Reviewer Profile
Tested Performance
Visual Highlights
Cooling Performance: Fast, steady cooling made a strong first impression: cool air arrived immediately and continued through about one hour of operation.(19:19)
Heating Performance: The heat pump added useful climate flexibility by producing warm air during the brief initial check.(21:34)
Noise Level: Quiet operation was a clear positive, with Zach finding the outdoor unit fairly quiet even on turbo.(21:06)
Roof Integration: The finished roof layout placed the Glacier Pro between rack crossbars with about a quarter inch of clearance while preserving room for a 600W fixed solar array.(13:28)
Recommendation: A successful first run makes this combined 12 V cooling and heating unit worth considering for similar van projects.(21:29)
Detailed Analysis
Cooling That Felt Good from Startup
Zach installed the OutEquipPro Glacier Pro on an Out There Vans Sprinter shop van and started it without other cooling running in the building. The shop interior was estimated in the mid-to-upper 70s °F, while the outdoor forecast was around 80 °F.
Cool air felt immediate at startup and remained pleasant on turbo. After about one hour, the unit continued blowing cool air. That steady output made the initial cooling check a clear success in these moderate shop conditions.
The heat pump also produced warm air during a brief switch to heat mode. The test was short and took place on a warmish day, but it confirmed that both cooling and heating were operational in the completed rooftop installation.
A Rooftop Layout That Rewards Careful Measuring
The actual installation used a 14 × 18-inch roof opening. The unit body can also fit through an existing 14 × 14-inch fan opening, although that route requires eight additional mounting holes. Those dimensions matter before cutting, especially when a roof already carries other equipment.
This van kept 600 W of fixed rooftop solar around the air conditioner. The roof rack made that layout possible, but the forward and rear crossbars had only about 1/4 inch of clearance from the unit. Zach considered the Glacier Pro larger than a Nomadic unit and thought it might be slightly larger than a Dometic RTX 2000, so this case shows why a full roof layout should be checked first.
Straightforward Installation with Practical Workarounds
For a shop that has installed a wide range of rooftop air conditioners, the Glacier Pro was fairly straightforward. It arrived with almost everything needed apart from sealant, and its preinstalled threaded inserts eliminated one setup task Zach normally encounters on another common unit.
The 12 V power connection uses one 6-gauge positive-and-ground circuit, and the supplied wiring included an inline 100 A fuse. The exterior wiring loom required a separate sealed roof entry. Zach used a solar-style cable-entry housing and estimated that this choice added about half an hour of work.
- The build required both the main roof opening and a separate cable entry.
- Mounting-bolt lengths were matched to the roof channels and intended ceiling depth.
- The completed layout retained room for the roof-rack crossbars and solar panels.
Quiet Operation and Useful Airflow Control
The outdoor unit remained fairly quiet even with turbo mode running in a quiet shop. It was clearly audible, but Zach was happy with the sound. That makes the noise result a genuine positive from the first test without overstating it as silent.
Controls on the interior face handle the basics, while the wireless remote adds turbo and swing functions. Manual fins direct air forward, backward, or down, and a motorized fin sweeps it from side to side. Fan mode recirculates cabin air rather than drawing fresh air from outside.
A Strong First Look for Combined 12 V Climate Control
Zach found the Glacier Pro less expensive than common alternatives he discussed, while it combined cooling and heat in one unit. Its extra wiring step and large rooftop footprint required planning, but he viewed the workarounds as easy and not deal breakers.
Most importantly, the installed unit cooled immediately, continued producing cool air for about an hour, delivered heat on command, and stayed fairly quiet on turbo. For similar van projects that need both functions from one 12 V rooftop unit, this positive first test makes the Glacier Pro worth serious consideration.
