Camp AC

Basecamp Overland

Basecamp Overland

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Off-Road Ranger I

4,484
Pearland, TX, USA
First Name
Matt
Last Name
Specht
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31843

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WRWK279
I know several people will probably scoff at AC for a RTT; however, we do a lot of camping in Texas and during the summer. We currently use a Tripp-Lite AC unit and it works great, but it is big and is a pain. I was curious if anyone uses something like the Zero Breeze (does it really work?) or other units outside of a window unit. Always looking for ideas to improve our setup.

www.zerobreeze.com

portable ac for camping

ZERO BREEZE Air Conditioner can work with power supplied through a standard adapter. It can be used as a home air conditioner, also it can work as a car air conditioner, a Tent air conditioner through connecting with a power source or portable power source with 24V, 10A power supplied.
www.zerobreeze.com www.zerobreeze.com
 
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Those look pretty fancy. I know people that travel with dogs that seem to have more temperature constraints than just humans do. I know I have seen a few pet owners with those.

I have always gotten along pretty well with fans. I love the Claymore Fan, battery powered, runs for a very long time. When it is really hot weather I like to make sure I have plenty of time so I can do tasks around camp at a leisurely pace, keep my temp down, use my 270 awning, take breaks. When I sleep I pretty much always want a fan on me. a zerobreeze is probably amazing but it is pretty large/expensive. I guess it is along the same lines as the diesel heaters, you either have to have the right sleeping gear for cold or use heat all the air.
 
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Basecamp Overland said:
I know several people will probably scoff at AC for a RTT; however, we do a lot of camping in Texas and during the summer. We currently use a Tripp-Lite AC unit and it works great, but it is big and is a pain. I was curious if anyone uses something like the Zero Breeze (does it really work?) or other units outside of a window unit. Always looking for ideas to improve our setup.

www.zerobreeze.com

portable ac for camping

ZERO BREEZE Air Conditioner can work with power supplied through a standard adapter. It can be used as a home air conditioner, also it can work as a car air conditioner, a Tent air conditioner through connecting with a power source or portable power source with 24V, 10A power supplied.
www.zerobreeze.com www.zerobreeze.com
Click to expand...
Found this:
Not that Good
More of a spot cooler than anything else. If there is even a slight breeze the unit will be overwhelmed. The air flow is not very strong. I find it's best used in a small enclosed area with the tube pointed right at you.




>>MARK2 replied:
Thanks for reaching out!
You are right, The Mark 2 is a 2300 btu personal air condition that can cool down a single target in the open outdoors, as well as the bedroom area of an RV or truck at night for a comfortable sleep.
(Due to the portable and low power characteristics of MARK 2, it is not recommended to be used in-room air conditioning, or to replace car air conditioning during the day)
When we cool down a given size space, the cooling effect is closely related to the number of people inside, the insulation condition, the sun exposure, and the climate. Based on our test, its ideal cooling space is 25~40 sq ft. At the same time, the ambient temperature is 100F/38C. Humidity is about 50%, no direct sunlight, good insulation condition, and the temperature can be reduced by 9-22F/5- 10C.
It has different modes that you can switch on, and the rocket mode is the strongest.
We have several blog aricles about how to keep cool on our official website, please feel free to check them out. Knowledge
Have a great day,


Seems it would be ok for a RTT I think.....

Jim
 
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That is great info, thanks! I just struggle to pull the trigger on something that expensive that is just not a guarantee.

This company used to make something that would be a great solution, but it says sold-out indefinitely. I wish another company would come out with something like this.

climateright.com

ClimateRight CR5000ACH 5,000 BTU Compact Portable Outdoor Air Conditioner and Heater [Out of Stock Indefinitely]

Overview: 5,000 BTU; 115V Covers up to 1,200 cubic feet Provides heating, cooling, fan, and dehumidifier Features both auto and sleep modes, auto on/off timers, and 3 fan speeds All functions performed using a remote control Quick-connect, 2-air-hose system for easy through-wall installation...
climateright.com climateright.com
 
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Following..... please post your results as the season goes on. Living in the SW, heat is certainly a factor when going out to explore.
 
Bump any updates on this? I'm going back and forth between the EcoFlow Wave 2 and the ZeroBreeze.
 
Bump for updates.. My ole Jeep doesn't have AC at all. I'm pondering getting a portable AC for Summer camping & also for in the jeep on the hottest days.
I have plenty of room for one & am trying to decide on different things before I pull the trigger.
I was going to just get an aftermarket ac unit but I want to use the compressor mount for OBA
 
ok, this is a topic I've spent a lot of time messing with. living in south Louisiana is brutal and with temps near 100 in the summer coupled with 100% humidity...ac units are a big deal...

I recently had to add some cooling to a strip mall I have and so I went with a mini-split and did the install myself. I learned a good bit and saw that the mini-split units take AC and invert it to DC. by using DC instead of AC, the compressor can operate at variable speeds staying slow and ramping up as needed versus the compressor being either off and then immediately started up under load requiring a huge spike of current and the aid of a starting capacitor when using AC. then I also saw that smaller window units are also being made with DC compressors now. thinking about air conditioning units operating off of DC immediately made me think of being able to use them camping/off grid. I was looking at ways to modify one for use in my camp trailer and then I noticed that a couple companies have just designed air conditioning units for RVs that run off DC. there is a rooftop model and a mini-split version where the air handler and evaporator coils are inside and the condenser unit is outside, eliminating the need to duct the hot air outside like portable ac units require.

DC units will pull some amps to make up for the lower voltage, BUT 24v units are available and can be used off batteries.
here is one brand that seems to be pretty good. there are others online and I'm sure there are even cheaper versions on Temu and such sites. its just really cool that there are DC powered air conditioners out there that are legit and work very well. you would need a large battery bank to run one of these a long time, but you can run an inverter and still use these units with campground shore power or a generator and save the battery

velitcamping.com

Velit 2000R - 12V/24V/48V Rooftop Air Conditioner

Download User Manual This super-efficient DC-powered rooftop air conditioner is designed from the ground up to maximize the comfort of your outdoor adventure. With the DC-powered twin-cylinder rotor compressor, Velit 2000R draws as low as 20A (at 12V) and is able to deliver fresh cool air to you...
velitcamping.com velitcamping.com
 
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Cypress said:

I resemble that remark. I've been self-employed for over 20 years. I still talk to myself.
Click to expand...

But the trick is completing the round table discussion and answer yourself?

And without further ado, back to the Camp A/C topic!!
 

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Basecamp Overland said:
I know several people will probably scoff at AC for a RTT; however, we do a lot of camping in Texas and during the summer. We currently use a Tripp-Lite AC unit and it works great, but it is big and is a pain. I was curious if anyone uses something like the Zero Breeze (does it really work?) or other units outside of a window unit. Always looking for ideas to improve our setup.

www.zerobreeze.com

portable ac for camping

ZERO BREEZE Air Conditioner can work with power supplied through a standard adapter. It can be used as a home air conditioner, also it can work as a car air conditioner, a Tent air conditioner through connecting with a power source or portable power source with 24V, 10A power supplied.
www.zerobreeze.com www.zerobreeze.com
Click to expand...

I have the Zero Breeze Mark 2 and my official review is: mehhh.

What I do like is this: it does work more or less. I live in FL where humidity is a huge factor, but I’ve never been able to get my vehicle down below about 75 on our summer nights. I’ve been sleeping in the back of my rover. I built a template of my rear window and would leave the battery bank and ZB covered on the exterior of the vehicle.

Fun fact, I tested how much water came off the unit each night and it was over 2 gallons.

The setup is very annoying and it is power starving. I use the elechive 2300 from ZB. I can run it for 2 nights maximum (with travel each day) and I am unable to charge the Elechive back up. I now have an inverter, but haven’t tried it to charge yet, so that could be the difference maker. However, the battery bank is like a massive car battery, then there is all the ducting for the ZB. It’s all unwieldy and takes up huge a,pints of space. I’ve found myself leaving it home even on hot camping nights and just using a fan, though that’s not exactly comfortable.

With all that being said, I’ve yet to find a better solution I’ve heard that the Marc 3 is better than the Mark 2, but I believe it is even less efficient. It has much better duct placements so that you can recirculate your cool air into the unit and if you needed it, you can use it as a heater. Whether it is better than the Marc 2 from a use and efficiency standpoint, I cannot comment. 

I’ve wanted to try the Eco flow because it does look like a better and more compact system, but I’ve never spoken to anybody who’s ever tried it and I’m not willing to spend the money just for fun.
 
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grubworm said:
ok, this is a topic I've spent a lot of time messing with. living in south Louisiana is brutal and with temps near 100 in the summer coupled with 100% humidity...ac units are a big deal...

I recently had to add some cooling to a strip mall I have and so I went with a mini-split and did the install myself. I learned a good bit and saw that the mini-split units take AC and invert it to DC. by using DC instead of AC, the compressor can operate at variable speeds staying slow and ramping up as needed versus the compressor being either off and then immediately started up under load requiring a huge spike of current and the aid of a starting capacitor when using AC. then I also saw that smaller window units are also being made with DC compressors now. thinking about air conditioning units operating off of DC immediately made me think of being able to use them camping/off grid. I was looking at ways to modify one for use in my camp trailer and then I noticed that a couple companies have just designed air conditioning units for RVs that run off DC. there is a rooftop model and a mini-split version where the air handler and evaporator coils are inside and the condenser unit is outside, eliminating the need to duct the hot air outside like portable ac units require.

DC units will pull some amps to make up for the lower voltage, BUT 24v units are available and can be used off batteries.
here is one brand that seems to be pretty good. there are others online and I'm sure there are even cheaper versions on Temu and such sites. its just really cool that there are DC powered air conditioners out there that are legit and work very well. you would need a large battery bank to run one of these a long time, but you can run an inverter and still use these units with campground shore power or a generator and save the battery

velitcamping.com

Velit 2000R - 12V/24V/48V Rooftop Air Conditioner

Download User Manual This super-efficient DC-powered rooftop air conditioner is designed from the ground up to maximize the comfort of your outdoor adventure. With the DC-powered twin-cylinder rotor compressor, Velit 2000R draws as low as 20A (at 12V) and is able to deliver fresh cool air to you...
velitcamping.com velitcamping.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for the boots on the hot muggy ground insight!
I'm not sure I'd survive the purist cj8 crowd if I put one of those on the roof of my Scrambler LOL! Your info about DC exchange is interesting, in our favor for a change.
I have a dual battery setup under the hood & a big sealed agm battery in the bed. It has a fuse box with all accessories going through it.
80% of the year I won't need AC & won't bring it. But I want to be able to get out in the woods in that 20% of the year too.
*Stay tuned* This will evolve as Spring inches closer. Thought; I have an AC compressor so no need/urgency for OBA.
I think I'll use this Summer to decide if I want in cab AC with near-OEM parts (I have the under dash evaporator/blower & various other Jeep oem AC parts)
I'll be experimenting with overnight draw with inverter & battery setup this year. That way I can change focus to getting a winch, now. Coming along..
 
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