12v fan for car camping/ staying cool in the summer?

In the summer, while car camping, it can get rather toasty in my car, needless to say. I thought about adding a 12v fan to get air moving, or possibly point it directly onto me. I have a Yeti 400 for power, but I use it for my micro freezer, so I am already a bit strapped for power. I was thinking of getting something really efficient. I know some computer fans use very little power- 4 -7W or so it seems. Maybe just a 250mm computer fan? Maybe a different idea all together?

I got one at an RV store. Don't know about the power requirements, but it was pretty cheap.

First off , are you talking about a fan to blow on you while you are sleeping in your car ?

You might want to consider running dual (car) batteries , it's a pretty common mod in the 4x4/overland community. When you are free from the fear of running down your starting battery , there are plenty of options for powering fans.

Also , have you tried putting screens on your car windows? We sleep in my car , and I have screens held up with small magnets over open windows. If that is still not enough , we have two pretty small 110v volt fans . They are ran through a small 400w inverter plugged into a 12v cigarette style lighter. They're pretty low draw , cheap , and get the job done . They're here on Amazon:

amazon.com/gp/product/B00FX…

I also run them when we're driving (no A/C)...

stayin' cool

edit : in case you're wondering each fans is pulling about 30 watts...

Just threw a fan assembly in our vent in the van. At first just the opening cranked open would be enough but we needed a way to circulate air. It's essentially just a 12v motor with a fan blade. The draw is very low (not sure the exact), but not even noticeable. I now leave the fan on whenever we are not in it. This has a lot of obvious benefits but the one I didn't think about was on a hot day it constantly pulls air from the van. No more returning to a sauna. I know you looking for a clip style fan but this one left on all day doesn't draw enough power to register my analog volt meter. I wouldn't worry about an additional effect on your system, not significant at least. Plus it's a constant load, not like your refrigerators compressor going on and off. Your inverter should be able to keep up.

Also I too have additional separate house batteries so killing them is of no concern. Like the guy above lead to that's a nice safety measure.

A battery isolator is not an option as I do not own a standard car. I drive a hybrid which uses a 308VDC to 14VDC converter. The 308V battery is charged by the drive wheels and the motor via a 40kW motor generator. The car does not have an alternator. The converter has enough power to charge a second battery (120A @ 14.4VDC), but I do not know what would happen if I connect one. The car is basically a computer on wheels, and adding stuff directly to the existing battery seems like it could cause potentially expensive problems. The manual says not to connect anything directly to the battery, although it does not specify why. That's why I have to go with the Yeti 400, which is basically just a mega overpriced wheelchair battery. It's only 396 w/hr, which is like 1/3ed the capacity of a large deep cycle auto battery (group 31). Further, I do not have a roof box on my car, so I am limited on solar options. The largest I can fit is basically one of those 50W flexible solar panels which I can attach to the roof with double stick tape. Like this:

ebay.com/itm/50W-Mono-Semi-…

Some of the computer fans blow 140 CFM @ 6W or so, which is better than many bathroom fans that draw 10x the power. They seem like an attractive option.

I never new the hybrids were so limited. I was wondering why you used that yeti, to me it seems like a novelty at best.

So no way to tap into the charging system? It's all 14v? I guess with the exception of a few plugs. Bummer. I ran wires for solar when I built the van. We don't use much aux power, mostly just charging phone's etc. Keep your needs low and you'll be fine with what you have. At a point you will become a slave to that setup... I have a buddy with a fucking espresso machine in his van and a shit load of stored power. Don't go that way...

20 kN wrote:A battery isolator is not an option as I do not own a standard car. I drive a hybrid which uses a 308VDC to 14VDC converter. The 308V battery is charged by the drive wheels and the motor via a 40kW motor generator. The car does not have an alternator. The converter has enough power to charge a second battery (120A @ 14.4VDC), but I do not know what would happen if I connect one. The car is basically a computer on wheels, and adding stuff directly to the existing battery seems like it could cause potentially expensive problems. The manual says not to connect anything directly to the battery, although it does not specify why. That's why I have to go with the Yeti 400, which is basically just a mega overpriced wheelchair battery. It's only 396 w/hr, which is like 1/3ed the capacity of a large deep cycle auto battery (group 31). Further, I do not have a roof box on my car, so I am limited on solar options. The largest I can fit is basically one of those 50W flexible solar panels which I can attach to the roof with double stick tape. Like this: ebay.com/itm/50W-Mono-Semi-… Some of the computer fans blow 140 CFM @ 6W or so, which is better than many bathroom fans that draw 10x the power. They seem like an attractive option.

I looked at a fair # of 12V DC fans (and other products). My first takeaway is that most of the 12V "CamperWorld" stuff is CRAP. Quality 12V products are hard to locate. I ended up buying this 12V Fan off amazon : 12V DV Fan

It's NOT cheap but it is a quality product and moves air. power ~ low: 15 Watts or 1.25 amps @ 12 VDC medium: 27 Watts or 2.25 amps high: 35 Watts or close to 3 amps. These were numbers posted by a user and I've confirmed them with my own meter and a GZ Power Pack.

Note that you can DIY a fairly nice, large Amp Hr battery box for 12V only stuff and avoid the $$ inverter or GZ up-charge.

I used a MinnKota trolling motor box with an AGM bat. If you're ok with the non-sealed bats, a costco marine is certainly doable as well (and probably the more common build). I ended up adding some 30AMP Andersen PowerPole inputs so I could attach solar and still have 2x12V cig ports available. The 30AMP port can also be used as an output depending on setup needs. I could add a pure-sine inverter as well if needed. At that point though, the DIY box starts getting a bit unwieldy and awkward (wires and "add-ons" hanging off etc) THAT'S where the GZ Yeti value comes in as their boxes are all-in-one and "clean"

I sleep in the car 150+ nights/year, and use a D cell battery powered fan. It works adequately, and I literally change the batteries once a year. Bonus: philly peeps know how essential d-cells are to sporting events.

What are you guys using to connect your vent fan to your Yetti 400?