Wow, you've had incredible luck! The ones I see now are so utterly disposable that it's not even funny. Other folks I know concur on this. I now carry a high quality bicycle pump in my car, the classic stand-on type, and it has proven itself unstoppable, in temperatures high and extremely low.

It’s weird that my good luck would manifest itself in 12V air compressors. If anyone from the Luck Department is reading this I’d happily trade this in for lottery tickets.

With that said my garage sale find has to be at least thirty years old and still works. The jump pack air compressors we have are not intended for a heavy duty cycle — if I recall correctly they’re to cool for at least ten minutes after each thing inflated. But I’ve used them last summer (tire issues on both my car and Mrs. Magnet’s) and they worked.

Now that I think about it, I retract any complaint to the Luck Department about compressors.



How long does it take to get enough pressure in a car tire?

I have an old jump start box dad bought but it wasn't strong enough to start his Massey Ferguson so he gave it to me. I had to put in a new battery a few years ago but have used it to air up car tires, bike tires, kids pool/toys, etc.

If you're going to carry fix-a-flat, double bag it in the heaviest bags you can find or store it by itself in something like an ammo can. They will make a mess of everything around them if they get a hole.

Replacing the batteries in jump boxes gives me joy.

Haha, don't misunderstand me, I think that's awesome! There is no reason a 12V compressor cannot be made to last and be reliable. It's just that the ones I see now are not trustworthy, and that's a sad commentary.

The hand pump I'm talking about is a bicycle floor pump, so it moves a lot of air. In a 16" car tire, I go from low to full in a maybe 3-4 minutes. Dead flat would be a lot longer of course, and I'd be tempted to jack the vehicle slightly to try to preserve the bead seal regardless of the air source.

Doug, I have been using this compressor from CT for quite a few years on our truck (20 inch tires) and trailer. I like that the compressor connects directly to the battery, and has a twin-cylinder motor. The combined length of the power cord and air hose is about 25 feet. I ditched the hard case that came with the compressor, and it easily fits in the back seat under-storage area.

These are also quite popular with the off-road guys.

BC (Before Covid) the compressors would come on sale for $69.00 or $79.00 CAD. I have been thinking of picking up another to keep as a spare.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-eliminator-heavy-duty-tire-inflator-0095032p.html

That said. Those bike floor pumps that you mentioned, also work great, if you can find a well made one.

Sad thing is you can buy a whole new box for less than the price of the replacement battery. But hopefully since this one has lasted so long I figure it much be made decent.

Thanks, Teslinhiker, it's good to know there is still some non-junk out there. If I was running a big truck instead of a 4-banger, I might be looking for something a little faster than a floor pump.

Cheers,
-Doug

I used a bicycle pump for many years. It's fine for compact cars (120 pumps from flat to full), and can handle midsized sedans in a pinch. But, one you get to SUVs, forget it.

A couple of years ago I invested in a VIAIR 12V pump. It's head and shoulder above the plastic horrors you can get at Target.

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And what did I do to prepare today? I ordered camping gear for the rest of the family. Have two kids in scouts, and a wife as a scout master, means lots of gear! I'm going through culture shock with all the crap that constitutes the "necessary" luxuries of car camping compared to backpacking.

EDIT: The tire plug kits are a lot better than fix-a-flats. The plugs are supposed to be temporary, but they'll last several years before needing replacing. Also, a lot of tire repair shops refuse to work on a fix-a-flat filled tire because of the unholy mess left inside.