Creative camping: Turn your everyday box fan into a bug-deterring ceiling fan

The general assumption about camping is that when you head out on your outdoor rendezvous, the comforts of home must stay behind.

When it comes to ceiling fans, however, there is a creative fix that will not only leave you feeling cooler during a summer camping excursion, but will also deter bugs from hovering under your site canopy.

Two years ago, our family invested in a heavy duty canopy that stays up all summer long at our campsite. This year, we decided to add a few fixin’s to the enclosure by installing two simple hand-clamp light fixtures and stringing up a regular box fan.

The fan took some adjusting. I ran two ropes from corner to corner over the center beam of the canopy. However, the fan was off-center until we tweaked the lengths. For this reason, I’d encourage you tie on the ropes with the old Boy Scout standby “taut line” knot shown below.

The taut line allows you to adjust the length of the rope without having to untie and is perfect for a variety of uses from those cords you use to anchor a tent to ropes that secure a hammock between two trees to even the backyard clothesline.

With the box fan-turned ceiling fan, regular usage is much easier if you plan ahead and run the electric cord along the main beam, connecting with appropriate extension cords and weaving along your canopy frame to the closest electric outlet. Turn the fan to its highest setting before taking your ladder down … then you simply have to plug in the fan for it become operational.

Moving air under your canopy will improve mid- to late-summer temperature concerns, especially on still, humid days. The blowing fan also discourages a variety of pesky insects — including mosquitoes — from hanging out where you family wants to spend time.

What are your favorite creative camping projects? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!