Portable Air Conditioner, 1,500 BTU Tent A/C Unit with Fan Modes for Outdoors Truck Van Camping, Windowless and Dual Hoses, Small and Lightweight

Edited 10-28-2014 The price dropped from the originan $540 at which I first purchased (and returned) it, down to $400 - so I decided to give it another go for the rest of the camping season. I don't know if the original unit had a clogged drain, but the condensation problem was MUCH less pronounced the 2nd time around. That, combined with the price drop, moved my review from 3 stars to 5 stars. It does EXACTLY what I needed it to do while using minimal power. It is now a permanent part of my car-camping kit. Original Review Below: I had high hopes for this unit. The price was right and the specs looked comparable to much more expensive units. I also REALLY liked the fact that it isolated the cooling side from the compressor, allowing you to have intake & output hoses for the compressor side that can be put outside the tent, and a dedicated outlet from the cooling side inside the tent. That is a MUCH more efficient way to cool than using the tent air to cool the compressor side and vent to the outside, requiring inflow from the outside to inside. I used it in both a 10 x 10 x 8 tent and to cool the cabin of the attached Prius for sleeping. I tested it while camping in the Poconos - 95+ f days and constant 70%+ humidity. In the tent, it didn't make much of a dent in cooling the ambient air. However, it was still enough to keep me cool if I pointed the output tube directly at my body. (I hung it from a rachet connected to the top of the tent so I could easily adjust the direction.) - Yeah the tent was only cooled maybe 5 degrees down from the ambient, but with the flow directed straight at me I felt comfortable enough to nap, read and chill. In the Prius at night, it kept the cabin cool and dry(er). so I count that as a win. All in all, not ARCTIC cooling, but it did what I expected. Now... the con --- and it's a big one: It is TERRIBLE at draining condensation. There is a dedicated condensation outlet with a spigot and attachable hose, but I got MINIMAL output through that outlet. Most of the condensation just leaked from all the vents at the bottom of the unit and absolutely SOAKED anything on which it was resting. Yes... I made sure the unit was level. I even cheated and propped it up so that the unit was angled back towards the outlet -- no good. I ended up sacrificing one of my tote lids to create a drainage basin with a little hole cut into it so that it would train into a 2.5 gallon bucket. Even then, I'd have to tilt and shake the unit every few hours to make sure there wasn't enough water buildup in the case to hinder operation. For me, that's a deal-breaker since I intended to use it while car living. I ended up returning the unit. However, I purchased it when it was still $540. At $400, it MIGHT be a nice piece of gear to have for special occasions. If they drop the price to $350, I'll get another one, and hopefully it will be a slightly improved model so I can do a full review.

We bought this unit to cool down our converted truck bed camper and we cannot get this to blow colder than 75°-80°. Unfortunately we bought this three months ago and the are just now getting to try it out in hotter weather and are just now seeing that it does not blow cold air, which is past the 30 period to return it or we would be returning it! At best this thing only cools 7 degrees below ambient temperature at the register. DO NOT BUY!

Very compact and portable, it does blow out very cold air, it won’t cool a big room but in the event of a power outage it’s better than nothing, I will be using this for a tent. Power draw is very little, so it will work great with a portable power bank like a Jackery. The only drawback is having to keep it tilted so water can come out of the evaporator, but that’s minor and no big deal. I would recommend this unit!

So far I am very impressed with this mini AC unit. I have not had any real hot weather yet to test it in though. I have it set up in my house with the hoses going out a template I temporarily installed in a window. I have been monitoring the wattage when using it with the included ac power supply. The wattage has been around 120-130 watts, and the air comes out 62 degrees. The room temperature was around the mid 70's. I love the inverter compressor design as I can hear it very quietly speed up, and slow down as needed. I plan to use this for off grid camping so I tested it directly connected to my batteries for the greatest efficiency as battery life will be important. I connected two 12 volt batteries in series for 24 volts, and connected it to the unit with a cable I made using an XT-60 connector on one end and a female GX16 on the end that plugs into the unit. I ran and tested the unit for 3 hours that day, and it worked perfectly. The voltage was slightly higher with the freshly charged batteries, and I measured 58 degrees coming out. I love having the option of connecting the included port, and hose for the air coming out. Even in the large space I was testing the unit I found it to be great for zone cooling as I directed the air towards my desk where I was sitting around ten feet away and it was very comfortable...

Works as expected. The other Reviewers gave me good insight into what I was buying. I use it when I sleep in the car when I pull into a camping area late, or am only staying one night and it is or will rain and I do not want to pack up wet gear in the morning. The setup is good with the ability to pull outside air in and exhaust the hot air from the compressor through the side window of the car with the provided fittings-tubing and some foam. I run it for 45 minutes to and hour before I climb in and it has the car cooled and dehumidified. I do make sure I do not let the car heat up in the sun before starting up the 1,500 BTU unit. If it is 85 to 90F outside, it will reduce the inside temper down to 6 to 8 degrees and with the lower humidity and the air movement, that makes it comfortable enough to get to sleep. Usually after dark the air will be down to my typical 75F set point and the unit will start cycling with an approximately 60% duty cycle.