The Importance of Lighting Your Campsite – the Best Lighting Solutions

A couple of days spent in the great Australian outdoors away from home and work is a great way to recharge your mind and body. Camping is a favorite hobby for a great part of Aussies and that’s for some very good reasons – our country is full of beautiful sceneries, wildlife, and sunsets to see. But as the sun sets on the horizon, so does your ability to see and enjoy your surroundings as well. And this is where camping lighting comes to the rescue. Struggling to see a meter in front of you is not only putting your safety in jeopardy but it can also be incredibly frustrating.

Luckily, technology continues to develop at a rapid rate, and lighting for camping hasn’t been one to miss out. Today you can find a diverse range of outdoor camping lights that are economical, easy to use, durable, brighter and cost-effective. When it comes to lighting, one of the biggest advances in the past few years has been spotted in LED technology. These lights are bright, use very little power and come with an amazingly long lifespan compared to their counterparts. And while some LED light options are great for illuminating the inside of your tent, there are various outdoor LED camping light options that are powerful enough to illuminate your tent’s surroundings ideally. These are some of the most notorious changes in the world of camp lighting in the last several years.

LED Strip Lighting

One of the most common outdoor LED camping light options you will see today are LED strips. These are a string of small LED lights mounted on a waterproof film. They draw little power, they are bright, low-cost and can be easily installed. You can cut them, join them and stick them easily to almost any surface.

Battery Technology

Technology has come to a point when almost any power tool can be battery powered. We’ve come a long way from the standard AA batteries. Today, batteries are more compact, they can store more energy and last a greater number of cycles. If you have a vehicle with decent 12V power, then your options for camping lights are endless. Be that LED strip lighting, compact lights or floodlights, being able to connect them with a 12V power provides you with a lot of opportunities.

Solar and Wind-Up Lights

Changing batteries doesn’t take a lot of time and effort but it can be a real hassle. Fortunately, there is a whole range of outdoor LED camping light options and lanterns that don’t need a battery change. Some of them can be charged via inbuilt or separate solar panels, while others require to wind the handle around to generate power. They do have their own downsides but when used for the right purpose, they can be the perfect lighting choices. Wind-up lights are great as all they need is to wind them up a bit. If you want to go with lanterns, solar ones are a great choice. Just leave them out on a sunny day and you will enjoy their light in the night. However, do not forget that you may need a backup option in case the weather is rainy or cloudy.

What Should You Look for in a Camping Light?

With so many lighting options on the market today, buying a camping light that is going to do what you need it to do can be challenging. Whatever you decide to go for, make sure the light suits your purposes – there’s really no point in buying a floodlight if you can’t connect it to 12V power. Similarly, if you plan on reading a book in your tent at night, buying a top of the range tactical torch is also not the smartest idea. To avoid making the wrong buying decision, keep the following things in mind.

• Size, weight, comfort – Most LED lights are lightweight and compact, even the ones that have high-performance options. Avoid bulky and heavy lights, instead, make sure you opt for ones that are easy to use, don’t take up too much space and make you comfortable with the light they produce.
• Usability – If you need to decide between a headlamp and handled flashlight, the headlamp will certainly beat the flashlight due to its greater practicality. A quality LED light is one thing, but an easy to use light is another. Torches are good but they are not the most convenient option as working with one hand in the dark can be really difficult. On the other hand, headlamps leave your hands free so you can stoke the fire, cook, set up the tent or anything you need with ease.
• Colour – The hue of your camping lights is another important consideration. First, you can find outdoor LED camping light options in a range of colours – from yellow to cool white or red. Second, blue or cool lights attract insects faster when compared to yellow or warm red, so keep this thing in mind for optimal comfort.
• Quality – We all know the popular saying “the poor man buys twice”. When it comes to camping lights, you get what you pay for. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should spend a small fortune on an outdoor LED camping light, but some middle-priced option is certainly a better solution than a three dollar light.