Another option is a CO2 tank. I first bought the 5 pound tank with unfreezable hardware to daily refill my 37x13.50 Jeep tires from 8 pounds to 28 pounds, day after day at Moab. The CO2 would last as long as I did in Moab: about a week. The trail called Helldorado, NE of Moab @ 8 pounds:
This was and still is the quickest fill on the market. When I started to get bigger and more voluminous tires on the truck camper, I found a need to fill that volume from 20-22 pounds at the lowest sand pressure to 65 or 80 pounds, depending, at the return of pavement. The 5 pound tank was not enough. Traded the '5' for a '20' pound aluminum tank and it lives in the back seat strapped upright in the center where i can reach all four wheels on the truck. This one should get us through our around the U.S.A. via the edges trip, camping ON every beach we can.
You do need special hardware when using CO2 since the gas comes out of the tank frozen, even on a hot day. But the reward is the speed at which you can reinflate a tire. I've even repaired tires ON the truck with a hole in the tread or sidewall using just the Safety Seal tire plug kit and the CO2 tank. My personal max was 17 plugs to seal a 4 inch gash in the sidewall and drive on that tire for another few days. Hint: it's the glue on the little caterpillar looking plugs that makes Safety Seal stand out from other brands.
I burned, literally in one case, right through several China Freight and other introductory so called high volume 12v air compressors. One failed on the first fill. One blew a fuze immediately. The fuze was a 35 amp, the replacement of which is unavailable in the U.S. Even with long pauses, one got through a couple of my truck tires after doing the White Rim Trail and got so hot because of a miniscule duty cycle it melted into one piece-no moving parts. Why, O why did i continue to think this cheap item could possibly stand up to the rigors of very high volume, and hi pressure Expedition style tires? I'm reminded of the drill style tiny battery operated compressor advertised on T.V. that promotes the idea that you could pump up a flat car tire, even showing a speedy pump up. Just wait a minute. I can make that little piece self destruct on ONE of my TC tires.
The very best of the on board compressors is a hybrid from an older style York Air Conditioning compressor. A guy in L.A., Brad Kilby started marketing them as a kit and they have become the gold standard for people who want to press some air while away from civilization, as thousands upon thousands of jeepers do. Kilby Enterprizes. My jeeping buddies all use them in conjunction with a small tank and there was no duty cycle to worry about: Quick and efficient. The only woe was lubrication of the pump. It must have a little oil. I think that has been solved. Of course you must have the space in your engine compartment for another a.c. compressor.
So, these are a couple different ideas about airing up tires away from gas stations.
