Buying Guide

While summer provides us with blue skies, beach days and lots of sunshine – it can make camping in the Australian heat a bit of a nightmare. Similarly, in winter when a particularly frosty breeze is blowing – there's only so much an extra jumper can do!

Whether your preference is to soak up the summer sun, or to feel the crisp winter air on your cheeks, there is a portable climate control solution to suit your camp setup.

Portable fans
12V, battery or solar powered, a fan is a simple, affordable yet effective way to create air movement and ventilation to help keep you cool during the warm months. Most have multiple settings, many come with built-in lighting, and there is a myriad of mounting options to suit your tent, table or 4WD setup.

Whilst commonly used to keep you cool in summer, fans are a great way to create airflow inside a tent to reduce the instance of condensation during the cooler months.

Portable air conditioners
While reverse cycle air conditioners are best for cooling large spaces like a caravan, they aren't convenient for camping as they can be big and have large power requirements. So while your 12V system won't be able to operate a reverse cycle air conditioner, a personal evaporative cooler is far more efficient to operate. These are best used to blow cool air directly onto an individual in warm dry conditions, are compact, and easy to operate. As with any evaporative cooler, they have limitations in humid environments.

Portable heaters
These come in both radiant and air-driven formats, the former being a good option for warming your toes and feet. They have a ceramic panel that a flame runs over, creating radiant heat in close proximity to the heater. These are simple to operate, generally only need a gas cylinder for operation, and should only be used in well-ventilated areas.

If you want something to use within a closed space, an air-driven option is best. These units operate with the gas/flame remaining outside to mitigate the risk of CO2 poisoning, whilst a duct directing fan-driven warm air can be directed inside a tent, camper or caravan.

These are small units and won't heat a big space, but they will take the chill out of the air.

Fire pits
If you want to keep things simple, a fire pit is not only a good way to keep you warm, but it is also relaxing, creates a social meeting point, and enhances a traditional camping experience. From flat-pack fire pits to robust units that double as a camp cooker, a portable fire pit easily goes from backyard to campsite and provides radiant warmth from an open flame that simply can't be replicated from any gas or power-driven alternative.