This post is sponsored by BougeRV. All opinions are always my own and are never influenced by any free product I receive or relationship I may have with a company.
What I’m Reviewing
I’m excited to share my review of the BougeRV PC35 3500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner! As an affiliate, I contacted them to see if they would send me one to review for our Route 66 trip!
BougeRV PC35 Specs at a Glance
Compressor Type: Fixed-speed Compressor
Power Consumption: 563W
Cooling Capacity: 1000 W / 3500 BTU
Cooling Area: 212 ft³
Temperature Setting Range: 61℉-90℉ (16-32℃)
Input Voltage AC: 100-120V
Rated Current: 3A
Waterproof Rating: IPX5
Working Temp: 60℉-109℉ (16-43℃)
Refrigerant: R290
Sound Level: 55 dB
Working Mode: Rocket (Strong)/Cool/Sleep/Fan/Dry
Wind Speed Level: 3
Product Dimensions: 21.6×11.8×11.0 inch
Net Weight: 34.17 lbs
Exhaust Pipe Inner Diameter: 3.94 in
Product Warranty: 2 Years
Testing Conditions
We put the BougeRV PC35 through the wringer, from hot and humid conditions (mid-90s) to triple-digit (115) dry heat conditions over 40 days. We tested the product in our three-person rooftop tent, which has a square footage of roughly 39 square feet.
We will also be testing it in our 10-person ground tent, which is 140 sqft, so check back on this post for that.
What I Liked
It still works even after being accidentally dropped 6-7 feet! Ok, hear me out, this wasn’t on purpose, and this was only the third time we had used this as part of our 60-day road trip! I thought for sure our trip was going to be ruined (there’s no way we could sleep in this heat without an A/C). Spoiler alert…Bertha is still going strong (that’s what we named it). She does have a crack in her, but she still drains properly and cools the tent just like the day we took her out of the box.
App Control: Since we keep the unit outside the tent on top of the cab of our truck, it’s nice to be able to control it from inside the tent. Changing the controls manually means crawling down the ladder and then climbing on the step stool to reach the controls.
Cools the Space Down Quickly: Within 30 minutes it dropped the temperature inside the tent by 20 degrees (while the sun was still out and in direct sunlight with no shade). Once the sun set, the tent cooled down even further. Some nights we got chilled, so we added blankets and turned up the temperature to keep it from kicking on as often.
Carrying Handle: I appreciate the carrying handle, which makes it easier to move, despite my husband’s butter fingers.
It’s Quiet: The BougeRV PC35 was quiet, with only some normal gurgles from the compressor and air through the hose (it was quieter inside when we used the hose to blow the exhaust out of the tent instead of blowing the cold air in during our first test). We had no issue sleeping from any noise it produced, whether inside or outside the tent.
What to Improve
Needs a return/intake hose – other brands use two hoses for their portable A/C units for efficiency. One hose is for the intake, and the other is for blowing the cool air out. This isn’t an issue if you keep the unit in the tent with you, but most people with rooftop tents keep the unit outside because space inside is limited.
Currently, it comes with one hose and bracket attachment, which you can attach to either the exhaust (hot air coming out if you use it inside the tent) or the blower (where the cold air comes out when using it outside the tent). Adding an additional hose for the intake under the blower would greatly improve the efficiency of the unit by allowing it to take in already cooled air instead of constantly drawing in hot air and trying to cool it.
This becomes a significant issue when you are not on shore power and are running on battery in hot environments, such as when nighttime temperatures are in the mid-80s or higher. It just draws too much power all night to keep the inside cool, which means you drain batteries at a fairly quick speed. We found that we needed to run the A/C on turbo all night when the lows for the evening were 85+ and the highs were in the triple digits. Because of this, we could not boondock for the second portion of our trip in the desert when the temps at night only got down to the low 90’s. Having that second hose, I believe, would have greatly improved the efficiency of the unit and allowed our battery consumption to be much more manageable.
Adjustable Feet – I would love to see adjustable feet added to the bottom to get it in the correct position on uneven or slanted surfaces.
Overall Impression
Overall, we are happy with the unit. It performed very well in both humid and dry conditions despite taking a 6-7 foot fall onto gravel. I would like to see an additional hose added for the intake, which will allow for better efficiency while placed outside the tent. This shouldn’t be too difficult to implement since someone on ETSY has already created one for it (although his may not attach correctly according to reviews).
Speaking of humid conditions, make sure the drain tube is inserted real well, as it does a great job of removing humidity (maining puddles of water will form overnight if you forget to put the tube in)! We also had to elevate the front end of the unit up a tad to ensure it drained properly (this is where adjustable feet would come in useful).
In dry heat, we had zero condensation come out of the tube, and it seemed to run more efficiently.
We also found that wrapping the vent hose with an insulation sleeve helped improve the temperature of the air coming in by keeping it cool as it moved through the tube and into our tent, blocking the rays of the sun.
Where to Buy the BougeRV PC35
You can buy the BougeRV PC35 directly from BougeRV. Use the code NUTTY for $30 off, valid through September 30th.
Video Review
Coming Soon!
Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the manufacturer for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. This review also contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links at no additional cost to you. Please consider this when evaluating my review, and always do your own research before making any purchase, as results may vary for others.
Leave a Comment or Suggestion