Shell Wiring For Camping

I plan to wire my dome light to some LED's or something for camping. Is it best to wire it to a battery pack so I don't drain my battery? Anyone done a camping lighting set up that works well for sleeping in the back and having the light on for extended periods of time?

I'm looking for any help I can get. Thanks.

 

Yes and no, this will depend on the lights that you are using and how long you want to be using them for. LED's in general don't require a whole lot of current so they shouldn't drain your battery super fast. If you are just wanting to put a LED strip in the back of the canopy for some interior lighting that will get used for maybe an hour or two I don't think I'll be a issue. But if you are planning on lighting up your campsite then a second battery isn't a bad idea.

If you will be going out alone and have no way of boosting your vehicle if you do drain down your primary battery a secondary battery for accessories isn't a bad investment.

 

Good to know. I plan to mostly light the inside of the cab for an hour or two before bedtime. I'm wondering if I can run a battery pack (Lithium ion) that I can just charge up before every time I head out for the weekend. Then I'm not draining my car battery and don't have to buy a second battery.

 

You may just need to do a little math before hand to ensure you get a battery pack big enough for how much you plan on using it.

 

For sure. I'm not a wiring wizard so I'll have to figure stuff out as I go and plan accordingly. Thanks for the help!

 

Rechargeable batteries, or a Luci Light.

 

I swapped in a 194 LED into my cap light and it lights up really well.

 

Look into the luminoodle LED strip. It's waterproof and runs off of USB so you can run it outside or in the camper. I have the short non color changing version. I haven't used on a camping trip yet, but it seems like a convenient option where you can run it off of a battery bank.

 

These portable solar lights are popular over at Expedition Portal. I plan on picking up a few, easy to use in different camping situations.

https://www.nokero.com/N233-Solar-Light-Bulb-p/n233-3pack.htm

 

I used to have a pretty complicated wiring/power setup in my old truck, but I've become a convert to a combination of solar charging Luci light plus USB charging headlamp, combined with a USB auxiliary battery that can charge the headlamp, phone etc. Stick the Luci outside or on the dash during the day, and charge the headlamp from the vehicle while driving, or from the portable battery. If I had a 12V fridge I'd consider something more powerful and with some protection against running down the starting battery, but LED lights are so bright and stingy with power, and 5V batteries are so cheap, that's the way I roll now.

 

Watts = Amps X Volts
A led bulb (or any other light of the same power) of 9W have about the power of a 60watts incandescent bulb, plenty for your application. To find how many amps it draws, 9W / 12V = 3/4 amps. Considering that a normal car battery has about 48 amps/hour, a couple hours of lighting would draw 1.5 amps. Knowing that the minimum amps needed to start a car is around 40, you should not have any problem plugging into the actual Taco Power.

Just don't forget to turn it off...

 

If your power needs are greater (or if you just won't take the chance), consider installing a deep cycle battery as extra power. I know there are some writups on how to do this somewhere on TW...