Camping can be great fun. Getting out into nature, forgetting about regular life for a while, leaving the world behind…. For many reasons, camping can be a great way to relieve stress, unwind, and regroup.
Some aspects of it can be objectively unpleasant, though. Extremely hot temperatures, for example, can easily ruin what would otherwise be a nice vacation. So it can pay to come prepared and compromise a bit on the wholesale “back to nature” thing.
What does this mean in reality? Portable air conditioners, for one thing. You can mess around with battery-operated fans all you like, but we all know they don’t do the job if it is 100 degrees out. The right portable air conditioner can be just what you need to have the perfect camping trip. Let yourself get hot and sweaty while you’re out hiking, but be sure you’ve got a way to relieve yourself afterwards.
Features of a portable air conditioner for camping
Let’s take a closer look at some of the features you should be looking for in a portable air conditioner for camping. Depending on your priorities, you may require some of these features more than others. Nonetheless, if you are in the market for a new unit, they are all features that you should be aware of.
Portability
One of the main points of going camping is that you should be minimizing the amount of stuff that you need. When you go out into nature, everything that you take with you will either go on your back, or will be dragged alongside you when you leave the car behind.
So you certainly don’t want to buy some big clunker of a portable AC for camping because it will end up being more trouble than it is worth. Look for a personal air cooler that has caster wheels on it so that at least it can be rolled along as you head towards your camping spot.
Some types of air conditioner for tent will have lightweight wheels, and others will have more sturdy ones. Bigger units will generally have stronger wheels. This won’t change the fact that you might have to walk on some rough ground, but the precise camping spot that you pick out is up to you.
If you have an RV or a trailer that you’ll be driving out in, you can get a portable air conditioner for camping that you can mount to the back of your vehicle. Some units will also come with dollies.
Timing features for best camping air conditioner
You certainly don’t want to leave your portable tent air conditioner running all day long. This would be a waste of energy, and it would be unnecessarily harmful to the environment. The best portable tent air conditioners are ones that have programmable timing.
If you know that you will be out doing activities for a certain amount of time and will want to retreat back to your cool tent at a certain hour, there are units that will allow you to begin cooling your tent early enough so that it will be nice and cool by the time you get there.
Thermostats vary from type to type among AC for camping units. Some of them will have a graduated knob that allows you to control the temperature manually. Others will offer digital displays. In some cases, you will be able to control the temperature remotely, perhaps even through an app on your phone. If the weather suddenly starts to change, for example, and you want to make your tent cooler or less cool than you’d originally planned, you will easily be able to do this through the app.
Apps can also be handy as some of them have special features that update you about the condition of your AC for tents. If there is a mechanical problem, for example, the app will alert you.
Filtering capabilities for AC for camping units
Portable AC for camping units all have different degrees of filtering capabilities. Filtering the air is, of course, a fundamental part of the way air conditioners function. Without this feature, they are simply fans.
Being out in the middle of nature, you are surely exposing yourself to certain elements that you wouldn’t normally be exposed to if you were back in the city. For this reason, there are specific models of air conditioner for tents that are particularly good at filtering certain kinds of things. For people who have allergies, for example, some units will filter out pollen particularly well. Others will be good at reducing dust or particles in the air.
If you have particular health concerns, keep your eyes open for models that will target the issues that you have. You are likely not alone, and there may well be several good options available that will address the issues you have.
AC for camping units and condensation management
We’ve all seen shoddy air conditioners that simply drip condensation onto the floor around them all day. Of course, one of the benefits of having an AC unit – whether in your home, your tent, or anywhere else – is that it will help keep your indoor space nice and try.
In collecting condensation from the air, the water needs to have a place to go. Otherwise you will need to drain it from the unit. Some portable tent air conditioners have what is called a gravity drain, which is a hose that carries the water out and drains it onto the ground. Other units have pumps that serve the same function.
There are a few units that are called “self-evaporating” and include a hose that is filled with hot air. With these units, water evaporates more or less right away because the heat causes it to do so.
Noise control for AC for camping units
One of people’s biggest complaints about air conditioners – particularly low-quality or old ones – is how loud they are. And portable ACs can be especially loud. This is obviously not what you want when you get out into the wilderness to find peace with yourself.
So making note of the noise level of the portable AC for tent that you want is advisable. The best portable AC for camping will be relatively quiet and still allow you to hear the sounds of nature as you relax in your tent. Air conditioners should have a precise decibel unit written on them, for one thing. If you can find one in the 20dB range, that is ideal. By the time you get towards 100dB, you’re looking at a really loud machine.
Another option for noise control that some air conditioners possess is water-cooled units that can be placed at a distance from your tent and have the air pumped in through a hose.
Regardless of whether or not you have a strong grasp of decibels and what they imply, it would definitely be a good idea to test out any potential purchase before you buy it and listen to what it sounds like. And remember, there will be fewer background noises out in nature than there will be in the store.
Green options for portable AC for camping units
Finally, if you’re looking for a sustainable option (and if you’re interested in getting back to nature, you should be), you should also look for units that conserve energy.
If you look for an air conditioner that has a “dehumidify only” option, this will help to conserve energy a great deal. As mentioned above, humidity is a big part of the heat problem, so eliminating this factor will help you feel significantly cooler. Reducing humidity levels can also help with allergies, and prevent the growth of mold.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a portable AC for camping, there are some great options out there these days. There is certainly a great deal of demand for them among consumers, and therefore air conditioning companies have been developing more and more convenient, efficient, and easily portable options in recent years. Depending on your personal priorities, look for the features mentioned in this article, and you should end up with a great choice. Obviously price will be a consideration, as well, but if you are able to prioritize your preferred features adequately, you should be able to find an air conditioner that is within the right price range for you.
