The Geek Aire Rechargeable Floor Fan is your best overall choice. It can run for up to 18 hours on the lower settings, but the battery won’t last nearly that long if you have it on full blast.

A lot of workers use this fan onsite, but it’d be great for car camping, too. Users say that it lasts all night on 75% power, but you’d then have to charge it the next day to get it ready for the evening (or, if you have access to power, you can run it while it’s charging).

I love this fan because it’s big enough to make a noticeable difference inside a larger tent. The 16-inch fan blades will be considerably more effective than the mini camping fans you hang up like lanterns.

It is nice and quiet, so it won’t keep you up at night. You can tilt the fan head by 120° to get air exactly where it’s needed. I wouldn’t worry about breaking the fan while I’m camping because it’s water-resistant and sturdy.


Going back to something more portable, the BLBS Travel Fan is a much better option for people with limited packing space. It weighs less than a pound, so it won’t weigh you down.

You can make the battery last longer by putting it on the lowest speed setting, but you’ll have to keep it ridiculously close to you to feel the benefit. Considering this fan lasts for 12-65 hours per charge, you’ll be okay with it on a higher setting!

I love that this fan takes only four to five hours to charge up, so you can quickly charge it in the cooler mornings and then use it in the hot afternoons and evenings.

The clip makes it easy to set up, and you can rotate the fan head to ensure you get the full benefit.

The only annoying thing about this fan is that the LED light that tells you how the battery is doing is really bright. This could keep you awake at night, so I’d pop a bit of masking tape over that in the evenings if I were you.


This fan comes from the same company that makes my top choice floor fan, but it has a built-in mister, which is such a relief on a scorching day.

I didn’t include this as my best choice because it isn’t suitable for everyone. It’ll take up a considerable amount of space in your trunk, so you might not be able to fit it in along with the rest of your luggage.

If you do have space, this is one of the only battery-powered fans that will be any good outdoors. The mist can spray 11.5 feet, so you can place it near your camping table to get a refreshing spritz as you eat.

This fan weighs 23 pounds, but it comes on wheels. So as long as the ground is dry, you can wheel up the fan to your tent with no problem (and you’re hardly going to be using a mister in the rainy months!).

If you want this thing to work even more effectively, just pop some ice in the water container.

I like that you can remove the battery to charge it, so you don’t have to keep lugging the big fan back and forth. That also means you can prepare extra batteries in advance and charge one while the other is in use.

This fan isn’t cheap, but it comes highly recommended by its users. The only drawback is that the water tank isn’t sealed, so it could spill if you knock over the fan while it’s in use.

So long as you’re careful and don’t stick it in the middle of a volleyball game, you should be fine!