Was curious if anyone has a special setup for campsite lighting?

I currently use a Coleman Northern Nova lantern which is great, but am considering electric options instead of burning through propane.

I am going to be adding a 2nd battery setup so I was trying to find some type of outdoor flood light setup on a tripod that wont totally drain the battery quick. Or maybe even buy some cheap ebay fogs and fab up a small setup that would function more efficiently.

Headlamp and open fire. Not afraid of the dark.

Bought an extendable 8' pole and added a 3" LED light pod on top....also have a yellow lens to tone it down a bit. Fits in a bracket I made for my roof rack.

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That is a pretty bright setup! What light do you use on that pole?

In Colorado you can't have an open fire for 80% of the year so its not really viable unfortunately. Also not as convenient for cooking etc.

This guy here...was super impressed with the pod....this is the brightest one I used to date.

4WDKING LED Pods Flood Light Bar - 2PCS 40W CREE LED Off Road Work Light Truck Fog Lamp Tail Light IP69K Waterproof ATV Cube Lights https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q172YLW..._1GV4DbQD2PWZG

Headlamp has worked great for me

I guess it depends at what "phase" of evening/night camping we're talking about...

If setting up in the dark I've got a pair of 7" light bars on either side of the rack that gives me about 20-30' of light, combined with additional lighting installed on the rear of the rack (and in the rear bumper).

For close around the vehicle ground lighting, my rock (errr ground) lights, Profile Peak Magnetic Rock Lights, give me plenty of under the truck light and illuminate a few feet around it.

If the awning is out (ARB 2000), it has a built in LED light strip (white/amber) that plugs into 12v power in the cargo area.

In addition to that for around the camp light I have a couple string lights (MPOWERD Luci, Revel Gear Trail Hound 30') that usually get hung between some trees or around the tent, and then a trio of UST Sprite Rechargeable lanterns (at least one of which gets hung off the hatch grab-handle).

thanks! Are you able to run them pretty long without significant drain on the battery?

Something like that is exactly what I was thinking of using, adapted to a cigarette lighter plug. I have a dedicated switched 12v panel running to the back, so I would just plug it in there.

When I go by myself or camping/fishing with my friend I try to keep it minimal, but try to keep it comfortable and lit when I go with the wife.

Thanks for the ideas and recommendations! I have temporary lighting/trail lighting pretty well covered, but this would be more to replace a campsite lantern so I don't need to burn propane while sitting outside and cooking/eating dinner etc. hopefully something that would not totally kill my secondary battery with high current draw like the other lights I have.

I was also looking at eventually doing an ARB 2500 awning eventually but have not had the significant need to rush on it yet. I currently use a Smittybilt XL RTT for sleeping. If I go alone, I just sleep in the back of the 4runner to simplify things.

Current lighting setup:
BD sport amber fogs
BD S8 20" bar in upper grill
BD S2 Pro ditch lights
SSO Rack with 2x BD S2 Sports on each side
BD Squadron pros on rear top of the rack
BD S2 sports under the rear bumper
All run off of a Switchpros 9100

I considered just turning on one side of the S2's on the rack for camp site lighting but I think they may be overly bright that close up, and also would probably kill the battery pretty quick.

I may just do 1 of the single lights @Titanpat57 recommended, or maybe even something cheaper with less current draw.

Heres a little more detail on it over on Mud....Another Pole Light Thread | IH8MUD Forum

I havent really used it more then hour, so I cant really say how long it would go. I do have an ampmeter located in the back, but can say I remember what it was reading...house battery is a group 31 Northstar.

This is also a great light, 6 low to high settings, 3 Kelvin settings, and doubles as a battery pack for charging. I satelite these around camp as well.

Gear Aid ARC Portable LED Light and Power Pack for Camping, Work, and Power Outages, 20-320 lumens, 10,400 mAh, Black, 2 Pack Amazon.com : Gear Aid ARC Portable LED Light and Power Pack for Camping, Work, and Power Outages, 20-320 lumens, 10, 400 mAh, Black, 2 Pack : Sports & Outdoors

Thanks! that is super cool and I was wondering how you secured the light to the pole! that thread really helps. I just ordered a different set of lights that in the reviews were tested to draw .45 Amps per light, which should be able to run for a while off the battery.

Headlamps are pretty much mandatory. I don't carry any handheld lights but have a headlamp for everyone in the family.

I also installed a warm white colored LED strip to the underside of the ARB awning frame for when I need that - for cooking or just soft light. It has a wired controller to adjust the output to what I need, and unplugs close to the strip so I can store the adapter/plug in the back.

campfire, headlamp, battery powered LED string lights around the tent, various battery lanterns, expedition trailer has it's own battery so: some chinese pods, heretic studio 10" light bar and BD s2's as well.

the trailer lighting is awesome but i pretty much never use it other than the 10" bar since its wired as a backup light.

scene lighting would be cool but at the end of the day we are there for the campfire.

Been using this setup for a couple of years and really happy with it.

•(2) Baja Designs S2 pros on the sides of my rooftop tent
•(2) Baja Designs Squadron Sports
•(1) Custom built dimming led light bar installed in my rear hatch

All the lighting is dimmed down usually so it’s not super obnoxious with my sPOD.




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I have slowly gone to LED lanterns with dimmer and dimmer settings.

The one I have now has a very dim, warm setting that is perfect for the camp site. And the batteries last forever because of the very low setting.

When it's off, the collapsible silicon part glows for a good amount of time while you get situated. I originally bought this for in the back of the 4runner for sleeping, but it's been a great tool around the fishing camps for the last couple years

I can't stand super bright lights at the camp site. I have headlamps and flashlights for finding things