Best Vent Fans For Camper Vans

Choosing a roof vent fan for your camper van conversion is an important decision.  Having a dedicated roof vent fan will help control the temperature inside your campervan, remove moisture, and expel smoke from cooking.  This guide will help you choose from the best vent fans for camper vans.

Choosing a roof vent fan should be one of the earliest decisions you make because you will be cutting a hole in your roof.  So it’s good to have your vent fan purchased and ready to install right at the beginning of your van conversion.  Luckily, there are a handful of tried-and-true options that are hands down the best vent fans for camper vans.

This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure policy.

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MaxxAir MaxxFan 5100K Deluxe

Best Overall Vent Fan

The Maxxair Maxxfan 5100K Deluxe is our best overall pick of the best vent fans for camper vans.  It has all the features you really want, and none that you don’t.

It has a 10-speed motor, intake and exhaust, built-in rain cover, and automatic thermostat.

The Maxxfan line-up has cemented itself as the leader of the vent fans market.  We like this one the best because it has all the most important features listed above, but saves you a little money on features that you can live without.  It doesn’t have a remote control, and the rain cover has to be manually opened and closed by twisting the knob.

But in our experience, it’s not a big issue to live without these features.  With a vent fan centrally located in your van, it’s pretty easy to reach the buttons from anywhere.  And we almost never put the rain cover down.

The built-in rain cover is really what sets the deluxe Maxxfan models apart from the competition.  With the built-in rain cover, you can use the fan in any weather and not worry about rain or snow getting in.  This is also a time when humidity is likely to be high and when you would definitely want to keep the fan running.

You can read our full Maxxfan Deluxe 5100K Review here.

Check Price Maxxair Maxxfan 5100K Deluxe

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MaxxAir MaxxFan 7000/7500K Deluxe

Top of the line vent fan

The Maxxfan 7000K and 7500K are the best vent fans for camper vans.  They have all of the features that we love about the 5100K model but with a few extra premium features.

These models come with a remote control in addition to the controls on the unit.  But some customers have complained that the IR remote doesn’t work well unless you have a good “line of sight”.  And since the fan is often recessed in the ceiling, sometimes getting that ‘line of sight’ is tough.

It also includes an electric vent lid opener.  So the user can raise and lower the rain cover lid with the touch of a button.  Some users complain that the noise of the electric opener is somewhat loud.

The only difference between the 7000K and 7500K models is the color (white or black respectively).

And as mentioned, these models include all the most important features too, like the 10-speed motor, intake and exhaust, built-in rain cover, and thermostat control.

Check Price for Maxxfan 7000K and 7500K

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MaxxFan 4000K Plus

Best Budget-Friendly Vent Fan

The Maxxair Maxxfan 4000K is a reliable vent fan that offers a little savings versus the MaxxFan Deluxe models.

It still has the 10-speed motor, intake and exhaust, and thermostat control.

But the lid is not designed to work in the rain.  And it doesn’t have a remote control or electric opener.

Check Price for Maxxair Maxxfan 4000K

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Fan-Tastic Vent Fan 1200

Honorable Mention Budget Vent Fan

The Fan-Tastic Fan has been an affordable and reliable vent fan for camper vans and RV’s for many years.  But the reason that it falls to the bottom of the list is that Maxxfan has edged them out by providing superior products.  At each tier, Maxxfan just provides better features for about the same price.

At the time of writing this, you can get the superior MaxxFan 4000K for about the same price as the Fan-Tastic Fan 1200.

The Fan-tastic 1200 vent fan offers only 3 speeds and exhaust only.

Also, the manual opening lid is only supported by a single-arm, which makes the lid much less stable in wind or when driving.

Check Price for Fan-Tastic Fan 1200

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Conclusion | Best Vent Fans For Camper Vans

It feels a little weird to have Maxxfan completely dominating the list of best vent fans for camper vans.  But the fact is that they just edge out the competition at every tier.  The inclusion of a built-in rain cover in the Maxxfan Deluxe models is probably the most important feature.  The ability to use your vent fan while it’s raining is frankly very important because that’s when there’s a lot of moisture in the air.  And many campervans cook with propane, requiring ventilation, so you don’t want a little rain to prevent you from cooking dinner.

The Maxxfan vent fan lineup also has lids that are supported by two arms, versus the Fan-Tastic Fans single-arm support.  This makes the Maxxfan lids and rain-covers more stable in wind and at highway speeds.  So with the Maxxfan roof vent fan models, there is basically no issue with leaving the lid open for months on end.  Consequently, the whole comparison between electric lid opener vs manual lid opener is effectively trivial.

However, if your van is too tall for you to reach the ceiling, then I would consider getting a roof vent fan with a remote control.  And extra long vans sometimes include two roof vent fans, but most smaller and medium-sized camper vans are fine with just a single fan.  No matter which fan you have, it’s a good idea to have a second window or opening to increase airflow.

Read our entire post about Campervan Ventilation for more tips and methods.

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Pricing Update

Our general advice was that the MaxxFan Deluxe models are worth the extra cost for the built-in rain cover.  However, we have noticed that the price of Deluxe models has gone wayyyy up (as of May 2021).  This makes the decision a little bit tougher.

We purchased a Maxxfan 5100K for $220 in May 2019, but now I only find it for $300 or more, as much as $440.  Not sure if this is plain supply and demand, or COVID-related supply problems, but the price increase does change the equation.  When we purchased our Maxxfan 5100K for $220 it felt like a no-brainer, now I’m not sure the decision is so easy.  But you will have to decide what the extra features are worth to you.  As of writing, purchasing a Maxxfan 4000K and separate rain cover would cost about $200 total.  Thus saving you about $170, and providing basically all the same functionality except for the ability to lower the rain cover.

But obviously, these prices are subject to fluctuation.  But now you have the knowledge to make an informed decision when you are making your purchase.

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Maxxfan Model Comparison Chart

This chart is helpful for seeing the differences between the MaxxAir Maxxfan models in one easy-to-read chart.

MaxxFan

• MaxxFan 4301K White
• MaxxFan 4401K Smoke

MaxxFan Plus

• MaxxFan 4000K White
• MaxxFan 4500K Smoke

MaxxFan Deluxe

• MaxxFan 5301K White
• MaxxFan 5100K White
• MaxxFan 6200K Smoke
• MaxxFan 7000K White
• MaxxFan 7500K Smoke

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