Camp lighting? 12v or mains via inverter?

[WhileInTheWild]

After much searching I finally found some clear Christmas 12v lights with the cigarette lighter plug (each set comes with a plug with 6' or so of unlighted wire and you can hook just the strands of lights together) to provide accent lighting around my awning but I'm having no such luck for lanterns and the like for a brighter light for cooking etc, do such unicorns exist?

Would it be better to just use the inverter (ArkPak) for mains powered lights? I must admit I know little to nothing about inverters but I would think it would use a lot more power than a 12v light especially LEDs.

 

[Johnainny]

You can check out goal zero. They make lanterno that come with a 12 volt plug and 9' of cord with a carabiner so you can hang them. I have three so that you can also chain them together. Also you can check out rhino rack.Com they also have led light strips that are 12 volt.

 

[WhileInTheWild]

Now why didn't I think of GoalZero? Probably because I was a fan of their panels before I knew any better and now I do I'm kind of put off by them, thanks for the tip though!

 

[dwh]

I must admit I know little to nothing about inverters but I would think it would use a lot more power than a 12v light especially LEDs.

Six of one, half dozen of the other. Watts is watts.

Powering lighting off an inverter won't use but a few more watts than running directly off of 12v.
What you plug in to it might use more watts.
A 20w compact fluorescent running from a 120v inverter is going to consume double the watts of a 10w LED running off the battery - plus a few extra watts to feed the inverter itself so it can operate.



I bought a couple of low-voltage outdoor landscape lighting fixtures that have an MR16 socket, like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-GL22...8&qid=1418697749&sr=1-3&keywords=mr16+fixture


Got em for 15 bucks each at the electrical supply house.


Also got some cheap MR16 LED bulbs for them, like this:

http://www.amazon.com/LED-certified...&qid=1418697904&sr=1-21&keywords=mr16+fixture

6 bucks each at the supply house.


Had a couple of these laying around with burnt out motors:

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Burton-8-...e=UTF8&qid=1418698068&sr=1-6&keywords=12v+fan


So I took the clamps and wire (and plugs) from the fans, attached the fixtures and made some clamp-on 12v 5w LED worklights. They work very well. The bulbs don't last all that long, maybe 2 months if used a couple hours a day. But I don't care, they're cheap.

I found I like warm white color better for cooking than cold white.

 

[GFA]

It might not be what your looking for but here's what I made. I use it all the time from camping to trailside repair and even back yard projects that continue into the night.

An adjustable painters pole to mount the light on. Being able to get the light 12'+ overhead without trees makes for an even bright light without the need for trees.

http://m.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-6-ft---12-ft-Adjustable-Metal-Pole/50053469

A cheap led utility light to mount to the top of the pole. Just drill and tap the top of the pole and use the supplied mounting bracket. Then wire it with about 20' of wire to be able to use it at any corner of the vehicle. I used a cigarette lighter plug but you could use alligator clips to hook directly to the battery. I've left it plugged in for 10 hrs with no issues

OC Gizmo LED Work Light Lamp Off Road High Power ATV Jeep 4x4 Tractor 27W 60 Degree Flood Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZGKKMA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_jeiKub04T128M

 

[WhileInTheWild]

Thanks guys, looks like my best bet is to wire up some lights myself. Will add that to the rainy day todo list, was hoping for something plug & play as I already sped too much time working on the jeep and not enough time driving it but that comes with the territory and will make my overland trips all the more enjoyable.

 

[trailscape]

I picked up a couple of these cheap USB bulbs on Amazon. I don't know about durability yet, but they were only 5 bucks a piece. I like them better than my goal zero lights and they have a clean looking light. I run them off a USB battery pack.

http://amzn.com/B00MXRT9NW

 

[Yarjammer]

If you are looking for some "fun" and somewhat usable lighting, check out Target (or similar) during their after Christmas sales. I picked up some self-contained solar powered Christmas lights last year during that time that have worked pretty darned well considering I spent all of $5 on them. Mine are multicolored but I am planning a getting a few white/clear sets this year. I always keep a ton of zip-ties with me and use those to attach them in whatever configuration best suits my location.

 

[MotoDave]

Any reason not to use a 12V work light like this?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XZAQDU/

My friend stuck one on the back of his pop-up truck camper and it makes for a great camp light.

 

[WhileInTheWild]

I'm looking at these right now:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E0L6H5M/ref=gno_cart_title_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3PKPAP2OSZN7

Then just splice it into a 12v accessory extension like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BHGY1O2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then look into ways to mount it like the painter's pole suggested earlier, I was just being lazy and looking for an off the shelf solution.

 

[WhileInTheWild]

If you are looking for some "fun" and somewhat usable lighting, check out Target (or similar) during their after Christmas sales. I picked up some self-contained solar powered Christmas lights last year during that time that have worked pretty darned well considering I spent all of $5 on them. Mine are multicolored but I am planning a getting a few white/clear sets this year. I always keep a ton of zip-ties with me and use those to attach them in whatever configuration best suits my location.

I have these for accent lighting:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OI6714/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Haven't field tested them yet but they were fairly cheap and seem to do what I want.

 

[trailscape]

Any reason not to use a 12V work light like this?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XZAQDU/

My friend stuck one on the back of his pop-up truck camper and it makes for a great camp light.

Those put out decent light, but you have to be careful with the bracket mounting holes. They strip easy and the can snap right off if you over tighten.

 

[rayra]

Running some LED Christmas lights on my roof rack right now for the hell of it, of an inexpensive 100watt inverter. The lights only draw .05A. Yes, 5/100ths of an amp. Burning more power than that from the waste heat coming off the inverter. I could literally leave them running around the clock without inconvenience or harm to my stock battery setup. With a minor risk of fire from a cheap inverter slagging down.

The LED Christmas lights use so little juice that you can run quite a few sets for all the convenience lighting you could want.

Seconding the suggestion of a 12v LED vehicle work light

 

[Zeep]

This thread has shown some awesome options. The Amazon links are great. Keep the idea's coming!

 

[wagex]

Any reason not to use a 12V work light like this?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XZAQDU/

My friend stuck one on the back of his pop-up truck camper and it makes for a great camp light.

i used one of those for a while just bolted it to a conduit juction box with a 5lb lead weight in it and sat it on my hard top with a 10ft cord to plug into the cigarette lighter, that thing was surprisingly bright, bright enough for me to work a 20 yard span of fishing rods no problem, left it plugged in almost all night most of the time fishing.