up to 15 kilograms so it’s more than sturdy enough to handle all your bits and pieces while you make lunch or dinner.
This would be perfect for me (not even 5ft tall). However, it wouldn’t work with a D-Max for instance, as there is the back of the tray in the way. Any more good suggestions?