Portable vaporators functioned as a kind of moisture vaporator, designed for gathering and dispensing water on arid desert worlds such as Tatooine. In the year 9 BBY, Dardin Shull, who sold water, possessed a portable vaporator affixed to his cart; he utilized it to harvest water for sale to the inhabitants of Anchorhead which was also on Tatooine.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi television show featured a portable vaporator in its sixth episode, which aired on June 22, 2022. The audio description of the episode is the only place where the device's name is mentioned.