Roof rack light bar

I'd be interested to hear what you use your light rack for off the roof rack? I have the option and funds but made a deal with myself that things would only be added for a use, as I tend to get things more for looks. Here is what I think it could be used for, but need some help if these are realistic as well as what other ways y'all use them:

-- Kept on while camping where there is no other light. How does this work with battery etc, ? And are they effective - meaning not just a blast of light

-- Perhaps driving at night on a trail.

-- Setting up camp at night

-- Snow driving (which is something I do most every day in winter, although not much at night)

Appreciate any additional uses you might have or feedback! They aren't super expensive from where I'm thinking to get, just not certain I'd use them.....

TT

 

I am a huge fan of my Diode Dynamics SS42 Lightbar, but my needs are much different than yours as I use these for long dark roads and for distance more than anything else.

 

In my UpTop rack I have a Extreme LED 38 inch bar. I converted the outside section from amber to white and combined the two feeds into one. So one switch lights up the entire bar.

 

Truck looks good

 

I personally think that overheads are for looks. There are better solutions to light. Cue my opinionated rebuttals to your use scenarios:


-- Kept on while camping where there is no other light. How does this work with battery etc, ? And are they effective - meaning not just a blast of light

I find that most overhead lights when camping are harsh and useless (with the exception of having light over my cook station).


I have discovered that downcast footwell or puddle lights are FAR more effective for general camp lighting, plus they aren't nearly as consumptive on your battery. Edit: Extra bonus, foot lights don't piss off your neighbors. There was a recent camp trip where I had to go visit my neighbor 250 yards away and yell at him to either shut his lightbar down or point his truck in a different direction, because that shit was blinding as fuck.








-- Setting up camp at night

Again, headlights and light bar are not ideal. They will either blind you or cast confusing shadows over your work.





-- Perhaps driving at night on a trail.

Possible. However, you get more bang for your buck with bumper mounted lights. Overheads might be used as a supplement in my opinion, but they should not be your primary. See below.




-- Snow driving (which is something I do most every day in winter, although not much at night)

Not ideal. You want lights as low as possible for snow, dust and fog (and with a well defined cutoff). You want to light up the trail without lighting up the airborne particulate. Running overheads would be the same as running your brights in the snow, only magnified. You just blind yourself.

 

This pretty much wraps it up; they're pretty much just for looks. They can do the things you want to do with them, but there are far better options out there for far less money too. The only use mine will ever see is driving trails at night to get back to base camp in the middle of the woods on hunting trips. The only reason I even bought it was bc I bought a used roof rack with it already installed.

 

I've got a roof lightbar, and I agree with everybody else that it's...not great. Unless you're desert racing and have a need to see hundreds of feet ahead of you at 60+mph, your money is probably much better spent elsewhere.

I've got a cheap CaliRaised lightbar and honestly if I have the high beams on my truck on, it makes no difference whether the lightbar is on or not except that my hood is now obnoxiously illuminated, and sometimes the bar makes an annoying noise in the wind while driving at freeway speed. Not sure how much power it draws, but I definitely wouldn't leave on without the truck running, the angle of it isn't conducive to setting up camp, and if the night wheeling you're doing involves any amount of turns, more straight ahead light probably isn't gonna help much.

 

Roof bar gives you great long distance light at a cost, hood glare, some colors are terrible, darker colors not as bad. Front, hood and roof all serve a purpose depending on the situation.

 

This is all great, thanks all. I think I will hold for now. I have another light thread coming up as well if you don't mind taking a look.

Happy 4th of July!