Tent Air Conditioners
They're Perfect for Hot Summer Days

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.

Cool Products

The KoolerAir 12 Volt Portable Tent 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.

There's a unit called the Personal Air Cooler & Mister at Camping World 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.

Amazon has the  SPT SF-608R Portable Evaporative Air Cooler. (You have to have a real power outlet for this one: 110 volt.) This fairly inexpensive unit costs between 80 and 120 dollars and works best in dry areas with low humidity. At the time of this writing it has about 97 customer reviews at Amazon.

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.

Remember the Accessories

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.

Warranty is Important

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.

No Sweat

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.

Discover the secrets of affordable family camping without breaking the bank...