On a hot day at camp, a small fan makes the shade a lot more comfortable. We used ours at Finchley Campground in Yengo National Park over summer, where they were great for cooling down in the shade, and they also helped keep the flies away.
We’ve now tested six rechargeable camping fans: handheld fans, a table fan, a clip fan with a light and a cheap clip-on. Here’s how they compare and which one suits you.
Quick picks: the best camping fans comparedQuick picks
| Product | Score | Price | Battery (mAh) | Run time (h) | Weight | Check price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Best overallJisuLife Handheld Fan Life7 | 8.9 | Premium | 5,000 | 19.5 | 239 g | Check price at Amazon |
Best with a lightSan Hima Clip Fan with LED Light | 8.8 | – | 10,000 | 40 | 563 g | Check price at Amazon |
Best valueJisuLife Handheld Fan Life8 Plus | 8.8 | Mid-range | 4,500 | 40 | 178 g | Check price at Amazon |
Best table fanJisuLife Table Fan Life3 | 8.7 | Mid-range | 4,500 | 16 | 238 g | Check price at Amazon |
LightestJisuLife Handheld Fan Life2 | 8.6 | Mid-range | 2,000 | 13 | 103 g | Check price at Amazon |
CheapestPortable Mini Bladeless Fan | 7.4 | Budget | – | – | – | Check price at Amazon |
Price: Budget under $25, Mid-range $25–39, Premium $40 and up, based on what we paid.
Best overall: JisuLife Handheld Fan Life7Best overall: JisuLife Life7
The Life7 scored highest of the fans we’ve tested because it does three jobs: hold it, fold the handle to stand it on a table, or hang it around your neck. It has five speeds, a display that shows the speed and battery, and a battery that lasts a long time. It’s easy to run in our rooftop tent, too, tucked into the ceiling pocket.
The folding hinge makes it bulkier than a slim pocket fan, and it isn’t as strong as a heavy-duty turbo fan. For $45 it’s the one fan that does everything.
JisuLife Handheld Fan Life7
Scored 8.9 out of 10Our take: The most powerful-looking of our four JisuLife fans, with a 12-blade brushless fan and a display. It kept us cool in the shade over summer and helped keep the flies away.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Hand, desk or neck fan in one
- 5 speeds, 12-blade brushless fan
- Display shows speed and battery
- 5,000 mAh, up to 19.5 h
- Folds 150° into a desk stand
- Helps keep the flies away
What we don’t
- Bulkier than slim pocket fans
- Not as strong as turbo fans
Best with a light: San Hima Clip Fan with LED LightWith a light: San Hima
The San Hima is a fan and a camp light in one. An LED ring light sits around the fan, the big battery runs for a long time and charges over USB-C, and a timer switches it off once you’re asleep. The base opens into a clamp that grips the edge of a rooftop tent, and there’s a hook and a stand too.
It’s heavy for a clip fan, and the controls are on the back. The San Hima is sold out, so our button goes to the KickAss version on Amazon, the same base product under a different brand.
San Hima Clip Fan with LED Light
Scored 8.8 out of 10Our take: A rechargeable fan with an LED ring light, a 10,000 mAh battery, a 2, 4 or 6 hour timer and a clamp that grips almost anything. It’s heavy for a clip fan at 563 g.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Fan and LED ring light in one
- Clips onto the rooftop tent
- Hook to hang it, base to stand it
- Up to 40 hours from 10,000 mAh
- Timer: 2, 4 or 6 hours
- Head turns and tilts to aim the air
What we don’t
- Heavy for a clip fan: 563 g
- Timer stops at 6 hours
- Controls are on the back
Best value: JisuLife Handheld Fan Life8 PlusBest value: JisuLife Life8+
For $27, the Life8 Plus does three jobs: it’s a handheld fan, a power bank that can top up a phone, and a torch. The two soft blades fold into a capsule that slips into a pocket, and it runs a very long time on the lowest speed.
Two blades give a more modest breeze than a turbo fan, and using the power bank or torch takes from the fan’s run time. For hikers, travellers and an emergency kit, it’s great value.
JisuLife Handheld Fan Life8 Plus
Scored 8.8 out of 10Our take: The most versatile of our four JisuLife fans: a pocket fan, power bank and torch in one. It kept us cool in the shade over summer and helped keep the flies away.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Fan, power bank and torch in one
- Blades fold away, pocket size
- Up to 40 h on the lowest speed
- 4,500 mAh, charges a phone
- Soft blades, safe to touch
- Helps keep the flies away
What we don’t
- Two blades, modest airflow
- Power bank use cuts fan time
Best table fan: JisuLife Table Fan Life3Table fan: JisuLife Life3
The Life3 is the only true table fan here, and it’s the one we keep in our rooftop tent as standard: its little flap wraps around one of the pockets of our Kings internal storage pocket, so it blows down from the ceiling. It tilts a long way, folds flat and has a natural-wind mode.
It’s not a fan to carry in your hand, and the high speed drains the battery much faster than the low ones. For $30, it’s a quiet fan for the table or the tent.
JisuLife Table Fan Life3
Scored 8.7 out of 10Our take: The only true table fan of our four JisuLife fans: it stands, tilts and hangs. It lives in our rooftop tent, wrapped around a storage pocket.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Tilts 160°, folds flat
- 3 speeds plus natural-wind mode
- 4,500 mAh, 4 to 16 h
- Brushless motor, quiet
- Flap wraps around a tent pocket
- Helps keep the flies away
What we don’t
- Not a handheld fan
- Shorter run time on high
Lightest: JisuLife Handheld Fan Life2Lightest: JisuLife Life2
The Life2 is the lightest and slimmest fan we’ve tested. A stand folds out of the back, a neck strap comes with it, and a safety lock stops it switching on in a bag. It has three speeds and charges over USB-C.
Its battery is the smallest here, and it costs more than the Life8 Plus, which runs much longer. If the lightest fan is what you want, it’s the one.
JisuLife Handheld Fan Life2
Scored 8.6 out of 10Our take: An ultra-thin 103 g fan that works in the hand, on a table or around your neck. It kept us cool in the shade over summer and helped keep the flies away.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Ultra-thin, 103 g
- Hand, desk or neck fan
- Fold-out back stand
- Safety lock stops it switching on
- USB-C charging
- Helps keep the flies away
What we don’t
- Smallest battery of the four
Cheapest: Portable Mini Bladeless FanCheapest: Mini Bladeless
This no-name clip-on mini bladeless fan from Amazon cost $20, and it works surprisingly fine when you need a bit of a breeze. It’s small, it clips onto a grab handle or a strap, it has no exposed blades and three speeds on one button, and it charges over USB-C.
It’s a cheap unit and it feels like one, with modest airflow and no brand behind it. Don’t expect the world from it: for a fan to rely on through a hot day, spend a little more on one of the JisuLife fans.
Portable Mini Bladeless Fan
Scored 7.4 out of 10Our take: A $20 no-name clip-on fan that works surprisingly fine for a bit of a breeze. Small, bladeless and USB-C rechargeable. Modest airflow and a cheap build: don’t expect the world from it.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links.What we like
- Works surprisingly fine for a breeze
- Handy that it’s so small
- Clips onto a handle or a strap
- No exposed blades
- USB-C charging
- Three speeds on one button
What we don’t
- Don’t expect the world from it
- Cheap build
- No brand behind it
How to choose a camping fanHow to choose
The right camping fan depends on where you’ll use it: in your hand or around your neck while you’re out and about, on the camp table, or clipped up inside the tent or rooftop tent. Weight matters most if it goes in a pocket or a day pack; for the tent, a fan that hangs or clips where you sleep is more useful than a light one.
Battery life is the other big one. On low, most run from about 10 to 40 hours, but on high every fan runs for much less. Camping fans come in three types:
- Handheld
<250 g
Cools you wherever you sit; most also have a stand or a neck strap.
Run time on low10 to 40 hoursLike - Table
250–500 g
Sits on the camp table or the tent floor and cools a small space.
Run time on lowAround 15 hours - Clip
500 g+
Grabs a tent edge, a branch or a grab handle; ours has a light built in.
Run time on lowUp to 40 hours
Also check
- BatteryMost hold 2,000 to 10,000 mAh; a bigger battery runs longer but weighs more.
- ChargingAll of them charge over USB, from a power bank or the car.
- Rooftop tentCheck it hangs or clips where you sleep.
- ExtrasA power bank, torch or light is handy, but it shares the fan’s battery.
How we test
We buy the gear ourselves and take it on camping trips around Australia to put it to the test in real outdoor conditions, in the 4WD and at camp, and to see how it holds up over a few trips. We weigh everything on our own scale and photograph it ourselves. If we haven’t used something, we say so, and if anything fails later on, we update the review.
Scored out of 10 on
- Ease of use
- Performance
- Portability
- Durability
- Value
