Truck Camping Photo Thread

Biking and camping in Crosby, MN. Set up my tent and not 5 minutes later a diesel Colorado pulls into the spot next to me with the same setup.

 

Loving my new battery power setup. The Paxcess is a 40,800 mAh battery pack. It powered 3 sets of LED lights and speakers as well as 3 cell phones for 4 days. It didn't even dip below 1/2 way for the entire trip.

 

Really looking at getting one of these. Don't have the need for a bigger gas generator at this point and at the price point it seems great. Do you have the solar setup or just charge before you go?

 

I have a solar panel that I might add in the future. This last trip was my first and I just charged it up before we left and it had more than enough juice for 4 days.
We were powering 2 of these.
https://www.barebonesliving.com/store/products/lights/beacon

and one of these

$89 Power Practical Luminoodle Basecamp - 20 ft LED Outdoor String Lights - 12V Outdoor Color Changing Lighting Strip with Remote for Boats, RV, Camping, Patio - Waterproof Light Rope up to 1000 Lumens

https://www.amazon.com/Luminoodle-BASECAMP-Options-Control-Camping/dp/B01G7SU4MM

It also charged up 2 iPhones for the entire trip.

I would recommend grabbing one of these as well. There is only 1 adaptor for the cigarette plug.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VTQDDQW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Im looking for white LED 12v string/Christmas lights like these -

Any suggestions? Ive looked and havent found exactly what Im looking for.

Everything I keep seeing comes with a 12v adapter and wireless controller. I just want something simple - 12v plug into a string of white LEDs.

 

try an RV store like Camping World.

 

This is what I have and it was just $6.99 at Amazon. Powered by 3 C cell batteries. Works pretty good and is surprisingly bright.

Joomer 50 LED Fairy Lights Battery Christmas Lights Multi-Color

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JRQECF6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit: here are some that are all white

$16 LOENDE 18ft 50 LED Battery Operated Christmas Lights, 8 Modes with Timer - Waterproof for Indoor & Outdoor Decor

https://www.amazon.com/LOENDE-Chris...rd_wg=UTTzs&psc=1&refRID=ETZPQN99FZG0434DVA8F

 

anything that has a 12V wall wart, you can just wire up the same connector to some lamp cord to a cigar plug and run it on 12V from your vehicle. I like the RGB ones where you can pick the color, find a nice warm white for normal use, or go purple or green or something and get freaky.

 

Thanks for the links. I need to search around some more. I have no issues building what I need if I cant find a string of 12v LED lights. I can remove the wall converter and add a 12v socket to a set if need be.

The battery pack powered lights got me thinking and I searched a lil more. USB powered christmas lights exist which might be what Im actually looking for vs 12v powered lights.

 

USB power is 5V... and USB cables can't be over like 30' long but that may be plenty.

 

That's pretty spendy. Here's another option that could potentially work.

TINGKAM Led Strip Lights Kit 32.8 Ft (10m) 300leds Waterproof 5050 SMD RGB LED Flexible Lights with 44key ir Controller and Power Supply for Home,Kitchen,Trucks,Sitting Room and Bedroom Decoration.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQSKVI2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I did test a number of other options in an LED setup, but the Luminoodle really worked well right out of the box, and lit up our entire campsite. Those Tingkam lights look pretty good for the cost, but the connection is not waterproof. I spent the extra bucks on an all in one product and it did exactly what I needed.

 

Check out SuperBrightLEDs.com They sell parts and pieces if you want to create a light setup yourself.

 

I've ordered from them before. Tons of good stuff on their site but if I can find a prebuilt set up I like life would be easier.

Correct. I have a USB outlet in the bed and need about 30' of lights to go around my awning. Waterproof led USB powered Christmas lights are cheap enough I may order a set and see what happens.

 

Gold Lake, Ca.

Here's the camp site:



Here's the view:

 

Don't worry about how long a USB cables is when only using them for the 5V power.

You really only have to question the length of the USB cable when you are trying to do any type of data transmission because you will eventually run into packet losses the longer the cable is. That being said, I have successfully streamed 720p video from a webcam over a 100' USB cable (but it was amplified).

 

Ordered a set offa Amazon for 7$. We'll see what happens.

 

The ones I have is from ENO hammocks. They run 6 AAA batteries and I bought it at REI. 12 V plug in, you probably can pick up a set at Home Deot it Lowe's.

 

My new setup for those extended stays. I sold my roof top tent and awning and went with the Kodiak Flex-Bow 10x10 canvas tent. It's a bit big, and heavy, but it provides lots of room. I can stand up in it, and it's not attached to my truck so I can set it up and still drive around if needed. Should be really nice in cold weather too.

DSC_3071 by Jonathan Smith, on Flickr

DSC_3073 by Jonathan Smith, on Flickr

DSC_3077 by Jonathan Smith, on Flickr