Camping Accessories
Camping Accessory Information
Archive for the ‘Lighting’ Category
The olive drab Predator head lamp is a great way to light up what you are doing without using a hand to hold it. Made by Princeton Tec this is a lightweight, affordable, incandescent headlamp. Straps attach it comfortable around your head, securing it in place where you want it.
The Predator is perfect for the novice or occasional outdoor enthusiast or the home improvement or fix it project. It also works quite well for exploring caves as it lights your way but your hands are still free to climb with. It is not going to be dropped and get broken or lost. The incredible quality and value is perfect for everyday needs, from weekend camping trips to home improvement projects. The Predator includes 1 high-output bulb and 1 long burn bulb. It uses 2 AA alkaline batteries. The high output bulb will shine for about 3 hours on one set of batteries and is perfect when you need lots of light in one spot. The long burn bulb will last for 8 hours, perfect for camping trips or hiking back after dark.
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Camping lanterns used to be difficult to use because you needed to add fuel to them or use batteries that wore out rapidly. Neither choice was great for the causal camper or the person who wanted a light off and on. The Brunton four LED camping lantern. The Brunton four LED camping lantern batteries run for 250 hours. This means that you can leave it on all evening without worrying about the batteries running out.
Carry the LED camping lantern in the trunk of your car and have it available in the case of an emergency. The problem with today’s cars is they run so good we forget they are still machines and will fail when you least expect them to My dad always said someday you will be sorry when I told I didn’t carry a flashlight. As the boy scouts say be prepared!
I really hate it when it gets dark and I have to grope around for a flashlight to find things with. Most lanterns can’t be hung in a tent because they get too hot. However, the Glorb-LED camping lanterns are the exception. This compact Brunton LED lantern runs for 250 hours on 4 AA batteries. That is 10+ days, more than most camping trips even if you forget to turn it off!
This dynamic personal camp lantern offers the efficiency of LED technology with classic styling and function. It’s the LED technology that creates a long lasting bright light without draining your batteries and keeps the lantern cool and safe for hanging in your tent or vehicle. Thus its easy to find and turn back on. A two position switch lets you choose from normal light or extra bright. The inverse conical reflector bathes your campsite in a bright white light without attracting lots of pesky flying insects.
In the area I live in there is a growing desire for organic foods and living like people did years ago. I am not sure that throwing away years of technological advances is worth the small pleasures people gain by not using them. However, I don’t think there is much question about the value in LED camping lanterns for most camping needs. Convince and lower cost of operation eliminates any possible desire for older methods.
The greatest value with LED lanterns is being able to turn them on and off as needed without prep time. Store them in the trunk of your car and you will have them in case of emergency. Just one time will pay for a life time of carrying them.
I never was a big believer in a camping lantern. The big reason was you spent so much time taking care of it didn’t use it unless you needed it for a number of hours. Adding fuel, changing mantels, lighting it and keeping the hot lantern away from anything that might burn was enough to keep you from using it. In addition it either ran out of fuel or you needed to relight it shortly after shutting it off and had to redo the steps you did the first time. The fuel was fairly expensive preventing you from leaving it on when you didn’t really need it.
That changed with the new LED camping lanterns. They are inexpensive to use and you can turn them on or off as you please. The only problem I can see is the batteries don’t help with fire building. Oops I didn’t say that did I?
I think that the camping gear that has changed the most over the years is camping lanterns. Years ago Colman lanterns and then propane lanterns were the only real way to get light. Now with LED lanterns and headlamps our options are much greater. The nice part is with the new lanterns we don’t have to worry about mantles that need replacing so we can use them as needed.
I also suggest carrying them in the car in case of a flat tire. We don’t get flats as often as we used to but the saying of you won’t need on until you need it real bad is true. Have fun and enjoy camping.
Young children are used to having a might light on when they go to bed. Sometimes parents leave it on so if the child needs to make a trip to the bathroom they will be more apt to go. The problem is what to do when you go camping. In addition the sounds that they hear at night are different when they are camping? One solution is to have a camping lantern on outside the tent. There will be enough light that gets through the tent walls to allow your child to see enough so they won’t be scared.
The new LED camping lanterns work great as they can be aimed towards that location you want. You don’t have to be concerned about wildlife pushing it over and spilling fuel.
Years ago the only option for camping lanterns was the Colman fuel based camping lanterns. After a while the propane based lanterns became popular. They worked ok but there were two issues with them. Number one the mantels always burned just when you needed the light the most. In addition there was the risk of spilling the fuel just when it would be the most inconvenient. There was one big advantage to the Colman fuel based lanterns. The fuel worked great at starting fires. A little dangerous though if you added too much.
LED camping lanterns solve both problems but of course don’t help start fires. Starting fires with Colman fuel isn’t something you should do anyway due to the risk of an explosion.
Good camping lanterns can have many uses particularly the newer LED ones. You no longer have to carry fuel and they last long enough even if left on for several hours. The older fuel based camping lantern ran the risk carried the risk of spilling the fuel and starting a fire.
Carry them in the car and when you forget to leave a light on at home and use your camping lantern to light your driveway. Think about the extra safety this could bring.
I don’t know if you have ever had the experience of making camp just before dark and before you are used to the campground you go to bed. During the night you need to get up and find the restroom. The problem being that once you are headed back your have trouble finding your camp site. I think the problem might be related to age but let’s not go into that.
One use for camping lanterns is to turn them on when you leave at night and they will mark the spot for your return. The LED camping lanterns are perfect for that since all you have to do is turn them on. The drain on the batteries is small so they last for hours.