I wanted to review the EdgeStar Portable Ultra Compact Air Conditioner. In short, it has been a great unit for our Shasta Compact.
This list is specific to the needs of our Shasta Camper. We only use it on camping trips during the warm months. If you are planning on running your AC on a more regular basis, I recommend reading reviews from people who use it in their home or office.
Benefits of the Edgestar Portable Air Conditioner
Small Size: We needed a unit that would fit beneath our kitchen counter. This unit was the right size. We were unable to find any others that compared. This was 6 years ago, so it may be different now.
Cooling Capacity: It is rated to cool a space that is 150 to 225 sq ft.
Weight: Any time you add or subtract from a vintage camper, you need to take the weight into consideration. Campers are designed with weight in certain areas to make towing them easier. This air conditioner is 56 pounds. At the time, it was one of the lightest portable air conditioners. We removed the oven and felt like we were keeping the weight balanced.
Remote Control: I can turn it off in the middle of the night without walking the whole 4 feet across the room to do it. This really wasn’t a reason we picked this one, but it has been a nice benefit. I don’t have to disturb the husband by getting out of bed to adjust it. Win!
Minimum Damage to the Camper Body: Installing this required one hole drilled in the floor and a small vent to be placed in the front end of the camper. I wanted to do as little damage as possible to the body of the Shasta, which is what led us to the idea of a portable unit in the first place.
How does it perform?
The short answer: great.
The long answer: Missouri summers are hot. If it weren’t for the EdgeStar portable air conditioner, we wouldn’t be able to stay in the camper during the summer. We have camped in 100 degree weather and the unit kept the camper cool. Camping in a shaded spot increases performance. In those cases, we turned the unit up because the camper got too cold.
The unit has been reliable. We don’t think twice about leaving our dog alone for the day while we go out on the water. In 6 years of camping, the EdgeStar has never failed us.
Would we buy it again?
Yes! The only thing we don’t like about this air conditioner is the bright light on the display. I’m a light sleeper. We covered it with duct tape and solve that problem. I’ve seen other reviews where users complain that it is too loud. We typically sleep with noise canceling machines, so we like the fan running. It isn’t too loud for us and drowns out outside noises to keep our dog from barking.
We are happy with the performance and the installation was easy once we wrapped our minds around how to modify the install for our camper. You can read about that here.
Buy your own EdgeStar Portable Air Conditioner here.
