tent a/c r & d report

as some of you may recall, i became interested in running an a/c unit in a tent for alot of reasons: no trailer to tow, way cheaper, etc. i said i'd try it out & give everyone a report. i got my chance, & i took it. here's the report:

place: sera enduro near dry prong, louisiana
set up: window unit, front end propped up on a brick, stuck in the door of the tent, gaps sealed with folded newspapers, powered by 5500 watt generator
conditions: heat & humidity like something out of dante's inferno
result: works great! we slept in cool comfort, in fact we got cold in the tent, had to turn off the a/c early in the morning

bottom line: tent, $80 at wal-mart; ext.cord, $20; a/c unit, free; not having to sweat in the tent or pay for or jack with towing & parking in the woods a motor home or trailer, priceless!

yeah, the generator is noisy, but i couldn't even hear my generator specifically, it just blended in to the general racket. without it, i'd have to stay in a motel, i wouldn't be able to sleep (i've tried it just in a tent before). i would not do this in cooler climate or in a wilderness setting; virtually everyone in a sera campground in august runs 1.

my generator has a honda engine with low-oil cutoff, cost about $1000, + wheel kit. it's more than you need for a small window unit pulling only 5 or 6 amps; i bought it to run the 13,500 btu a/c in my camper trailer. it will run the window unit all night on about 2/3 of a tank.

the tent setup has its drawbacks: you do hear the generators more, 'til you get used to it; there's no permanent storage for anything, so i use plastic storage tubs for utensils, etc.; you have to lift & carry everything--stove, a/c, utensils, camp shower, etc. for the load in/load out; it was a challenge getting all of this stuff into a pickup truck; & you don't look forward to loading all of the stuff & striking a tent after an enduro when it's 100 deg. (much less in the rain). on the other hand, i got about double the gas mileage; i had no problem maneuvering in the woods they used for a campground, unlike some of my buddies, 1 of whom literally scraped his brand new camper trailer getting in; my total investment, since i borrowed the a/c & already had the generator & stove & stuff, was maybe $100; & my girlfriend, who's never towed a trailer, could comfortably drive while i snoozed. she likes to go to the races (!), provided that she has her amenities (such as a/c & a camp toilet). i'll prob end up getting around to fixing up my camper trailer or dumping it to get an enclosed trailer, but in the meantime, the tent's doing ok & you can't beat the price!

low 50s! sounds like january around here!