Before you hit the road, it's important to bring some lights for your camping trip. Different types of lights can be used for various purposes, like seeing in the dark, fixing equipment, hiking, and so on. The following looks at some camping lights, including their features and benefits, to help you choose the best lights to use while you're out camping:
Types of lights
- Electric lantern It's powered by a long-life battery and uses LED light that has an excellent light output and isn't hot, so it's safe for kids. It can also handle rough use and is quiet and free of exhaust.
- Gas lantern It's powered by liquid fuel or propane or butane gas, with a refillable tank or disposable canister and glass windows. It emits an intense light that can light up the whole campsite. It's also fuel-efficient, small and easy to use.
- Candle lantern It's silent and uses one or more candles to produce a soft and natural light, which provides a pleasant ambience. You can also use a reflector to increase its glow and it can be used for tasks that are done up close.
- Hozuki LED candle lantern and mini Hozuki lantern They're both versatile and produce a yellow light that can be dimmed automatically or manually. If moved quickly, it can flicker like a candle and turn off, but this mode can be adjusted. They also have lampshades made of silicone that can be compressed and removed, which make them easy to pack and clean. The LED lantern can be hung from anywhere and the mini lantern can be secured to straps and comes in various colours.
- Tulip LED lantern It can be used for anything, like as a desk-lamp, illuminating a larger area, getting dinner ready, playing card games, or it can be hung in the tent. Its long neck can be adjusted to your needs, and its gravity sensor knows how the lantern is set up and will focus its beam appropriately. It has a 250-lumen light output and runs on three D batteries or it can be powered through its USB port.
- Snow miner headlamp/lantern This combo is light and affordable. It can produce a bright or soft light with its dim mode, and it has a strobe mode as well. It has 110 lumens and a dome made of silicone that you can press to focus the beam. The headband also has an inconspicuous hook that can convert the headlamp into a lantern.
- Mola headlamp It has a built-in counterweight that can auto-adjust the LED light's angle to your line of sight. You can turn this feature on or off with a button. It also has a light that blinks when the batteries are low on power and need replacing.
- Lapel torch It's tiny and can be placed in front of you or on your hands, as well as on a rod or vest with a magnetic clip. It has 60 lumens that can last 140 hours and weighs about 1.4 ounces. It's a great tool for camping, strolling or changing a tyre at night.
- Strip light It's a strip roll with bright white, cool or warm LED lights and 3M adhesive backing. A 5-metre strip can weigh 100 grams and you can cut the roll to any length and it would still work properly. It has 12 volts and can be powered by your vehicle or a small 12-volt battery. It also has 1,350 lumens that can last 100,000 hours. It's dustproof and waterproof too.
Benefits of LED lights
LED headlamps, lanterns and flashlights that are powered by battery or solar energy and can be very useful throughout your camping trip. Here are some of their main assets:
- High brightness Both small and big LED lighting equipment give off intense light that gives you a bright and clear view of the area you're shining the light on. For example, when you're looking inside your bag or outside the camp, or cooking meals.
- Surviving rain, storms and darkness A waterproof LED flashlight and headlamp are perfect for rainy or stormy weather. LED lights can also help you see at night or when the sky is dark during the day.
- Emergency warning signal There are LED lights that can send an emergency signal from far away. These include emergency vehicle LED lights, an LED flashlight that can be recharged or a pocket LED flashlight.
- Small and battery-operated Some LED lights can fit inside your pocket and won't weigh you down while you're hiking or exploring the woods. And with batteries, you can turn the light on and off whenever you want.
Other things to consider
- Maximum light output The higher the lumen count or output, the brighter the light is. But the higher the wattage, the shorter the burn time or battery life.
- Light duration Check a gas lantern's burn time by looking at how long it can provide light with a tank of fuel, and an electric lantern's average run time with one set of batteries.
- Batteries Don't use lithium or lithium-ion batteries for electric lanterns or battery-powered lights unless stated by the manufacturer. Alkaline batteries can lose power fast if the temperature is below -6.67 °C.
- Mantles Gas lanterns depend on mantles made of cloth to provide light. So bring several cloth mantles for your trip.
- Size and weight Small and light LED lanterns, headlamps and flashlights are generally better than other types of lights.
Outbax can help you choose the best lights for your outdoor camping activities. Outbax ships products for free and offers some discounts. For more information, visit Outbax.
