Everyone loves to go camping outdoors. It's a great way to reconnect with nature and explore everything it has to offer, but it can get uncomfortable, especially in the summertime. The humid air around this time of the year can make being outside unbearable, but hot air can be easily solved with a tent air conditioner!
While true air conditioners are typically installed in our homes, an air conditioner for camping is great to make the air cooler inside your tent space. When even the nights can get a bit stifling, the cool air of tent air conditioning can help make your camping experience much more enjoyable.
Here's a list of recommendations for AC for tents, as well as a few things to keep in mind, for your next camping trip.
Things to Consider
Tent Size
It's important to consider the size of your camping tent to determine what camping air conditioner you should get. Camping tents come in many different shapes and sizes, and the space available will determine the specifications of your tent air conditioner.
The size of your tent will also affect the air circulation of the cold air, as well as what it will take to keep your tent cool.
Cooling Power
Another thing to think about is the cooling power of your camping air conditioner. Measured in British Thermal Unit (BTU), the cooling power will indicate how quickly and efficiently your tent air conditioner will be able to cool your tent, and the amount of BTU you'll need will entirely depend on the size of your tent.
Small tents will naturally need a lower cooling power of around 5,000 BTU, while bigger tents will need a higher one. Be careful that you don't get a tent AC unit with too high of a cooling power for your tent as this will place stress on the unit and make your tent far too cold.
Power Source Availability
As you will be outdoors, you will need a power source to operate your tent air conditioner, so make sure that you have a significant power supply that you can connect your camping air conditioner to.
While most tent air conditioners like portable air conditioners and window air conditioners are powered by electricity, there are some battery powered AC units available that you may look into as an alternative just in case.
Looking for tiny house aircons? Click here.
List of AC for Tents Recommendations
Honeywell Contempo Series Portable Camping Air Conditioner (10,000 BTU)
This portable air conditioner is great for camping because it has no connecting parts and has a powerful cooling capacity that can keep a medium-sized 4-8 person tent cool. It also functions as a dehumidifier and a fan with three fan speeds and comes with a programmable timer and a remote control.
Being a portable AC unit also means that it doesn't take up a lot of space in your tent. It also has an auto-drain function that does the ducting and condensation draining for you, as well as power-saving mode to help keep you comfortable for much longer. The quiet operation also means that you'll be able to sleep soundly at night while enjoying the cool air.
Haier Dual-Hose Portable Air Conditioner (14,000 BTU)
This portable air conditioner not only has an impressive cooling capacity of 14,000 BTU, but it also has a 10,000 BTU capacity heater, making it great for any larger tent. However, the higher cooling capacity also means that this unit is a bit bigger and heavier and will require a bit more tent space, especially for its exhaust hose extensions.
TaoTronics Window Air Conditioner (10,200 BTU)
Window air conditioners work great because they can easily be brought into any tent without taking too much space. And apart from an AC unit with a great cooling capacity for a compact size, this tent air conditioner also works as a fan and a dehumidifier, which is great if you're staying at a high humidity area.
This is also a good air conditioner because it also comes with a sleep mode that reduces noise levels without sacrificing the cooling effect.
Fridgaire Window Mounted Room Air Conditioner (6,000 BTU)
The 6,000 BTU cooling capacity, along with the small size, makes this window air conditioner great for a small 2-3 person tent. It also lets you control the air direction with the 6 way comfort control for your comfort.
This window unit is also a dehumidifier and a multi-speed fan, while also being Energy Star certified for its energy efficiency. This AC unit also comes with a remote control that makes changing settings much more convenient, as well as a programmable timer to let you decide when you want the cool air to flow. It's also equipped with an easy-to-clean washable filter.
Ontel Arctic Ultra Evaporative
Unlike a true air conditioner, personal evaporative coolers work by drawing hot air inside, cooling it with evaporative cooling, and releasing it. This evaporative air cooler is small but can cool down a 2 person tent and can even humidify and purify the air.
This personal cooler also comes with three fan speeds and is incredibly silent in its operation. It's also very energy efficient and comes with a night light.
Here’s a table to summarize the recommendations:
Keeping Your Tent Air Conditioner Cool
Camping air conditioners are great to keep warm air out, but like all air conditioners, they need to be regularly maintained. You may not know the first thing about air conditioner maintenance, but that's okay because Luce has you covered!
From installation and cleanings to checkups and repairs, we're more than happy to do all the work for you so that you don't have to. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the cooled air.
Send us a message and schedule your first appointment today!
