Tent A/C?

[DavidEllzey]

This is almost too embarrassing to ask but there is a chance I will be putting together a video production this next summer that will require some of the post production to be done in the field. We will move once a week for 22 weeks, sometimes we will be in the wilderness, sometimes developed camp grounds and other times at hotels.

For the times in the wilderness and campsites, I could put up a couple of canvas wall tents but I would need them to have the option of air conditioning if it gets too hot. In campsite I might have 120v available but who knows? For the wilderness we would need to be self contained.

So assume we have solar panels, generators and a bunch deep cycle batteries. What would be the best solution to keeping a 10x14 canvas wall tent cool with 2 to 4 people inside, plus laptops and a pile of drives when it gets hot?

Dave

 

[adrenaline503]

I believe the best option would be to get a small AC unit and power it with a generator. Only run your generator when your gear is running. Get a rack of some sort, the kind bands carry their sound gear in for example. Pipe in the cool air to just the rack and keep your drives in there. You could also run some insulated flex tube along the top of a bench with outlets to your laptops. If your tent is eight feet tall you will have 1120 cubic feet to cool, and canvas has a poor R value, not to mention it isn't going to be close to air tight. It also would be to cover the top with a highly reflective material to help keep the temps down, I have used emergency blankets before, just wear sunglasses around it . I know that down in the equatorial oceans it is nearly impossible to keep large exposed non airtight structures cool, unless there is a strong breeze that you can work to your advantage. Of course open walls and wind isn't that great for electronics. Sadly, the people might have to suffer.

http://www.hardigg.com/Hardigg-Product.asp?ProductNum=472-AC6000

If you want to keep an entire tent cool youll need one of these, what a PIA:

http://www.coldair.net/trailermount.html

 

[Scott Brady]

I have used the Swampy units with good success. If you are in the deserts (low humidity), they are quite good.

http://www.swampy.net/

 

[DavidEllzey]

Yeah, have you ever heard the high pitch whine from an unconfortable editor? For the sanity of everyone else, even the people in the edit tent need to be cool. The Hardigg solution looks very cool (no pun) I'll have to find out how much it is.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

The problem with swamp coolers is that they don't help the equipment, just the people.

Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

Jebus! The Hardigg Tacticool is a sizzling $30k, a bit more than I had hoped for. Thsi discussion is definitely still open for options.

Dave

 

[adrenaline503]

No, but I have heard the whine of a Junior Officer, I imagine it is quite similar. Perhaps fans for the people and AC for the equipment. You could direct some the AC to where people are sitting, maybe a small fan blowing the left over AC down the bench? I don't know the math, but how many BTUs of cooling do you need to keep a tent cool when you aren’t reticulating 100% of your air? I guess you have to know that, and then find out what kind of unit puts out that much. How hot do expect the ambient air temperature to be?

Yeah, have you ever heard the high pitch whine from an unconfortable editor? For the sanity of everyone else, even the people in the edit tent need to be cool. The Hardigg solution looks very cool (no pun) I'll have to find out how much it is.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

I am considering something like this:

I will see if they will give me a white rain fly to help reflect heat. The floor is 10x14 the peak inside height is 8' and the sides are 4.6' - So a little less than your 1120 cu/ft calculation.

We will be starting in April at the Mexico border in California. Following up the low mountains up to Mt San Jacinto, then west to Agua Dulce north over the Mojave then east again along the base of the southern Sierras, turning north along the eastern Sierras all the through northern California, around the west side of Mt Shasta then back to the Cascade range all the way to Canada. We should move once a week, 100 - 200 miles at a time arriving in Canada around September.

So the climate will vary greatly, and depending how hot next summer is there are several places that could scorch, the SoCal deserts, the Mojave and lower Sierras, Northern California and southern Oregon.

Dave

 

[jpabel]

I believe I saw a complete trailer that was used by the military in Iraq for sale. Surplus Goods or something a couple years back. Inflatable Tent, generator, ac unit and all the goodies to make it work on a trailer.

 

[GreenToys]

ugh that editor's high pitch squeal!...been there. What type of drive arrays do you use? Because back when I used to work for a systems integrator co. , we usually place the static equipment which luckily are the most heat and noise producers ie. drive array, cpu, amp (not the editor )in a rack and remotely in a 'machine room'. There it is climate controlled and back/top of the rack are exhausted out releasing the heat somewhere else. Maybe you can apply the same thing with your tent setup, except you will be using portable ac unit/s and watch your humidity level as well. For the drawback, now that the people area is nice cool and quiet, when the editor scream-screech and squeal......lol

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

THIS company should be able to help you

 

[DavidEllzey]

ugh that editor's high pitch squeal!...been there. What type of drive arrays do you use? Because back when I used to work for a systems integrator co. , we usually place the static equipment which luckily are the most heat and noise producers ie. drive array, cpu, amp (not the editor )in a rack and remotely in a 'machine room'. There it is climate controlled and back/top of the rack are exhausted out releasing the heat somewhere else. Maybe you can apply the same thing with your tent setup, except you will be using portable ac unit/s and watch your humidity level as well. For the drawback, now that the people area is nice cool and quiet, when the editor scream-screech and squeal......lol

In my studio, we also have a machine room but in the field I'm not planning on using a rack, tech has come a long way recently and we should be able to run everything of laptops with external drives. More specifically, Final Cut on Mac Book Pros, Sonnet Fusion F3 portable drives over eSATA. Backup will be to Lacie Rugged drives.

Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

I believe I saw a complete trailer that was used by the military in Iraq for sale. Surplus Goods or something a couple years back. Inflatable Tent, generator, ac unit and all the goodies to make it work on a trailer.

I need something that we can drag down easy OHV roads. Otherwise I could solve this with RVs. I would love to get a surplus mil ac unit that's man portable like the Hardigg.

Dave

 

[UK4X4]

http://www.air-conditioner-america.com/product.asp?product=DWC056CL

550W...you'd probably need a 2000w geny though on startup

Think along the lines of cooler than outside but not exactly 70oF as per a house as others have mentioned a tent is just a tent.....close all the windows....and you now need lights as well as cooling....

Think of it as better than a fan...

Refridgerated hard drive enclosure........mmmmmm just the excuse you need

1 off Engel 45......with the TWOzone....set up

engel 45 beer and food...two zone Hard Drives's mounted in a rack easily to drill through....