Tent fans are a cheap and widely used alternative to keep you cool when camping on a hot summer day. Because they’re lightweight and battery operated (often rechargeable ones),  there’s no need to worry about power sources or buying expensive generators. They are not as powerful as a tent AC, but they do have some other features that make them very useful to bring on a camping trip. You can also check out some solar powered devices, in case you’re not happy with the battery life those I’m going to mention in this article.

 

The five camping fans that we are going to check today are:

• Image – tent ceiling fan with lantern
• Comlife – the largest battery operated fan
• Coleman Cool Zephyr Fan
• Anglink Clip-On Fan
• Coleman CPX6 Tent Fan

The research

Before we dive in and check some detailed reviews, it will be a good idea to know what you should expect from a fan, how much you should pay and what are some of the essential features.

Key features of a fan that can operate inside a tent

The first and most important thing is the operation time. Most small ventilators that run on batteries will only have enough “juice” to operate for a couple of hours or maybe more for the ones with more than 4000mA lithium batteries. You need to consider this if you don’t have access to any power source. You need to find a solar charger to extend their runtime.

Secondly, you need to figure out the best way to fit the fan. A convenient solution will be a ceiling mount fan, this way you will achieve a better air circulation and reduce the risk of accidentally hitting it.

Last but not least, you should decide on the size of the blower – not that you have many options when it comes to this. The largest battery operated fan that I was able to find was 11 inches in diameter.

Can a fan cool a tent?

I hear this question very often, and many times people get this wrong. Electric fans were not invented to cool rooms, tents or any kind of closed spaces; they are not able to do this. Their only purpose is to create a wind chill effect.

Think about it, all the electricity that powers the air blower will turn into heat at some point, thus, making the device itself radiate heat. But then how do you feel cooler when the fan blows air towards you? The answer is straightforward, and it has to do with how fast you can evaporate the sweat. If the air circulates at high speeds (like the wind blowing), the sweat produced by our bodies (sweat is the way we eliminate heat) will evaporate quickly, thus giving you the nice chill effect.

How much should I pay for one?

Now that you know what their real purpose is, I’m sure you are thinking of spending a bit less than initially planned. A good deal, for a 10 inches fan, would be to pay no more than 25 dollars. Sadly, there very few fans that are bigger than 10 inches and are battery operated. Unfortunately, if you search for one on either Amazon or Walmart, you won’t find a price difference between a 4 inches fan and 8 inches one. The prices are around 20 dollars, no matter what size they are.

Safety features

You might think that one small fan can’t hurt you but experts advise to take extra care with them. A plastic blade spinning at around 1000 RPM (Revolutions per Minute) can do some severe damage to your fingers if you’re not handling it carefully.

Always make sure the device has a safeguard no matter how small it is. If it doesn’t have one, check the products details to see if the blades are made from a soft foam that can’t cause injuries.

Bigger tent fans will usually run on a lithium-ion battery. If so, make sure the device is waterproof, and if it’s not, keep it away from any water (rain, condensation, etc.). Lithium will ignite if it gets in contact with water or even air sometimes.