Camp lights- with switch on light

Cummins_expo

Adventurer
Why not just wire in a switch nearby? Better yet a dimmer so as not to melt faces with super bright light under an awning.

This would be ideal.. Fishing wires from the power source to the outside is a straight shot. Fishing wires to a switch ( close enough to reach without climbing into camper) that is the difficulty.
 

High_Country

Adventurer
You might consider something like this.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Large-Magnetic-LED-Work-Light-HWLLG/206031017

Magnetic base, pivoting head, bright LED, battery powered. Best of all, no fishing of wires, setup time, and you're not tethered by wires.
Under hood light for repair? Check
Tent light? Check
Galley/kitchen light? Check
Convenience light? Check

If you're camping 200 nights / year, there's some romance to not having to replace batteries of course. But man, this has been nice.
 

javajoe79

Fabricator
This would be ideal.. Fishing wires from the power source to the outside is a straight shot. Fishing wires to a switch ( close enough to reach without climbing into camper) that is the difficulty.

Put the switch inside an external storage compartment?
 

javajoe79

Fabricator
Also battery powered? No way. You already have a battery on the truck. That is just one more thing to keep up with
 

RedF

Adventurer
Have you considered using a portable light powered from a 12 volt socket?

I can't find it at the moment, but I'll have a look at the equipment at work next week; there is a lamp that has an adjustable mount and an integrated switch.

Baja Designs makes a pretty cool little "dome light". Kinda expensive though. https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/LED-Dome-Light-wSwitch.asp

You could also put a LED inside a rubber tractor lamp housing - and install a switch in the dead space on the back side of the rubber housing.

EDIT:

Found it. Betts is the manufacturer. They don't seem to have a website, or at least a good one. Google "Betts rotating work light" and you'll find it. Be careful, I don't think they all have the integrated switch.
 
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Cummins_expo

Adventurer
Have you considered using a portable light powered from a 12 volt socket?

I can't find it at the moment, but I'll have a look at the equipment at work next week; there is a lamp that has an adjustable mount and an integrated switch.

Baja Designs makes a pretty cool little "dome light". Kinda expensive though. https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/LED-Dome-Light-wSwitch.asp

You could also put a LED inside a rubber tractor lamp housing - and install a switch in the dead space on the back side of the rubber housing.

EDIT:

Found it. Betts is the manufacturer. They don't seem to have a website, or at least a good one. Google "Betts rotating work light" and you'll find it. Be careful, I don't think they all have the integrated switch.
The Baja Designs one looks slick!
 

craig333

Expedition Leader
I built this one for barbecuing but would work for a camp light as well. I'll probably use a bucket with sand or dirt instead the tripod. Dimmer works great. I can either plug it into the portable battery pack or directly into the truck/camper.

 

Cummins_expo

Adventurer
I built this one for barbecuing but would work for a camp light as well. I'll probably use a bucket with sand or dirt instead the tripod. Dimmer works great. I can either plug it into the portable battery pack or directly into the truck/camper.

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Any links on how and wht you purchased to make this work. Looks like a standard LED off road light and?
 

TheDave

New member
I made some camping lights nearly identical to craig333 but with standard inline switches. Connected 2 wire trailer plugs with 2' of extra length from the pole. Ran wires from the aux fuse block to the bed of the Tacoma. Mounted them to the cargo rails. We got heavy winds in the middle of the night. Ran guy lines with light like it was day. They make spot and flood light versions of many of the off road lights. Also most are waterproof.

https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Driv...923&sr=8-6&keywords=off+road+led+flood+lights
 

rickc

Adventurer
No one has mentioned bugs! Bugs like light! Bugs like me! Bugs also like bright white light so if, like me, you don't like bugs (the ones that eat you alive/suck you dry) the better alternative is lower levels of light and amber instead of white.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
Here's a small light set that could be readily modified -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HTXANFC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1MVM3MX9FF5ME&colid=QWZ1BSZYG6VW

bright light, small housings, (4) for $30 seems like a good deal, a few hundred good reviews. They'd be easy to modify. A sort of spring-clamp bracket to hang them on my roof rack. Wire some Anderson connector pigtails and put mating plugs in the rear-facing sides of my roof rack footings and I could easily hang the lights and aim them wherever. These particularly lights are spots, not floods and bright white, but there are probably similar amber floods. Easy enough to fit an amber or red lens, too.
 

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