I Tried This Rechargeable Air Compressor. It Actually Keeps Up Off-Road

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Portable air compressors have gotten smaller—but not always faster. The EtenWolf Vortex S7 air compressor aims to change that, promising high-powered, cordless inflation strong enough for truck and off-roadtires. Designed for overlanders and off-roaders, it’s designed to air up faster without the bulk of traditional 12-volt setups. After testing it on 33-inch tires, one thing became clear: this compact compressor is playing in a much bigger league.

With overlanding and off-roading in general becoming more popular and ever-more capable trucks, SUVs—and even CUVs—hitting the market, the need for a reliable, rechargeable, and fast air compressor is apparent. Most of us who have been wheeling for years use a bulky tire inflator that clips to the 12-volt battery or, for those more serious about their off-road adventures, have a dedicated one mounted under the hood (or somewhere on the truck). The problem is that most of those options (minus a burly vehicle-mounted inflator or CO2 gas system) are slow as molasses at refilling big off-roading tires. Rechargeable air compressors have come a long way and are more compact and powerful than ever, but still are pokey when refilling truck tires after a backcountry trail adventure.

The EtenWolf Vortex S7, though, is touted as a faster and more efficient rechargeable inflator that's purpose built to quickly refill bulky 4x4 tires. I got one to test recently so I put it to the test before heading out on some intermediate terrain in the woods around a friend's farm. 

To test, I simply deflated my Toyo Open Country R/T 285/70R17 (or 33-inch) tires on a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser to 18 psi. Then I dialed the EtenWolf to 34 psi, my regular road air pressure, and hit the Start button at the same time as my iPhone stopwatch. The Vortex S7 sprang to life immediately and started chugging away at a considerable faster pace than most rechargeable air compressors, as far as my ears could tell. When it got close to 34 psi, around 33.5, it stopped and stuttered a few times, which I thought was a glitch, but apparently (after trying it on my other tires) it does that when it nears your max pressure as it throttles back to not go past it. 

After timing it on all four tires, it had an average of 2 minutes and 20 seconds, which was much better than my other, less powerful compressors, but wasn't close to the claimed stat of 30 seconds on a 30-inch tire. I'm not sure if that's from dead flat to the recommended pressure of around 30 to 40 psi, but that was close to my experience. Nevertheless, this is a powerful compressor and I will still be using it to air up my tires for the foreseeable future, considering that it holds up over time. Battery life seems impressive with it only dropping one bar after filling all of my four tires, plus one tire twice.

The Vortex S7 uses two 260-watt motors with a 38,400mAh battery to get things inflated quickly, which includes all kinds of vehicle tires, bike tires, motorcycle tires, inflatables, and more. It has a handy LED light for nighttime, roadside fill ups and claims to stay charged for 24 months, which is huge if true. There's nothing more disheartening that pulling a rechargeable from your truck to find them almost dead, whether a power bank, inflator, or jump box. 

It has a high pressure hose (up to 160 psi) and a flexible soft hose for inflatables with a inflate and deflate option. It comes with two attachments for that hose, an insertable type and screw on, but not one of the locking types that fit with most rigid inflatables like SUPs and kayaks, unfortunately. I learned that the hard way, so pack one with it if you plan on airing those up.