Best Tent Fan for Camping Reviews
1. OPolar Clip-On Rechargeable Fan
This clip-on fan from OPolar is an excellent addition to your car camping setup; it has decent cooling power, a big battery, and runs quietly.
Small fans designed for camping are often more trouble than they’re worth. Small fan blades won’t move a lot of air, so the 8-inch blades on the OPolar are a welcome surprise. You should have no trouble keeping the air flowing in a two-person tent with this fan.
One of the most important considerations when choosing a tent fan is the battery life, and thankfully, the OPolar has that in spades. At its highest speed, it’ll run for six hours – just long enough to get you through the night.
If you only need a light breeze though, the low setting gets twenty-four hours of run time. There’s also an energy-saving mode that’ll get twelve hours by cycling between the different settings on a thirty-second interval.
However, if the internal battery runs out of juice, it can be hooked up to a power bank via USB cable.
For the price, this fan is a bit light on features: it doesn’t oscillate, the grill doesn’t pop off for cleaning, and it lacks a mechanism for hanging. Most customers won’t see these as deal-breakers, but since it costs twice as much as the competition, it’s a little disappointing.
Overall, this is a great fan for campers that don’t want to bring a power bank on their adventures (though it can use one), need to cool down a moderately-sized tent and have a place to mount it via the clip.
2. Genesis 6-Speed Clip-On Table Top Fan
The Genesis 6-speed is a very inexpensive fan that could be useful under the right circumstances. It has neither a battery nor the ability to run off USB – you will need an AC socket. This isn’t a problem if you stay at developed RV parks with electrical sockets or have an inverter to power it off your vehicle’s battery, but it, unfortunately, will not work for more off-the-grid campers.
That being said, the Genesis has three six-inch blades that put out a moderately amount of airflow that can be tailored to your needs by adjusting the fan speed.
Don’t expect the higher speeds to be quiet enough to sleep next to though. The Genesis also comes with both a tabletop and clip mount, providing more options for its placement. The swivel and tilt fan head has a wide range of motion to get the air blowing on just the right spot.
Genesis has a very small price tag, making it a great buy for campers that aren’t sure if they need a fan at their site but are interested in adding some creature comforts to it – that is if they have access to AC power.
3. OPOLAR 5,000 mAh Clip-On Fan
This fan from OPolar is very similar to its 10,000 mAh cousin, but with a smaller battery and a couple of extra features. With a 5,000 mAh battery, it has half the capacity of the earlier mentioned OPolar.
As such, the fan speed options are a little different with four speeds, none of which are like the variable speed “energy saver mode” seen on the previous model. On low, this OPolar will run for about 35 hours and on high for just four and a half.
One way that it triumphs over the larger battery model is the mounting option. While the 10,000 mAh model could only be clipped to things, this one has an included hook that lets you hang it from the inside your tent – a very useful feature when camping in a hot climate and need wind blowing directly on you while you sleep.
If you’re not ready to pay the higher cost of the 10,000 mAh OPolar, this could be a great alternative. It’s a little more than half the cost, and the included hook is very useful for hanging it in the tent.
4. Honeywell HT-908 Turbo Force Fan
The Honeywell is a very basic looking tabletop fan, but where it really shines is when it comes to creating a breeze. Its twelve-inch diameter blades are some of the largest found on any camping fan, giving it better cooling power than most of its competitors.
Honeywell claims the breeze can be felt thirty-two feet away. It also has three speeds so you can choose just how cool you want to be.
Unfortunately, this fan has next to no mounting options; it comes with no clips, hooks, or any way to mount it besides on a tabletop. This could be a deal-breaker for campers that want more versatility in their camping fan. It does have a 90-degree pivoting head, so there is a modicum of control when directing airflow.
It’s also not really designed for camping, requiring an AC socket for power. If you’re camping in an area with power posts, this is fine, but you still might need an extension cord. For its size, this is one of the least expensive camping fans out there.
It doesn’t have a lot of features, but if you just need it to put out some wind, this is a great option.
5. O2Cool 10-Inch Portable Fan
This ten inch-wide fan from O2Cool might be one of the simplest and best tent fans on the market right now. It comes with several different options for power: one model uses an AC adaptor, another plug into a USB power bank, and a third runs on batteries. No matter what kind of camping you like to do, there’s an O2 fan setup to fit your situation.
With such large blades, the fan does a great job of keeping you cool on a hot summer day. This is especially true if you’ve got it cranked up to the higher setting.
The O2Cool looks something like a mini-box fan, with a thick bottom edge that serves as a base. It’s not the most stable setup, especially if there are no batteries inside to weigh the fan down. There’s also no room for adjustment with this kind of mounting setup; it’s hard to get this fan pointed in the right direction.
The O2Cool is priced low given its range of power options and relatively good cooling power; it might be the best tent fan at a budget price.
6. Hurricane 736520 Clip-On Fan
The Hurricane 736520 is a classic office fan; it clips onto the edge of a table using a wide-jawed clip (can fit six inches of material) and plugs into the wall. It doesn’t sound like the best fan for camping, that is until you feel the wind it can produce. With blades that are nearly a foot in diameter, it can really move some air when it needs to.
The only feature the Hurricane possesses beyond its mounting clip is an adjustable head that can be tilted through a 90-degree arc. It’s enough to position the fan, but not enough to permit any kind of unorthodox mounting position. It also has just two fan speeds, so there’s not much room for customization.
With only a clip for mounting and a cord for AC power, this is one of the less versatile tent fans out there (the cord is also just five feet long). However, if you’ve got the perfect spot to mount it and access to mains electricity, this is one of the best camping fans for cooling power.
7. Woozoo Compact Oscillating Fan
This oscillating fan from Woozoo is definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing fans for camping, with a space-age look and near-silent operation. Don’t like getting out of your chair? There’s an optional remote control you can use to power it up, change speed, or turn on the oscillation.
As far as cooling power goes, it’s fairly middle of the road, with eight inches blades that move a moderate amount of air. There are three fan speed settings, but only the highest will cool the 157 square feet of floor space that Woozoo claims it can.
The fan also cannot run off batteries or a power bank; only AC power. Make sure your campground setup supports this before purchasing. The cord length is over five feet long though, so it’s possible you won’t need an extension cord.
Options for mounting this fan are rather limited, essentially just on a tabletop. It comes with no hooks for hanging or brackets for attaching it to your tent. However, this is the only oscillating fan that’s made it to our list, so if you like to keep the air moving across a large area, this is the fan to get.
8. Odoland Portable Camping Lantern with Ceiling Fan
While the Odoland touts itself as a camping lantern first, it incorporates a rather useful ceiling fan into its housing to create a very budget-friendly addition to your tent set up.
Starting with the lantern, it has eighteen LED lights surrounding the fan housing, which put off plenty of light for after-hours reading. With just the lights on, the batteries last about 37 hours, more than enough for a weekend or maybe even a weeklong camping trip.
The fan is a little less impressive as the eight-inch diameter blades don’t move a lot of air. It also has just two-speed settings, with the lower one running for fifteen hours and the higher for just five.
That’s not even a full night’s worth in the latter setting. Additionally, the Odoland runs on D-cell batteries with no option for a rechargeable pack or USB connection, which isn’t great for frequent users.
One spot where it shines, though, is the housing and mounting set up. The thick plastic housing makes this one of the more durable tent fans on the market and the mounting bracket can fold up to create a small stand or pull out to form a hook that hangs from the tent roof.
The Odoland’s cooling power isn’t great, and it runs on expensive D-cells, but it’s priced low and isn’t as fragile as some of the other camping fans on this list.
9. OUTXE Rechargeable Camping Fan
This is easily one of the best bargains if you’re looking for a tent fan with a rechargeable battery. The OUTXE comes in two battery sizes, 4400 and 5200 mAhs. The former will keep the fan running for about thirty-four hours on its low setting while the latter gets forty hours of run time.
Given the minor difference, the smaller battery will suffice for most customers and those wanting more hours should carry a power bank, which you can use to charge up the internal battery. When plugged into a power bank, the fan will run while charging up the internal battery – something of a rarity on tent fans.
The fan’s battery pack serves as a stable base for a tabletop setup, or a small hook can be attached to make this a hanging fan. The mounting hardware allows for a full 360-degrees of rotation in both the vertical and horizontal direction.
The biggest complaint on this device is its cooling power. To really get the air moving enough for hot weather camping, it needs to run on high. At its highest speed, it only runs for five hours, which won’t provide a full night of sleep. Fortunately, this problem is remedied by packing a power bank to keep it charged.
OUTXE has created one of the most budget-friendly light/fan combos for customers that get a lot of mileage out of their tent fan and need something that’s rechargeable.
10. Coleman CPX 6
Coleman is a major player in the outdoor gear market, and their CPX 6 tent fan is one of the best inexpensive models. Measuring about ten inches in diameter, Coleman’s four blades provide plenty of airflow for a two-person tent.
The basic model is powered by four D-cell batteries, but since these will only last you a night or so, it’s best to pick up the rechargeable battery pack (or the AC adaptor if you’re camping somewhere with power outlets).
Unlike most tent fans, the Coleman also comes with a nearly 100-lumen light. Using it will cut down on the fan’s runtime, but you can switch it to “night mode” to save battery. The fan can also be mounted above your sleeping area using a magnetic plate or a carabiner clip, but it also comes with a simple stand to put it on the floor instead.
The Coleman CPX 6 comes with a few useful features and sells for a relatively low price, but its lack of an included rechargeable battery, USB ports, or AC adaptor limits its usefulness in the long term.
That said, if you only camp a few times a year and don’t mind buying a couple of packs of D-batteries, this could be one of the best tent fans for your needs.