Camping is a wonderful experience, usually. But during the hottest of summer heat, Mother Nature can make midday seem unbearable. That’s when tent air conditioners offer campers a bit of relief.
Portable air conditioners come in various sizes and outputs. Their prices will vary from a few dollars for a handheld fan to 50-100 for 12-volt units to even larger 110-volt units that cost hundreds of dollars.
The KoolerAir 12 Volt Portable Camping Air Conditioner runs with ice and a 12-volt power pack making it one of the more affordable tent air conditioners. You just fill your 25 quart cooler with ice and place the Kooleraire unit on top. Then plug in the 12V car adapter, and you’ll enjoy cool, refreshing air. It uses a fan to draw in hot air, and then circulates ice cold air. Looking at the Amazon reviews, some people love it. But other's say it's not so great. Decide for yourself if it will work for you.
If you're after something a bit more automated, have a look at Camping World, there's a unit called the Rechargeable Personal Air Cooler & Mister at CampingWorld.com right now that is worth taking a look at. This one uses a fan and a mister and is powered by 12-volt or D batteries. It's compact and portable and even comes with a AC adapter. You don't even have to have ice, necessarily. You can use it with or without ice, as it can be used running the fan only. It's about $70 and has two reviews, one good and one bad. So, you'll have to decide if that's something you want to try. I'm intend to give it a whirl, and when I do I'll post my review here. :P
If you are not planning on roughing it, and you'll be at a developed campsite that's equipped with electricity, a larger portable air conditioner may be for you.
For small tent spaces, air conditioners don’t need to be large – just
enough to cool your tent during the day if you’re unable to find a shady spot to
make camp. You’ll also find that some of the best deals can be found at the end
of the camping season (late fall and winter). Many companies do model clearances
around this time to make room for new portable air conditioners arriving in the spring.
In addition to the actual units themselves, a buyer of a portable air conditioner should also consider the accessories that go along with the unit. These are usually sold separately. Filters or even heat strips can be purchased in addition to the RV and tent air conditioners themselves.
Watch out for the warranty, if any. Some product warranties cover 100% parts and labor. You’ll have no extra out of pocket expense if something should go wrong. One portable air conditioner might cost you a few extra dollars but it may also include a warranty. That option might be the more economical value. This is something to consider as you make your purchase.
Campers don’t have to sweat through the hot summer days. Instead, relax in relative coolness with tent air conditioners and enjoy the great outdoors despite the scorching heat of summertime.
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