Technically you should have a fuse near the battery that will blow before the wire burns up.  That said, my GM's factory 12 gauge line has a 40 amp fuse on the end.  I don't know how they justify that.

In other words, if you run 6 gauge in the TV, but the TT has 10 gauge, does it do any good?

On a semi-related note: if the fridge and battery charging are drawing more amperage than the 10 gauge can provide, do you run the risk of overheating the wire?

On a semi-semi-related note: my TV has solid-core 10 gauge copper to the 7-pin, I understand this can carry higher amperage (and heat) than stranded and may be comparable to 8 gauge stranded copper (or stranded copper-coated aluminum)

Thanks

My (five year old) r-pod is kept in a storage lot without power, so I don't have the luxury of being able to precool the fridge before heading out.  I'll just bring a fridge and freezer full of cold/frozen food to the trailer, load it up, turn on the propane and head out.  With a fridge full of food, it cools down very quickly  (much more quickly than when empty).  So quickly, in fact, that ice cream (or even runnier frozen yogurt) doesn't have a chance to soften up.

 

If your fridge is still under warranty, get it fixed.  It should cool down within hours (assuming you don't put warm drinks in it) and have no problems keeping things cool.  If you aren't within warranty, things could get very expensive.  I'm having problems only with the gas mode on mine, and the dealer said the 8501 model used in the pods is an import - and parts are only imported.  He thinks my gas valve is bad and instead of costing $69, it will cost over $400.  I can buy a new domestically-sourced fridge for $600!  Or one of these Indel portable fridges for less.

 

Driving while using the propane mode is perfectly safe.  You are correct you'll have problems using the DC mode unless the wiring feeding your 7-pin Bargeman is large enough.  I finally checked out the factory wiring on my Chevy and it is 12 gauge, which is too small.  I just added a 10 gauge which effectively gives me 8 gauge (using the 12 and 10 in parallel).  If this is a job you can't do, any local mechanic should be able to do it in a half hour.

 

The portable fridges like the ARB and Indel should last 24 hours or more on a deep cycle battery, closer to 55 hours with two batteries in parallel.  So if you can recharge from utility power, a generator, or from your TV in that time frame a solar system may not be necessary.  A 2nd battery is a lot cheaper too.

At this point I'm torn on several points.  Save hundreds on the Indel and potentially have a higher amperage draw, or spend the money on the ARB (or equivalent).  I'd love the National Luna but no way I'm spending $1500 when the Indel is $500 and the ARB is a few hundred more.  I don't like how the Indel has a permanent divider in the middle of the interior but I'd live with it.

The response I got from truckfridges was basically, "ours are made for big rigs where amperage isn't an issue so we don't really advertise that".  However, someone here sent me a link to docs which indicated an average of .45 amps.  I thank that is optimistically low when compared to the ARB average.

Its a tough call, save a few hundred and maybe get hit with a higher amperage draw, or go with the proven product from ARB but pay for it.

I'm a convert.  We head out for a couple of weeks starting next week.  Propane it is.