Search For the Perfect Camp Light

Nope, no one type of camp light is perfect. Never was, never will be.

Take, for example, needing to do a midnight run to the dunny at a communal campground. A small, handheld pencil or slightly wider beam would be ideal. Ideally, it needs to be small enough to tuck into your strides while you’re squatting to do your business, or to be held in your mouth or strapped to your head, leaving your hands free.

That same torch will never be ideal for lighting up the campsite for cooking duties, eating or playing a round of cards. That means at least two light sources are needed for any camping adventure, but what types are best?

Let’s walk down my memory lane and explore the many lights I’ve used and owned for over four, pushing five, decades.

EARLY-YEARS CAMP LIGHT FAVOURITE

My earliest camping memory is with my parents using the well-known and highly-regarded (at the time) Dolphin torch. Big and bulky, these torches packed a heavy 6V non-rechargeable battery. They featured a single button that turned the torch on and off; no flashing modes, no red, blue or dimming features. Not only was the Dolphin torch waterproof, it could also take a fair old knock by being dropped or tossed into the ute. Times were simple, and this torch worked a treat… until the battery went flat, and no one remembered to pack a bulky, heavy spare battery.

Around camp, we had an LPG lantern screwed to an extension pole on a gas cylinder. That little glass lantern, complete with its original packing box and a handful of spare mantels, is still in my shed, though it hasn’t been used for decades. Yes, I’m a hoarder.

It was almost guaranteed that I would need a new mantel on every trip back when I used this light. Once lit and burnt, these lanterns are extremely fragile and don’t take well to corrugations, rough tracks, or being bumped in the slightest way. The gas lantern shed an enormous amount of soft, warm light around the campsite, enough for a few families to congregate for meals and socialising. They were great, with a few drawbacks, but back then, there wasn’t really a better option.

MY TEEN-FAVOURITE CAMP LIGHT

Finishing high school, doing my surveying course, and having a little money to buy cool stuff were highlights of my late teens. Not a lot of money mind you, but enough to buy camping gear from time to time so I could hit the bush and beach with mates. Of course, I bought torches, headlights and, eventually, a fluorescent campsite light. Yes, I still have that light and the box I made to protect it. Again, yes, I’m a hoarder!

That fluorescent was a great source of light to replace the often-broken LPG lantern. Its downsides were that it had to be hung horizontally to allow the beam to cast downwards over a nice wide area, and it was also limited by the length of the power chord plugged into the cig socket. There were no rechargeable lights back then!

As for my torches, I did own a venerable Maglite that packed a handful of D-sized batteries, could spot a mouse in the bush from over a hundred yards away, and the long, solid knurled handgrip was said to be great for warding off intruders! I have no idea where that torch ended up, but I do suspect someone borrowed it and forgot to tell me. I’d still have it to this day, if I could, even though I’d never use it again. Yes, I hoard stuff!

There were handfuls of other small-to-medium-sized torches throughout the years. They all used AA, AAA, or, at times, D-sized replaceable batteries. Nope, I have none of those in my collection; most were El cheapo throw-away jobs.

MY EARLY TO MID-20s FAVOURITE

For two years, I travelled Australia and worked as a remote-area surveyor in the Northern Territory. Not only were my clothes, refrigeration and food, cooking, tools, and camping equipment simple, so was my lighting gear. That same fluoro light from a couple of years earlier, packed into my homemade safety box, was my primary source of light around the campsite. Yes, I could buy replacement bulbs if needed, but I never broke one. 

As dorky as they may look, a headlamp is invaluable in many situations. Dunny runs, working on the 4WD, cooking on the fire, and recording observations for work… night time star observations for my surveying work weren’t too common, but I would need to jot the readings down at night, and a head torch was perfect for this. Nope, I have no memory of how to do star observations now. My phone is far more accurate, easier, and quicker than anything I achieved while out working in the bush.

Hand torches came and went, but they are invaluable tools for many jobs around camp, under the car fixing things, and nighttime bushwalking. I prefer hand torches that are compact enough to fit into my pocket and able to provide an even medium-width beam,  over big, bulky units that shone for miles.

CAMPING WITH THE KIDS’ FAVOURITE

Then came kids, all four of them! Didn’t that cost an arm and a leg? Least of all, buying them all their own swags and general camping gear. Of course, no kid of mine was ever going to go without a torch or camp light. All of them scored a headlight, along with small handheld torches. 

I lost count of how often they would fall asleep, tucked up nice and safe in their swag, with the torch left on, shining up their nostrils or out the swag mesh screen to ward off whatever creepy crawlies they thought might be lurking. Yep, I took a supply of AA batteries on every camp trip.

Then came along LED strip lights. I hate them! Yes, they emit huge amounts of spread light, use little power, and can be dimmed. Some also have an orange light mode to help attract fewer insects. Why don’t I like them, then?

I purchased a kit of half a dozen or so magnetic-backed lights. All good in theory, but man, the cords! Each light has its own cord that can be used solo or daisy-chained to the next. While I acknowledge you don’t need an electrical degree to set them up, it’s the time needed to set them up, sort the cables into neat lines, and hang them so they spread light in the right place and not in your eyes that I hated. By the time I was finished and had stood back to admire the fact that I’d lit up half a footy field fit for a game of cards at the far end, it was time for bed! 

Utilising the magnetic backs was a nightmare. Stuck to the side of the 4WD or trailer seemed perfect, except they always shone back towards me, blinding me and shining light hell west and crooked instead of where I wanted it. Yes, I tried hanging them up on awning arms with the supplied Velcro tabs, gaffer tape and, at times, cable ties. Yes, that worked, but the time and energy took away my desire to use them. I hated them, but I still have them in the shed. Hoarder, remember!

While discussing lights I dislike, I’ll add my Milwaulkee LED shed/camp light. Sure, it uses the same batteries as my tool kit, some of which I do take on the road, and has a magnetic base with a partially swivelling head, but it never seems able to be aimed just right. My small Milwaulkee halogen pen light, which utilises replaceable AAA batteries, is a pearler to keep in my pocket and sits nicely in the armrest recess of the 4WD for easy finding. Rechargeable and LED would make it even better.

LATEST AND GREATEST FAVOURITE

About a year ago, while camping in central Australia in my 4WD converted HiAce van, I used a rechargeable LED lantern with a hook to hang from the awning, a rope or a tree branch. It could be sat on the table while we ate dinner, but given it shone its white light in a 360-degree pattern, it was always shining in my eyes while at head height.

The hanging method was brilliant, but I got to thinking: imagine if it had a magnetic base to whack on the side of the van for those times we didn’t have the awning out, or there was no suitable tree branch. Off to the hardware store I went to buy some magnetic self-adhesive tape to test my theory. Yes, it worked a treat, but my chest-beating self-appraisal to my partner was short-lived, as it slipped and hit the gravel. Luckily, the quality build of the case and the sturdy LED lighting system didn’t smash. But my ego was!

In searching for a camp light that combined everything I’d learnt from decades of camping and technology advancements, I came across an LED lamp stand from Rockarmor. No, this company is not well known for its camp lights but rather for its bull bars and other hefty steel accessories for 4WDs.

This light has three high-strength, base-mounted magnets that have been tested to take the light’s weight better than my home-made version, a top-mounted hook, and a telescopic stand. That stand does add bulk to the whole deal but is a perfect addition for allowing the light to self-stand from waist height up to, ah, I dunno, roughly the height of my partner sitting on my shoulders – 2m or thereabouts. The light section unwinds from the stand to allow for hanging, sitting on a table or attached via the magnets, making it an extremely versatile setup.

But wait, there are more features to this rechargeable lithium unit that all make perfect sense and tick off more boxes that I’d not thought of for my perfect campsite light. The three fold-out, flip-up rotating wings that form the light banks allow the light to be concentrated on where it’s needed rather than in my eyes. The cast alloy heat sinks on the rear of each bank suggest they might get warm with extended high-output use, but that heat should be dissipated well.

The lantern features both warm and cool white light temperatures, and each colour can be dimmed in three stages: low, medium, and high. It’s perfect for lighting up that footy field or your campsite in whichever hue you desire. There is no anti-insect orange option in this light, but perhaps I might try sticking some orange cellophane over the LEDs to see if that works. Gotta tinker with something, eh?

Multiple recharging options are included in the package: via USB, USB C, cigarette socket, and a pair of excessively large alligator clamps for direct-to-battery charging. That gives more than enough at-home recharge options, plus away-from-mains recharge options. Given that the light on lower settings will last through the night, you should see a long-lasting camping experience.

As for a handheld torch, I’ve been using a rechargeable LED unit as a camp light for about six months, and I’d rate it as the best I’ve ever used. The zoom function of the beam blasts from an astonishingly long distance to a spread for an ultra-wide beam option. Flicking switches see dimming, colour changes and low light modes available. Each of my boys got one for Christmas because I was sick of them taking mine – they are that good.

MY FUTURE FAVOURITE 

Besides an orange light mode option on the Rockarmor camp light, a separate, detachable handheld rechargeable torch that slides out of the lantern would make the perfect all-around camping kit. That covers all lighting needs from campsite to nighttime walking adventures, be it to the loo, in search of nocturnal critters, or plain old bushwalking into the night. A more compact yet stable stand would be a bonus, too, as the current well-built one is quite large to fit into the camp kit. To push the envelope even further, solar panels on the rear of each LED panel would provide yet another charging solution.

Perhaps this combination already exists, or maybe it’s in the wings of someone smarter in design and manufacture than me. If it is, hit me up with an email to the editor to let him know. He’ll surely pass it on to me so I can add it to my collection, which will undoubtedly be passed down to my kids, as their dad is a hoarder!

MARK’S WISE WORDS 

Regardless of what type of lantern, torch or camp light you choose to use, look up, look down, look around, and you’ll see the light as to how great we have it in Australia with the sheer number and geographically variable camping places we have on offer.

Look after it so our future generations will be able to light up the same patches we have. Not doing so will eventually turn off the light on our ability to escape to the serenity of the bush and beach camping.

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Source: https://www.gorv.com.au/search-for-the-perfect-camp-light/