Portable AC

[Seemego4WD]

So the biggest hurtle we have when camping, is what to do with the dog when he cannot come along. Max 2-3 hours.

wondering if anyone has had success with a portable ac unit to keep your fur babies cool in the jeep when they cannot come along.

thanks

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[dpike]

if my dog can't go, i don't go. i'd never take the chance and leave him in a car even with it running with the AC on. finding places that pets are welcome gets a little tricky and sometimes you need to go off the beaten path a bit. many of the main paths and attractions at national parks aren't pet friendly.

 

[Ratbert]

Consider finding a private local kennel near your destination that will keep your dog when you're doing stuff where they're not allowed.

 

[DarthAWM]

Icy Breeze is a good product and effective as long as you have ice for it

 

[Sidewalk]

If the pups can't be with me the entire time, I don't travel with them.

That's why I dont have pets anymore.

 

[jromanmd]

The question is scary to me. You can never be 100% sure that they will stay cool. Would you lock your kids in the car with a portable a/c? I think not. Don't put the puppies in that situation.

 

[Jeffy56]

Not a good idea in the summer. If you found "most of the day shade", a 12v fan wound be an option. For example,
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rechargeable+fan&ref=nb_sb_noss

If you want to buy a 5000 watt generator and a portable AC unit and spend $800-$1000 you might be able to rig something up that someone could steal from you.

 

[LukeDagny]

I haven't gone 2-3 hours, but I've left my dogs in the car, car running with AC on, and the doors locked for up to an hour. They were no worse for wear.

In the RV world they make temperature alarms to notify you if the temps get to high. Some work as an app for your phone.

 

[catortega3881]

We have the zero breeze. It’s pricey, but works very well for our Patriot x3 (similar size tent to most rooftop tents).

If you have a big space, it won’t do much. But for smaller spaces, it definitely works.

We only use it after the sun goes down and for sleeping. But we don’t go in the tent much during the day. If you use it during blazing temps during the day, you’re kind of wasting it and it won’t do much.

Pair it with a fan or two and it’s great. I find that it can get too cold around 3-4 am and we have to turn it off.

 

[JPXR]

Popup camper with a/c. Doesn’t work for us because my dog has high anxiety if he’s not with me but might work in your situation.

 

[dragoneggs]

I agree with others, about leaving a dog in the Jeep for extended time is risky. However an elegant albeit expensive solution and you have some room, is an Ecoflow Power station w/ their Wave2 air conditioner. You are probably in the $2K+ range.

I have the Delta 2Max battery power station and their Glacier fridge/freezer and love it. Ecoflow products are great and there is an app that I think you can adjust/monitor (at least for the Glacier). Not sure about the Wave A/C unit. But if so, and you aren’t too far away, you would have some peace of mind that it is operating and doggies are good.

 

[mcaltitude]

Would never leave my animal in the Jeep with a portable A/C. If something goes wrong I have false confidence in their safety. I would strongly discourage pursuing this path. Returning to your animal dead from heat exhaustion is not worth the benefit of them getting to come along more often.

 

[dragoneggs]

Would never leave my animal in the Jeep with a portable A/C. If something goes wrong I have false confidence in their safety. I would strongly discourage pursuing this path. Returning to your animal dead from heat exhaustion is not worth the benefit of them getting to come along more often.

Hey I see we both have a ‘21 X5. Wife’s car... a recent step down from the 7 series that we had three ‘88, ‘98, ‘08. I always buy CPO coming off a 3yr lease. Has worked out well for us.

I hear you on the doggies, but there are ways to significantly mitigate risk (as always) if you set things up well. Time away, temperature, communication/monitoring, etc.

I don’t like to rule out possibilities without exploration. Nothing is risk free.

 

[roaniecowpony]

The engineer in me tells me not to rely on anything where a single failure has a high probability of being life threatening. Certainly not a Chinese built recreational electronic product like a portable AC unit.

Even just putting a dog in a crate unattended in a campground could be risky, without the heat issue, if there are predators like bears and mountain lions in the area.

That said, the life is your dog's. So, there's that consideration for risk tolerance.

 

[dragoneggs]

The engineer in me tells me not to rely on anything where a single failure has a high probability of being life threatening. Certainly not a Chinese built recreational electronic product like a portable AC unit.

Even just putting a dog in a crate unattended in a campground could be risky, without the heat issue, if there are predators like bears and mountain lions in the area.

That said, the life is your dog's. So, there's that consideration for risk tolerance.

No argument. As an aerospace (mechanical) engineer, I am fully in support of redundant systems. That is possible in this case as well if you are so inclined.

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