Do you love camping during the summer months, but the sticky heat and humidity ruin the fun and makes you exhausted and hot? Don’t sweat it, the Zero Breeze Mark 2 that I’ve been using for the last couple months will save your summer.
This portable AC unit is light and easy to haul around to all my activities, has great battery life and efficiency to last, and lets me get a cool breeze wherever I need it (if I can get it away from my dog)!
What Exactly is the Zero Breeze Mark 2?
The Mark 2 is a portable air conditioner that has 2300 BTUs of cooling power and a super-low power consumption of just 240 watts. You can buy it without a battery for about 900, or with a battery and charger for 1275.
It’s a nice small size and weighs only 16 pounds, so it’s easy to carry along anywhere you want a cool breeze. The fans are quiet so it won’t disturb your day, and it can be powered by pretty much anything.
What’s really unique about this portable AC system is that it was designed to have a dual purpose. You can use it for a stream of cool air wherever you need it, or you can clip a few included tubes onto the front and back to have a very efficient setup for cooling down an enclosed space by venting out the hot air.
How Much Zero Breeze Mark 2 Cool?
A lot of people get confused on what the Mark 2 actually does, so let’s get that cleared up. It’s not going to be your home backup AC if the power goes out, it’s not going to cool down your entire camper. The Zero Breeze Mark 2 is best thought of as a “personal” ac unit. It’ll cool down the area directly around you, about 40 square feet or a car’s worth.
If you’re thinking that 40 square feet sounds pretty small, you’re exactly right. The Mark 2 was designed to put out just enough cool air to make the area directly around you comfortable, and be super efficient at the same time so you don’t need a humongous battery to lug everywhere or be plugged in all the time.
Practicality of the Zero Breeze Mark 2
Even though it’s the most efficient portable AC unit on the market with the least power draw, the 240w that it requires to run will still take a toll on any battery. This isn’t meant for spending a week off the grid – you’ll have enough juice to get through a good day of camping, but you’re definitely going to want to charge up the battery every chance you get.
Until battery technology gets a lot better, this is longest lasting portable AC you can possibly get. Having to charge it up every day doesn’t affect me too much, even though I like camping off the grid and spending nights with no available power I’m almost always doing activities during the day and can find an outlet where I can charge up the battery, or throw it on a solar panel charger for the next cool night of sleep.
Issues with the Zero Breeze Mark 2
I’ve got to use the Zero Breeze for a few good months now, and here are the three things I’ve had issues with.
Water Leakage
The Mark 2 is a fully fledge air conditioner complete with a compressor, so like all other AC units it makes some water. I’ve found there’s enough space in the Mark 2 to hold water for about 30 minutes before it starts to drain out the back. If you’re outside this isn’t too big a deal, and there’s an included drain hose that comes with the Mark 2 for using it in a car or camper. It’s a little tricky to get the right drain angle though, and the hose always has to be pointing down so it’s difficult to run out a car window.
I like having the Mark 2 in the boat when I’m fishing, and even if the chair swivels around when the boat rocks by a wave the drain angle changes and the Mark 2 starts filling up with water. For the future Mark 3, a built-on water collection bottle or a powered water pump would be a great feature to have.
Front Air Tube
The only other thing I don’t like about the Mark 2 is that the front air tube doesn’t clip on and off quickly like the back two, but instead you have to take it on and off with a screwdriver. It just makes it a bit more bulky when you’re trying to move it around with the tube on.
Button Brightness
In direct sun, it can be hard to see what power setting and mode the Zero Breeze Mark 2 is on. A little brighter mode selection or even a LED display would be a great addition for the feature.
Power Options for the Zero Breeze Mark 2
Though the Zero Breeze Mark 2 does come with a battery that connects right to the bottom and is great for carrying around, it’s super versatile and can be powered through pretty much anything. You can plug it into a power port in your car, use a portable power bank, or hook it up to a 24 volt battery.
If you’re using this to cool down a tent, van, car camper or anything small and stationary I’d recommend just buying a couple deep cycle battery at Walmart for around $200. If you connect them both in series to get the 24 volts needed for the Mark 2, you can get over 13 hours straight of run time, easily enough to get you through the hottest night.
One thing to note for the battery that comes with the Mark 2 is that you can’t power the air conditioner and charge the battery at the same time. The included battery can be charged through a car, solar panel, or regular wall outlet.
My Favorite Use for the Zero Breeze Mark 2
Even though I like camping a lot, I realistically spend more time outside around home than off grid. By grabbing the Mark 2 off a shelf and hitting a single button, I can turn anything I do into a much more enjoyable time with a nice stream of cool air. Whether I’m enjoying time with the family on the deck, working on the car in the garage, heading out on the boat or to the beach the Mark 2 always goes with me.
Speaking of the park, the AC in the back of my SUV doesn’t work and setting the Zero Breeze Mark 2 in the backseat of the car made it very comfortable for my dog on the way to the park and back.
Who is the Zero Breeze Mark 2 for?
Even if you don’t camp a lot, if you like being outdoors at all you should definitely consider getting this. When I first got the Zero Breeze Mark 2, I was skeptical if it was worth it. Of course a cool breeze is nice, but for the $899 cost braving the heat for the two months of heat that Minnesota gets didn’t seem that bad. However, after trying it out for a few days there was no going back. It’s so nice not dripping with sweat when taking the dog out for 10 minutes on a muggy day or actually getting a good nights of sleep in a hot July that it is well worth the cost.
It’s also a must have if you’re looking to camp in their car or if you have a small tow behind or popup camper without an electrical hookup for a full sized AC. You can’t beat this for cooling a small stationary space, then just clipping off the exhaust tubes to carry outside quick.
If you’ve read through this whole article, like what you’re seeing but are still not sure if this is the AC unit for you, buy it and try it! You’ll most likely end up keeping it and if not, Zero Breeze has a 30 day return window, money back guarantee. Your investment is also warrantied for an entire year so can go wild with your cooling.
Comment below and let me know if you are planning on getting one of these portable AC units!