How To Make Your Own DIY Tent Air Conditioner

Step 1 - Drill Holes

Fill the bucket with about 1.5 to 2 gallons of water and mark the water level. Drill holes in the bucket above the waterline, I used a 2.5 inch drill bit. The more holes the better but make sure it does not weaken the structure to the point where it is too unstable.

Step 2 - Insert Cooling Pads

Fit the cooling pads. You can use the this organic pad (Aspen)
or this synthetic (Duracool)
one. I found the Duracool one is easier to cut.
Cut the first pad 33.5”x13” and glue the ends together with some bathroom sealant (or stitch it if you want).

Step 5 - Install the Fan

Install the fan (12V). You can use a PC fan
or something stronger depending how much air you want to move. Remember the stronger the fan the more power it will use, if you are going to run it from your car the bigger the fan the better.  I like the idea of having the fan under the lid so you can use ducting on the top.

Step 6 - Duct the air

Duct the air to your liking. The cooler will have to be outside the tent for maximum cooling effect so a septic line glued to the top of the lid and then some AC ducting to your tent entrance.

This swamp cooler uses minimal water, adding a liter of water every couple of hours will be fine. You can expect about 2 days of continuous running on a car battery but adding a solar panel
will charge it enough so that power is not an issue. I spliced the pump and fan into this 12v car connector
and run it straight of my car.

Here is a link to a different way to make the evaporation cooler: