DIY Cooling Hack for Summer Hikes
Summer hiking can be intense—especially when you're hauling camera gear under the blazing sun. One of our Lancer300 users came up with a clever DIY upgrade to beat the heat on the trail. Here's how he made it happen, in his own words.
It’s no secret that summer hiking can be brutally hot, especially deep in the woods where there’s barely any breeze. That’s when I decided to try something new with my Lancer300 camera backpack. I didn’t just want to carry a fan—I wanted it to actually work while hiking. So I figured, why not mount one directly onto the backpack?
How I Mounted a Fan on My Lancer300 Camera Backpack
Thanks to the flexibility of the Magic Arm, which offers full 360° adjustability, I was able to position the fan exactly where I needed it, angled toward my back. I used a compact USB fan, powered by a standard portable power bank tucked into the top compartment. The fan was mounted using a dual crab clamp and a ball head arm,one end gripping the fan, the other attaching to the Magic Arm.
It sounds a bit Frankenstein, but it worked beautifully. The fan sat just behind my neck and kept the airflow going while I hiked. No complicated wiring, no permanent mods—just a smart, fully reversible way to beat the heat.
One of the best things about the Lancer300 is its modular system. It lets me customize and play with the backpack without any permanent modifications. For example, the fan isn’t just limited to being mounted on the Magic Arm. When I’m not using it, I can easily stash it in the laptop compartment or drop it into the space normally reserved for the power module (when the battery isn’t installed). Everything stays organized and protected, and I get to experiment without compromising the pack.
If you’ve ever wished your camera bag could double as a mobile cooling station, this setup might just be your next go-to summer mod. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
