Portable fans – the best choice to cool you on a hot vacation, camping or a walk out

The portable fans are a lifesaver for those who live in hot places. Going out for a walk with the baby, with the dog, or with friends is much more pleasant if you feel a cooling breeze around your face and body.

The portable fans are a must if you plan a trip or a vacation in the heart of the summer in a southern region when the temperatures rise higher than what we are accustomed to.

And the best portable fans are the ones that are easy to hold in your hand, wear on your neck, attach to your baby stroller, or even a camping chair. They are small enough to fit in your bag or backpack and accompany you everywhere—charged for immediate cooling.

Types of portable fans

There are different portable fans, depending on how you hold and use them. Another starting point is how they operate and if they have any additional functions. Let us take a look at them.

Handheld fans

The most common spread handheld fans have a stick to hold them and a head with blades under a grid for safety reasons.

They are small and light. Usually, there is always a place for them in a bag or a backpack. They can accompany us wherever we go, ready to be extracted and used to cool us down.

The advantage of using handheld fans is that you hold them and may direct the cooling airflow—wherever you like and need it—toward your face, neck, belly, or someone else—your beloved, a child, a pet—everywhere.

Most handheld fans can be put on a table or flat surface to work as desk fans. This is cool because you can use them hands-free.

In the pictures above, it is easy to see that the portable handheld fan may be used in various positions: held – in your hand, standing, or folded at different angles.

Neck fans – bladed and bladeless

The neck fans are designed to be worn on the neck. This is really rational if you need your hands to be free while the fan blows toward your face and neck. They usually have a fashionable headphone design.

There are two major types of neck fans: bladed and bladeless. The point here is that if you have long hair and use a bladed fan – the long hair may tie around the blades. So if you plan to buy a neck fan and use it without tying your hair – take a bladeless one.

On the left, you see the bladed neck fans. The blades are visible and accessible through the grid. The long hair may easily be tied around the fan’s head.

On the right is the bladeless option. Small blades are placed inside the fan’s body so that no hair will be trapped and tied around the blades.

The bladed-neck fans usually have stronger and more powerful airflow as it comes directly from the blades toward you. There is no barrier between you and the blades. And the bladed fans are usually noisier. While the airflow of the bladeless fans is usually not that powerful, it is safer and quieter.

Usually, the bladed fans’ heads are easily adjustable – you can direct the airflow in the desired direction. This is not possible for the bladeless fans with the design above. But there are also bladeless-neck fans with adjustable heads.

Portable hanging fans

Portable hanging fans are another type of portable fan with a hands-free design. They have a cord to be worn around the neck. In this way, the fan is everywhere with you and does not need a space in your back.

Though the portable hanging fans are designed to be worn on the neck, most of them have other options – to be held in hand or to be placed on a surface.

As you may see, the bigger fans with a bigger battery may also be used as a power bank to charge other devices.

Tripod fans

The portable tripod fans have a small, bladed head as well, but much more options for fixing, placing, or holding. The flexible tripod may be used as a stick to hold the fan in your hands as a handhold fan. It may also be bent around a railing—on the terrace, a baby stroller, or a bed.

They may also be used as a phone holder / stand and cool you down while you watch your favorite show or talk to a friend.

Misting fans

The portable misting fans have a container that may be filled with water. When the mister option is on, the water in the container is transformed into mist, and the airflow becomes wet and cooling.

If the weather is hot and dry – you may hydrate your skin while cooling yourself. If you love a specific scent – it may be added to the water in the container for a fresh and pleasant smell around you.

The misting fans are offered with various designs – there are handheld misting fans, misting desk fans and also hanging misting fans.

Clip fans

The clip fans operate as the other types of fans, but they have a clip to be easily attached to some objects. They are mini fans and may also be placed on a desk or a table to be used as desk fans. Some of them may be mounted on a wall too.

Air Purifiers

Air purifiers are devices for domestic or professional use. They clean the indoor air using filters and UV-C light. They operate with a small fan that sucks in the polluted indoor air and forces it through the filters. The pollutants remain on the filters, and the output air is clean, as is the room too.

Air purifiers provide comfort and healthier living conditions for people suffering from allergies and asthma. They remove allergens like domestic dust, pet dander, animal hair, and pollen and may eliminate viruses and bacteria. They also remove kitchen smells and smoke.

There are air purifiers that operate with negative-ion technology. They use electricity to emit negative ions into the air. Usually, the contaminants are particles with а positive charge. When a negative ion meets a particle with a positive charge, they are attracted to each other and stick together. The new formation is heavy enough to fall on the ground, on the carpet, on the sofa, or on a wall.

As a consequence, the air is clean, but the contaminants do not disappear; they are still in the room, but we do not breathe them. There are also small portable mini air purifiers with negative ion technology – that can be worn on the neck like a jewel or held in hand, like a mini ionizer fan with a handheld design.

Desk fans

Desk fans are used both in offices and homes when the air conditioning system does not manage to cool the living or working space well enough. They should be both efficient and quiet, as well as easily portable.

The two major types of desk fans are rotating and oscillating. Their heads may be placed at a desired angle (up and down), and the fan’s head may oscillate (from left to right and back) so that the cooling airflow may cover a wider space in the room.

They also may be bladed or bladeless and have a misting option. There are distinct designs: plastic, metal, wooden, etc.

Desk fans frequently include a night mode for ultra-quiet operation as well as a night light. They may be placed on a table or a desk; some have a clip to be attached to the edge of a table or other elements of the interior.

Power, battery life, and charging

Mini fans are typically powered by batteries. So consider the battery life—how long the fan can run on a single charge. Also, get informed about how long it takes to charge the fan’s battery from 0% to 100%. Does the fan support fast charging, and what are the charging speed options?

Check if the fan operates only with rechargeable batteries or if you may buy and use non-rechargeable batteries in case you need them and cannot charge them.

The bigger fans usually operate plugged into the electricity grid. In that case, check how long is the cord is and estimate the distance between the place you plan to use it and the wallet socket.