I wanted the panel to be very lightweight, because the hinge that supports it is attached to the thin inside sheetmetal and it is cantilevered out. I made it out of fiberglass over foam, much like a surfboard. I glued foam sheets together with balsa reinforcement in the faucet and hinge area, then glassed it. I bought a quarter turn latch from McMaster which engages a small stop of aluminum angle on the right hand side. If I were to do it over I would make a male mold, because it was really difficult to get the corners right. I also did not take into account that the drip pan has a sharp corner so I had to build up ridges on the shelf to hold it up a bit, very labor intensive. But overall, I really like the finished product.
I am sure that if I had an all-day party with lots of people that I might have trouble keeping it cold, but so far has not been a problem. I did just that once, outdoors in the sun, and had no problem but it wasn't the only source of beer.