Personal Fans April 10, 2025, 10:00:45 pm Did a search but couldn’t find any recent info on portable personal fans. Going to be at Anza Borrego in early May and thought one might come in handy. 12V or rechargeable?
Re: Personal Fans Reply #1 – April 11, 2025, 12:03:32 am Not sure why you need them to be portable 12v fans, I have found that a pair of Sirocco II 12V fans installed in the back of my TK to be all I need for the warmer placesBut I have just bought a pair of these portable usb rechargeable fans for our cruise next week that might be what you need. 2 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #2 – April 11, 2025, 11:15:45 am Hi Dave, thanks for your response. I may eventually install permanent fans but for now am looking for something that can be moved around within the RV or even outside. Have you tried out the portable fan yet?
Re: Personal Fans Reply #3 – April 11, 2025, 11:22:26 am That looks good, Dave. I like the ability to use it on USB power or its own battery. By the way, I notice that there's a newer version at about the same price (currently $13.49). The new version adds a digital display of battery level, which seems like a useful feature. I've added one to my shopping cart. As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #4 – April 11, 2025, 11:29:25 am Quote from: HiLola - April 11, 2025, 11:15:45 amHi Dave, thanks for your response. I may eventually install permanent fans but for now am looking for something that can be moved around within the RV or even outside. Have you tried out the portable fan yet?Yes, we ordered them a month ago, my wife has been very happy with them, exactly what she wanted, a small portable fan for traveling.Andy, considered the newer one with the power readout, but that one had a “Frequently returned” tag on it, suggesting it was less reliable.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #5 – April 11, 2025, 11:39:26 am Quote from: Dave Katleman - April 11, 2025, 11:29:25 amYes, we ordered them a month ago, my wife has been very happy with them, exactly what she wanted, a small portable fan for traveling.Andy, considered the newer one with the power readout, but that one had a “Frequently returned” tag on it, suggesting it was less reliable.Well, I just ordered the one Andy linked to. Dave, I noticed the “less reliable” statement also for the black one, but when I selected the white version (which is the one I ordered), that statement went away. So one can conclude that the white one is more reliable? 😆 1 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #6 – April 11, 2025, 01:07:52 pm Quote from: HiLola - April 10, 2025, 10:00:45 pmDid a search but couldn’t find any recent info on portable personal fans. Going to be at Anza Borrego in early May and thought one might come in handy. 12V or rechargeable?Anza Borrego could be very hot in early May, as it is the beginning of summer in the low desert.I hope you have hookups. Take your toad for exploring in A/C comfort.I doubt is a small personal fan is going to be much help; a hardwired fan will produce more air movement.The Sirocco I Fan that Dave mentioned works fine and doesn't need to be recharged.Amazon.com: SEEKR Sirocco IIâ„¢ Fan from by Caframo. 12V/24V Auto-Sensing DC,...hot, May is the beginning of summer in the desert.For a much more powerful fan, few can beat the power of an Endless Breeze portable fan by Fantastic Fans.Fan-Tastic 01100WH Endless Breeze 3-Speed Fan - 12VLarry 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #7 – April 11, 2025, 02:17:59 pm Hey Larry, those both look like good fans so will keep them in mind. We really don't do much hot weather camping so will hold off for now and see how a portable fan works. We thankfully do have hookups at Anza-Borrego but I'm reminded that the AC in the Forester is not working correctly! Just made an appointment to get it looked at so hopefully it will be good to go in May.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #8 – April 11, 2025, 03:06:17 pm Quote from: HiLola - April 11, 2025, 02:17:59 pmHey Larry, those both look like good fans so will keep them in mind. We really don't do much hot weather camping so will hold off for now and see how a portable fan works. We thankfully do have hookups at Anza-Borrego but I'm reminded that the AC in the Forester is not working correctly! Just made an appointment to get it looked at so hopefully it will be good to go in May.Today's temperature in Borrego Springs, down the street from the Palm Canyon campground.Borrego Springs, CA Weather Conditions | Weather UndergroundA high of 101.Larry
Re: Personal Fans Reply #9 – April 11, 2025, 05:02:38 pm Larry's right in saying that the Sirocco II and (even more) the Endless Breeze are in a different class than the little Otlonpe {sic] portable fan. I've used both and liked both.The Endless Breeze is powerful and quiet. Its main drawback is that it requires a fair-sized flat surface to sit on, and those are in short supply in our rigs. To overcome that, I built a simple swivel bracket that let me hang it from an overhead cabinet and aim it in any direction I wanted. You can find detailed plans on my Fans page.The Sirocco II is what I'm using now. I have two of them; one is mounted at the foot of my bed and the other is mounted across my dinette table from my office chair. Both are mounted to the undersides of upper cabinets--the Sirocco fans are not portable. They don't move as much air as the 14" Endless Breeze, but they move plenty--I almost never run them at anything but their slowest speed. And they take up no counter or table space.Nevertheless, there are times when a small, portable fan is handy. (Defrosting the fridge is one example). And considering that the Otlonpe fan costs a tenth as much as either the Endless Breeze or Sirocco II, I think it's worth having. 1 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #10 – April 11, 2025, 05:14:09 pm Quote from: Larry W - April 11, 2025, 01:07:52 pmFor a much more powerful fan, few can beat the power of an Endless Breeze portable fan by Fantastic Fans.Fan-Tastic 01100WH Endless Breeze 3-Speed Fan - 12VSadly, the above mentioned fan is no longer manufactured. I've had mine for about twenty years or so and the legs broke off so I just prop it on the edge of my dinette and open a window. I've found other 12-volt small box fans at thrift stores, but nothing works as well as the Endless Breeze. If you're traveling in an area with dry heat, I would recommend purchasing a Cooling Neck Wrap that you soak in water to expand the crystals inside that plump up the wrap and provide a cooling effect. I like to soak mine and place in the freezer. They only last a couple of hours, but are great for hiking. I actually use one on my dog to keep her cool too! I see them often for sale in the summer months at the Farmer's Market in Las Cruces, but you might try the link above... 2 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #11 – April 11, 2025, 05:18:10 pm "Andy, considered the newer one with the power readout, but that one had a “Frequently returned” tag on it, suggesting it was less reliable."Hmmm, I missed that. Guess I'll find out!I took a look at the reviews. Didn't see any outright failures of the fan, although one person complained that the USB charging cable broke after a few months. It's just a USB A to USB C cable, and those are a dime a dozen, so that didn't concern me too much. Of the other dissatisfied purchasers, about half said that it didn't blow as strongly as a "regular" fan (OK, it's small), while as surprising number complained that on its highest speed setting, the speed constantly varied. But that's what it's supposed to do on that setting--it even says so in the product description.So from what I could see, the majority of returns were due either to unrealistic expectations or failure to read the instructions. I think it's likely to be OK for casual personal use. But again, if you want to move a lot of air, take Larry's advice and invest in an Endless Breeze or Sirocco II. 3 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #12 – April 11, 2025, 06:23:14 pm I didn't realize the Endless Breeze was not available anymore. Another somewhat less powerful 12-volt fan is the O2 Cool fan, available at most Walmarts. We have one mounted up in the bunk at my wife's head. A PWM speed control has been added to it to adjust it to the perfect speed.It can be operated on batteries, or 12-volts and 120-volts A/C with adaptors, O2 Cool fanO2COOL 10 inch Battery or Electric Portable Fan, Camping Fan, Tent Accessory...12-volt adaptor with cigarette lighter plug.AC-DC Adapter For O2 Cool Portable 10" Battery Cooling Fan Power Supply...Speed control Amazon.com: Riorand DC 3V 6V 12V 24V 35V 5A Motor Speed Controller PWM Speed...Larry 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #13 – April 11, 2025, 08:18:20 pm I've used O2Cool fans, and they do a pretty good job for the price. The fan's main drawback is that for portable use it requires eight alkaline D cells (so no recharging)... and to hold all those batteries, it has a big, bulky base. But the fan has an input connector for 12 VDC, so I got around the other problems by suspending it from the underside of an overhead cabinet and making a cord to connect it to 12 volts.First, I removed the entire base/battery holder, which left me with a nice lightweight fan. It's possible to suspend the fan by hanging its handle from an ordinary cup hook, but I found this a bit too wobbly for my taste, so I substituted a broom clip, and that worked perfectly. Mounting the cup hook with a long screw and a washer made it possible to swivel the fan in any direction. 1 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #14 – April 11, 2025, 09:08:28 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - April 11, 2025, 05:02:38 pmNevertheless, there are times when a small, portable fan is handy. (Defrosting the fridge is one example).I already have a portable small heated fan that also dries hair for that.😉
Re: Personal Fans Reply #15 – April 11, 2025, 09:51:58 pm Perhaps I should have said "a small cordless fan". :-) A heater/fan that requires 120 VAC is in a different category - useful, but not in the same situations as a battery-powered fan.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #16 – April 11, 2025, 10:05:21 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - April 11, 2025, 08:18:20 pmI've used O2Cool fans, and they do a pretty good job for the price. The fan's main drawback is that for portable use it requires eight alkaline D cells (so no recharging)... and to hold all those batteries, it has a big, bulky base. But the fan has an input connector for 12 VDC, so I got around the other problems by suspending it from the underside of an overhead cabinet and making a cord to connect it to 12 volts.Our O2 Cool fan's battery box is gutted and the base has been cut in half and and then screwed through the shorten base into the ceiling at the head of our bunk.The fan's downside is that they only last 3-4 years with our usage, 2000-3000 hours or so before the bearing starts making noises, and oil doesn't cure. Costing $20 (before tariffs), they are cheap and widely available at Walmart, so a replacement can be found at home or on the road. It isn't a tough job to replace a bad fan.PWM speed controls are not difficult to install with moderate electrical knowledge and can save a lot of power when the fan is running at lower speeds.Installing a PWM speed control inside the O2 Cool fan is difficult, as the fan was not designed to be disassembled.Instead, the fan's speed control now resides inside one of the bunk's ceiling lights. and is connected to the fan through a power cord liberated from an old 12-volt power brick, using the fan's 12-volt input plug.Larry 3 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #17 – April 12, 2025, 04:09:18 pm The Endless Breeze fan may now be sold direct (from the Chinese, who may have made them before) instead of through Atwood? Dometic? who bought FanTastic fans. This looks familiar at least: Fan-Tastic Vent Co - Endless Breeze - 01100WH - newperseverance YMMV As Larry said, these fans benefit from a small PWM (Pulse Width Modulated) controller added. It allows for better speed control to 'just right' and saves energy by switching the power on and off (very fast), instead of wasting power as heat at low RPM's. The really older vent fans, cc 2000, did that. RonB edit: RVUpgrades has a matching picture, but isn't available... Fan-Tastic 01100WH Endless Breeze 3-Speed Fan - 12V 1 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #18 – April 12, 2025, 04:23:12 pm Quote from: RonB - April 12, 2025, 04:09:18 pmThe Endless Breeze fan may now be sold direct instead of through Atwood who bought FanTastic fans. This looks familiar at least: Fan-Tastic Vent Co - Endless Breeze - 01100WH - newperseverance YMMV RonBThat is a great price, if someone is interested, it's the time to move!As Ron said, Dometic is now the owner, take a look at the 'new' price.Dometic Air Fan - 01100WH | highskyrvparts.comLarry 1 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #19 – April 13, 2025, 01:48:35 pm This might be an option to consider...MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator Desk Cooling Fan Ultra-Quiet, Low-Energy DC Fan As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #20 – April 13, 2025, 10:25:59 pm It claims to be an AC/DC powered fan, but the AC requirement is 240 volts (!), and a DC power spec is nowhere to be found--just a reference to a "quiet DC motor."
Re: Personal Fans Reply #21 – May 07, 2025, 09:15:56 pm Here's a followup in that Otlonpe cordless fan that Dave recommended--or rather, the newer version. I just got mine, and I really like it. It's compact, lightweight, quiet, and has surprisingly long battery life. I charged it up to 100%, then ran it for five hours on its lowest speed (which produces a nice breeze when it's sitting on a desk or table), and it was still at 95% when I shut it off. (I really like the battery-status display, by the way.) The manufacturer claims seven to twenty two hours of runtime depending upon speed setting, and I can believe it.It also doubles as a 4 amp-hour battery bank for charging phones or tablets. This could be very nice for tent or van camping. The price is now down to $11.99, and I think it's a great value.Tip: one thing the manual doesn't cover is how to clean the fan blades. If you gently turn the front grille counterclockwise about half an inch, you can pull it off and get at the fan. 3 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Personal Fans Reply #22 – May 17, 2025, 09:04:43 pm So after our stay at Borrego, we are considering purchasing a couple of these fans to mount in the lounge and dinette areas. I think some of you already have them, yes?https://www.caframobrands.com/7010cawbx.html
Re: Personal Fans Reply #23 – May 17, 2025, 10:09:33 pm I have two of the Sirocco II fans mounted underneath upper cabinets in my Airstream, and have used them in my Trillium trailer as well. Having tried a lot of fans over the years, I've found these to be the most satisfactory overall. They don't move as much air as an Endless Breeze, but they're more practical. You can mount them where they won't take up space that's needed for other things: under cabinets, where there's nothing else using that space except for an occasional light.In addition, their power consumption is very low: I've measured 0.1/0.2/0.4 amps (L/M/H settings) as compared with 0.5 amps for a Fan-Tastic fan on its lowest setting and several amps on high.I've found them to be quite reliable as well. 3 Likes
Re: Personal Fans Reply #24 – May 18, 2025, 10:45:13 am QuoteI have two of the Sirocco II fans mounted underneath upper cabinetsAnd the Siroccos are sooooo quiet.jor 1 Likes
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