Jimmy HubbsGoing on a camping trip is an amazing way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It’s also a great way to spend quality time with friends and family. However, there are a few things that you should consider before heading out into the wilderness.
One of these things is lighting. If you’re planning on spending a night outdoors, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough light in your tent.
Why Do You Need Lighting For Your Tent?
The first thing that most people think about when they plan camping trips is what kind of shelter they will be using. They usually choose between tents or hammocks because they know how comfortable those can be. But if you don’t have any experience in this area, it might not be as easy as you thought.
If you’ve never camped before, then you probably won’t realize just how important your lighting system is until after you go camping.
Easy To Find Stuff
You need good lighting so that you can find everything inside your tent without having to turn on all of your lights at once. This means that you’ll need some sort of lanterns or flashlights. These devices allow you to use less energy than traditional lamps do.
If you decide to buy one of these items, keep in mind that you may need more than one depending on the size of your tent.
Safety
Another reason why you need good lighting is safety. When you head outside during nighttime hours, you’ll want to avoid walking around blindfolded. That’s why you need to ensure that you have adequate lighting.
This doesn’t mean that you need to purchase expensive equipment. Instead, you can simply look online for cheap alternatives. There are many different options available, but you’ll only end up paying a fraction of the price that you would pay for something like a Coleman lamp.
Ambiance
If you are going camping with your partner then ambiance lighting is very important. The right type of lighting can help create romantic feelings while making everyone feel safe.
When choosing lighting for your tent, you should take into account the amount of ambient light that you already have. In other words, you shouldn’t add too much additional light unless you really need to. Otherwise, you could ruin the mood by creating shadows everywhere.
Types of Camping Lights
There are several types of outdoor lighting options that you can use for your tent. Some of them include:
Led – Led produce bright white light which makes them ideal for outdoor activities such as hiking and camping.
Solar Power – Solar-powered lighting uses solar panels to generate electricity. Because of their low cost, they are perfect for backpackers who travel frequently.
Fun Outdoor Quiz
Fuel – A fuel-powered lantern like propane lanterns produces warm yellowish light. While they aren’t as efficient as LED light bulbs, they still provide plenty of illumination. The only disadvantage is that they require regular refueling.
Candle – Candles are another option for camping. However, they tend to burn out quickly. Also, they give off an unpleasant smell.
Firewood – Using firewood for lighting might be a bit overkill since they are mainly used for cooking purposes.
Best Tent Lighting Ideas During Camping
Camping Lantern
A camping lantern can be used in many different ways. You could use it as a flashlight or even as a candle holder. A good camping lantern will last longer because they use LED. They usually come equipped with batteries which makes them easy to operate.
Philips Hue Go Portable Dimming Light
With the Philips Hue Go, there are thousands of different colors setting, and you can control them using your smartphone. You can also set them to “cozy” mode, which will provide up to 18 hours of lighting without needing to recharge the built-in battery, but this requires the use of a smartphone.
Motion Sensor Lighting
Motion sensor camping lights are great if you only need them when you need them. You can turn them off when you leave the campsite. They produced very bright light, so be careful not to disturb others while using them.
Glow Stick
These little sticks give off a lot of light when lit up. The best part about glow sticks is that they don’t need any kind of battery power. All you do is stick one end inside something like a cupcake liner and then shake it until it’s glowing brightly.
Glow Sticks are great for camping because they’re cheap, easy to find, and they look awesome! They’re also perfect for camping trips, beach days, and nights out at the movies.
Solar Light
If you plan on staying at campgrounds during daylight hours, solar lights might just be what you need. These types of lights work by using sunlight to charge their internal batteries. Once charged, they provide bright illumination throughout the night. Solar lights are very useful if you’re trying to conserve energy while still having plenty of light available.
String Lights
You may not think string lights (a.k.a. fairy lights) would be helpful but they actually can be quite handy. String lights look really nice strung together along trees or other objects. This gives off a beautiful effect especially if you place them near windows so that people passing by can enjoy the view.
Disk Lights
Another type of light that you can use is disk lights. Disk lights are similar to flashlights except instead of focusing all of the light onto one point, they spread it around. This allows you to illuminate large areas without wasting much electricity.
The most common types of disk lights are LED (light-emitting diode) and CFL (compact fluorescent lamp). Both of these options produce less heat than incandescent bulbs, which means they don’t require a fan to cool them down. They also last longer and use less energy.
Luminaries
Luminaries are another option for outdoor lighting. Luminaries are basically candles placed outside of buildings such as churches or schools. They create a warm atmosphere and add ambiance to a space.
There are several advantages to using luminaries over traditional lamps. For starters, they cost significantly less money. In addition, they consume far less electricity. Finally, they burn cleaner since they contain no toxic chemicals.
Rope Lights
Rope lights are yet another alternative for creating ambient lighting. They can be hung on trees to cast soft shadows across walls. They’re perfect for adding a cozy feel to campsites.
Tea Lights
Tea lights are an excellent way to bring warmth into a tent. Tea lights are small candles made from wax dipped in scented oil. They’re inexpensive and easy to find. Plus, they only take a few minutes to set up before being ready to go.
Candle Lit Lantern
This idea combines two things: camping lanterns and tea lights. It’s called a “candle-lit” lantern because it uses tea lights to make the lantern itself appear to have flames burning within it. If you want to save some time, this is probably your best bet.
Campfire
A fire pit is a great source of natural light. You’ll get lots of light with minimal effort. Just remember to keep your fire safe! Make sure there aren’t any flammable materials nearby. Also, never leave children unattended near a fire.
Handphone Flashlight
It seems like every person has a flashlight app on his/her phone nowadays. However, many phones come equipped with built-in flashlights. The problem is that they usually lack brightness compared to dedicated handheld flashlights.
Factors to Consider When Buying Lights for Camping
Brightness
When buying lights for camping, consider how bright you need them to be. A good rule of thumb is to buy at least three times more lumens than what you will need. Lumen stands for Light Unit Measurement. So, if you plan on having four people camp out, then you should purchase eight lights.
Weight
When you pack up everything you need to live in a remote location, space is limited. You want to make sure that the lighting you choose fits in your camping gear. Also, when you are backpacking to your campsite, weight becomes an issue.
Light Sources
You may not always have access to power sources while camping. This could mean that you must carry around batteries. Batteries tend to weigh quite a bit so try to avoid carrying too much.
Durability
If you decide to invest in a quality camping light, you shouldn’t worry about breaking it after one trip. But, if you do break something, you won’t have to replace it immediately. Instead, you can fix it yourself.
Safety Tips When Using Lighting In Your Tent
- Always use caution when working with electrical devices
- Always turn off all lightings before going to bed.
- Never place anything metal or sharp next to a lamp.
- Keep matches away from heaters and other combustible items.
- Don’t forget to unplug your device once you’ve finished using it.
- Use proper safety precautions when handling lighters.
- Be careful where you put your hands when turning on lamps.
- Avoid leaving kids alone near fires.
- Turn off all outdoor lights before retiring for the night.
- Bring extra batteries along just in case.
Olivia Sanchez
William Fowler