Old Crow
Searching....
Just a quick mention of a relatively inexpensive portable fan which has served me well. Food for thought.
It's a Caframo MiniMax:
http://www.amazon.com/Caframo-MiniMax-Portable-Battery-Operated/dp/B00MENBO1U
I first bought one of these while trying to figure out how to get airflow in our van. The van's raised fiberglass roof didn't have any ventilation when I bought it and sometimes acts as a hot-air trap. I added a Fantastic Vent and that made a big difference. But when the weather's really hot I need air blowing right on me.
We tried a Fan-Tastic Endless Breeze fan, which is essentially a Fantastic Fan turned on it's side and made portable. I'd hang it up high between the seats of the van, facing backward. It pushed a lot of air but was awfully big to store. And it raised the next challenge-- my wife doesn't like that much air flow.
That led to a search for a new wife. When that didn't work out, I started looking at personal fans. And of course we wanted a fan with a good battery life. Thus the MiniMax.
So what's good about it?
- Battery life is crazy-good. Specs say 300 hours. I believe it. It doesn't just last for a season, it lasts multiple seasons for us, mostly because it's not needed that often.
- It's quiet and small. I use one in the hottest, sweatiest weather to cool me off in bed. I can adjust the fan speed to just-right and put it at my feet to blow up the length of my body. When I've cooled down I just turn it off and push it out of the way till morning.
- I often sit in the passenger seat of the van working on the laptop. Sometimes the sun's too warm or the heat coming up off the engine is too warm and I can't open the windows (rain, bugs,etc). I put the Minimax on the dash. No messing with cords, no suction cup hassle, just get it, set it, forget it.
- Other uses: Drying out the mattress when we had a small rain leak. Speeding up towel-drying (inside). Fanning a fire that doesn't want to burn (Don't get too close. I have one with a melted bezel because of that!). Having a breeze when sitting out in the hottest, stickiest, no-breeze weather. I also use one at my gym. It happens to sit nicely on the elliptical machine in a still-air area of the gym (but, alas, I can't use it on the rowing machine or exercise bike).
What's bad about it?
- Not much. It's another battery type to deal with. It lasts so long I don't typically carry spares unless I know weather will be very hot or I think it has been an exceedingly long time since I've changed them. It's heavier than other portable fans using AA batteries (but that's also the reason it lasts so long)
I don't have much experience with it yet in my new-to-me Hawk. On the one trip I've taken so far, I used it to circulate heat from my Buddy Heater (sitting by the door) back to the cabover bed area. And I used it to help dry the pop-top liner one morning I noticed some condensation.
-OC
It's a Caframo MiniMax:
http://www.amazon.com/Caframo-MiniMax-Portable-Battery-Operated/dp/B00MENBO1U
I first bought one of these while trying to figure out how to get airflow in our van. The van's raised fiberglass roof didn't have any ventilation when I bought it and sometimes acts as a hot-air trap. I added a Fantastic Vent and that made a big difference. But when the weather's really hot I need air blowing right on me.
We tried a Fan-Tastic Endless Breeze fan, which is essentially a Fantastic Fan turned on it's side and made portable. I'd hang it up high between the seats of the van, facing backward. It pushed a lot of air but was awfully big to store. And it raised the next challenge-- my wife doesn't like that much air flow.
That led to a search for a new wife. When that didn't work out, I started looking at personal fans. And of course we wanted a fan with a good battery life. Thus the MiniMax.
So what's good about it?
- Battery life is crazy-good. Specs say 300 hours. I believe it. It doesn't just last for a season, it lasts multiple seasons for us, mostly because it's not needed that often.
- It's quiet and small. I use one in the hottest, sweatiest weather to cool me off in bed. I can adjust the fan speed to just-right and put it at my feet to blow up the length of my body. When I've cooled down I just turn it off and push it out of the way till morning.
- I often sit in the passenger seat of the van working on the laptop. Sometimes the sun's too warm or the heat coming up off the engine is too warm and I can't open the windows (rain, bugs,etc). I put the Minimax on the dash. No messing with cords, no suction cup hassle, just get it, set it, forget it.
- Other uses: Drying out the mattress when we had a small rain leak. Speeding up towel-drying (inside). Fanning a fire that doesn't want to burn (Don't get too close. I have one with a melted bezel because of that!). Having a breeze when sitting out in the hottest, stickiest, no-breeze weather. I also use one at my gym. It happens to sit nicely on the elliptical machine in a still-air area of the gym (but, alas, I can't use it on the rowing machine or exercise bike).
What's bad about it?
- Not much. It's another battery type to deal with. It lasts so long I don't typically carry spares unless I know weather will be very hot or I think it has been an exceedingly long time since I've changed them. It's heavier than other portable fans using AA batteries (but that's also the reason it lasts so long)
I don't have much experience with it yet in my new-to-me Hawk. On the one trip I've taken so far, I used it to circulate heat from my Buddy Heater (sitting by the door) back to the cabover bed area. And I used it to help dry the pop-top liner one morning I noticed some condensation.
-OC
