Recommended tent fan

[turquoisekestrel]

Went for a quick look in the shops here, only to realize pretty much instantly that they were much too big to transport from Oz.

So the plan of course is to pick one up in Walmart in San Fran when we land, anyone have good/bad experiences with tent fans to share? It will be to (hopefully) cool a Evanston 6 person tents by Coleman.

[Grumpy Otter]

A better investment might be a tarp to go over the tent. If your tent is in direct sun there is not a fan on earth that is going to make you cool.

[turquoisekestrel]

Ok thanks for the advice!

Is laying a tarp directly on and over the tent effective or does it need to be propped up with space in between?

[AntiM]

A little air gap is desirable.

[Grumpy Otter]

If your Colman tent is like mine, the frame is on the outside and should provide the needed space for an air flow under a tarp.

[korierika4]

Picked up two battery operated fans at Ross for inside my tent. Not sure how much it will help, but I think I'm going to place them over a small bucket of ice during the day.

[DoctorIknow]

Maybe you could order online at WalMart, and pick it up at the Fernley, NV store, right on I-80 before the turn west for 447.
Check and see how long they keep pickup items.

Many choices, but I've used the 10" O2 fan for years . Uses 8 "D" batteries, adjusts to angles very well.

https://www.walmart.com/search/search-n ... ered%20fan

[Grumpy Otter]

Unfortunately, the ambient temperature last year was over 100 every day. The tarp helps you not go over that, but tents do not realistically cool down. I tried a bucket swamp cooler and it did not do anything. Most of us stayed in the shade, but not in our tents during the day.

[FIGJAM]

Then the cooler wasn't functioning properly. Should have easily put out 70 degree air.

[Grumpy Otter]

The cooler did its job, it just could not make an dent on the heat in the tent.

[AntiM]

Evap coolers working properly in a shaded vented tent should lower the temp around 20 degrees. Much more than that is unrealistic. We got down to the mid 70s in a small tent last year, but you have to stay ahead of the curve and not let the tent get hot in the morning. "Bursting the heat bubble" is difficult if everything in the tent gets hot and radiates the heat back at you. Also, bucket coolers are only good for modest tents, the big Colemans are heat beasts.

[Leo]

Back to the original topic, do any of you have recommendations for 12 volt tent fans? Found one Coleman 12 volt fan on the Cabelas website and a few on Amazon.
Thanks,
Leo

[FIGJAM]

O2 cool fans are 12 volt or 8 D cells.

[Canoe]

I didn't know this...

Do not use electric fans when the temperature outside is more than 95 degrees, as this could increase the risk of heat-related illness. Fans create air flow and a false sense of comfort, but do not reduce body temperature.
https://www.ready.gov/heat

[Popeye]

Fans cannot cool an area below the outside ambient temperature. In fact they actually add heat to a room. You may feel cooler as the air moves over your sweaty skin and evaporates the sweat but the room is not cooler.

[Token]

It’s a zero sum game with fans at any temperature.

They require some level of cognition to reach the desired effect.

Like standing in front of an open refrigerator... sure, it cools you down for a second but overall adds to the heat load of the room.

The key to keeping cool is phase change of liquid to vapor. We sweat naturally. We build swamp coolers, AC, refrigerators... all using phase change for the most part.

Spray bottles are awesome!

[lucky420]

Spray bottle, a cold drink and a spot in the shade. Just stay put, you’ll be fine

[Popeye]

Tent's, yurts, box truck any structure, no matter how well insulated, will gain heat above the outside ambient. The sun warms the skin of the structure which radiates this heat to the inside. A fan inside the tent will raise its' temperature. You need to get the heated air out. Most are afraid of the dust and seal their tent. If you can open a small vent in the roof and crack one of the doors so new air can get in and hot air out it will be much cooler.

Pro Tip: Most mornings there is a cool breeze traveling roughly from sunrise. If you have two doors on opposite ends of the tent and orient the tent towards sunrise and open both the bottom door zippers you can get an extra 1/2 to 1 hours sleep in the morning.

[Token]

A good comfy lounge chair, you find some shade, tuck in, then nap.

When the evil star moves, you get up, move the lounger to a new shady spot, then nap.

Repeat.