Camp lighting? What do you use in camp?

Black Diamond for headlamps and Streamlight for a lantern. Works great for hanging in an rtt or tent.

$43 Streamlight 44931 Siege 540-Lumen Compact D Alkaline Outdoor Hand Lantern/Flashlight Combo, Coyote

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DII7CTI?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title

 

About decided: two of these on top of an 18-foot fiberglass telescoping fishing lure retrieval pole I already have.



http://www.zebralight.com/H600-Mk-IV-18650-XHP35-Cool-White-Headlamp_p_214.html

Same size as a roll of pennies. 4.5 ounces. Has 1616 lumens. One rechargeable 18650 battery. Two totaling 3232 lumens will give more than enough light to light camp kitchen and table under it, and spill enough for the rest of camp. I don't carry a flashlight anymore. I wear one of these. This incredible little headlamp is what made me retire my vaunted Black Diamond. Not even close.

 

Typical camp setup is a 20# propane tank in a milk crate next to table with a tree attached to the tank. Top of tree gets Coleman dual mantle lantern with amber glass. To me the amber light is pleasing not harsh and definitely doesn't draw bugs. Plus you can dim light down so low it doesn't interfere with star gazing. Headlamp for wandering around and Luci lights in truck bed and GFC. Oh and an insanely bright spotlight that plugs into cigarette lighter if I need to see what's crashing around in the woods.

 

I use a Surefire Saint for a headlamp and a fire for the hang out area. For food prep I bought a Luminoodle (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Practical-Luminoodle-Waterproof-Emergencies/dp/B07KRN6YX1). It's a waterproof LED string that we hang above the stove/grill/prep area of camp. I run it off a small power bank that I recharge during the day with a solar panel. In the tent, I use an LED lantern. I like the LED light sting because I can toss it wherever I need light. Instead of a single bright source, it is 10ft of smaller lights.

 

What I am trying to achieve is bright light from above. After a life, a half a century in fact of lanterns and LED spotlights at roughly head height, bright light that is either behind you, or more often it seems, glaring right in your eyes. I am tired of lights in my eyes, hence the desire to elevate them and enjoy my camping experience even more. Fifty-plus years of fine tuning my glamping, to the point that I leave a 32-foot Southwind motorhome at the house. For me, camp is very quick to set up, spartan, but all I need to be toasty and very comfortable in my hammock or a gravity chair by the fire. Including a 45+ minute hot shower right in camp. Cold beer, hot supper, hot shower, warm bed. If I can just get those lights up and out of my eyes that just might be the icing on the cake. Camp nirvana.

 

Just picked up a Goal Zero crush light for lighting the inside of my tent. I also have a nice Nitecore headlamp I use

 

Luminaid makes nice blow up leds that solar recharge. In the mountains in Arkansas, I noticed no bugs came to the light, use a headlamp and they were all over you in seconds.
https://luminaid.com/

 

I have an led LED strip on top of the camper that's plenty bright and well above my head, I leave it turned off unless it's a social event and people have trouble seeing my bright green cooler .

When I'm alone fire and moon are my preferred lights, with the occasional help of an ancient propane lantern that is half as bright as it used to be.

 

I have been using 3 different LED lights for different needs first one is for lighting up the food prep area and surroundings without blinding everyone that is the Goal Zero 350 lights daisy chained over the area that needs the light. Then when done those get turned off and on with the Mini USB lights with the blue shades and these also can be daisy chained and we put those in the area over the Refreshments are down low so it does not get in any ones eyes but you can see what your mixing or whatever then the last one is the USB Luna touch LED stick light super low power draw in the tent or table other than that no lights just camp fire and I know where the damn cooler is

 

Those Moji lights are great, light enough to toss one in the backpack.

 

Like the OP I am an old guy ... 40 years ago it seemed every flashlight had weak batteries so lighting was dim and yellowish, or just a flickering candle. Over the years with a white gas lantern, and alkaline batteries, and halogen bulbs, then LED’s, camp got brighter. Now I’m in my 60’s, and a bright but adjustable LED headlight for each person, and a Luci light on the table or in the tent, seem to work well enough, along with some campfire glow.

 

You can make some DIY shrimp lights. Get red LED's so it's easier to see at night. Then add some diffusion material for the inside the tube. You could even put a dimmer on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzKzpjgtJi4&t=201s

Diffusion Paper

$11 Rosco Roscolux Tough White Diffusion, 20" x 24" Sheet of Light Diffusing Material

https://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Roscol...BNPPAP89AMG&psc=1&refRID=WK3A5Z731BNPPAP89AMG


dimmer
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RFMY1O/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Etekcity LED Lanterns off Amazon. Been camping with them twice in WNC mountains. Both trips got horrible weather from remnants of hurricanes Alberto and the Michael. Instructions specifically say not waterproof so never had them directly in the weather but got wet multiple times and survived several 7 foot falls into the mud from 35 knot winds. Cleaned them off and no issues so far. Put off pretty good light and you can get a four pack of them for $25 so not too painful if you break them. Picture is light output from 2 hanging in the pop-up canopy.

$28 Etekcity Camping Lanterns for Power Outages 4 Pack, Flashlight for Camping Essentials, Emergency Led Battery Operated Lights, Survival Kit and Gear for Hurricane, Black

www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Portable-Camping-Lantern-Batteries

 

I spent a lot of time around a Coleman mantle lantern when I was a kid. Some of the best light out there as far as I'm concerned. I've had my own now for almost twenty years, but I think I'm switching over to a dim-able LED lantern. For the past three or four years the roads and trails that I find my self on any more beat the hell out of the mantle. On a five night trip this past summer I had to change the mantle every single night because it was tor off through out the day. No mater how well I packed it or where I put it, I always have a torn mantles when we get into camp. I'll still use it when I'm going to be in one spot for a few days (aka hunting camp).

 

^^^ Re: " Dim-able and torn mantels" Eric, the liquid fuel Northstar (and several other more recent Coleman offerings) can be dimmed. The NS uses a tube-style mantel with clips at both ends which seems to be a little more durable than the sock design. I've found their soft padded cases protect things fairly well for me on the trail.

Several have mentioned the sound of a LF lantern as a positive and I agree. For me, that hiss just brings back a lot of great memories. I have the Northstar, a 228H from my sixties college days and a couple of eighties vintage mil-specs. Those military lanterns really roar and will have you looking around to see what jet just passed over when they're running right.

As far as a pole, I use a disk blade from the farm with holes drilled around the edge to stake it down. A female floor flange is bolted over the center hole and sections of 1/2" ID galvanized pipe of varying lengths plus a few Tee's and elbows allow me to hang a trash bag at 4', a lantern for cooking at 8' and a second lantern for an area light at 10'. Other than making camp after dark, cooking or cleaning up from a meal, we don't usually have a lantern (or any light source other than maybe a campfire) going. I do have a quality battery powered LED light with a tight beam on the off chance I need to ID something. NOTE: My stoves are also ancient Coleman white gas powered relics.

 

Like a few others I still use my Coleman

 

I want to get something like this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Foot-Te...rf-Beach-Fishing-Remote-Control-/163194116263

But not going to pay that price for something thats just a long fishing pole with a led on it.

 

We do what most of you do
-headlamps for isolated light
-Coleman propane/white gas lanterns for stationary lights, have one on top of a distribution tree on top of a 20# propane tank that illuminates my kitchen and surrounding area, propane tree also supplies the stove and skottle

-plus we use collapsible led lanterns with rechargeable batteries https://www.amazon.com/Supernova-Ultimate-Survival-Rechargeable-Camping/dp/B00R5N4BRS
The red light is nice, keeps the light dim- we try not to make a big footprint with light, otherwise why did I leave the city?

 

45 mi plus hot shower? Wtf, hope your not in there by yourself.

 

Sadly, yes. Alone. But I am so tired after a day on the water fishing that I would not be good even once as I ever was, so it doesn't matter. After 45 minutes of 140-degree steam I climb into my hammock punch-drunk tired, and so relaxed by a shower/steam bath that I literally giggle involuntarily. I'm over there deliriously laughing my ass off due to total exhaustion and my buddies are like, "I only wish I could laugh like that?" Best moment of the day! At that moment it would be nice if my camp lights would clap off, so we need to add that feature into this lighting hunt. One of these is worth its weight in gold when you are that tired:





That's the shower tent drying out behind the hammock out in the shop. Get's nice and steamy in there. Sure beats that two-minute Navy shower you get from the little water heater in the motorhome.