Lighting Options for Tent Camping

Unless you pack along a portable generator or stay in a campground with electricity, your lighting options for tent camping will be limited to gas or battery powered units -- or candles and torches.  Alternatively, there are a few vans and SUVs that have built in inverters that power a few 120-volt outlets.  There are small, lightweight generators available today that could be used to power lights and small appliances for tent camping.  Great strides have been made in the last few years in making portable generators smaller, quieter, more fuel efficient, and less expensive making them more appealing to tent campers.  As mentioned above, some SUVs even come with built-in inverters and 120-volt outlets or you may be able to add one to your vehicle.   Low power inverters (100-400 watts)  that plug into the cigarette lighter outlet are available at modest cost and are easy to use.   Just don't try to run high powered electric appliances using them. You can get higher powered inverters in the 1000-3000 watt range but they need to be hard wired using heavy gauge wire and need a lot of battery and/or alternator power to supply their needs.  Running a high powered inverter using just your vehicle battery would quickly run it down.

Gas powered lanterns.  One of the traditional staples of camp lighting for many years has been the Coleman gas lantern.   Powered by white gas or propane, these lanterns give off a bright white light similar to an electric light bulb.  They are relatively inexpensive -- usually under $50 and both white gas, in the form of Coleman fuel, and propane are readily available at most sporting goods stores.   For a little extra $ you can get a dual-fuel lantern that will run on either white gas or ordinary unleaded gasoline.   Dual fuel lanterns are a good choice for use in disaster situations where their flexibility may be a crucial factor.  These lanterns gain their bright white light from glowing "mantles".   These start out as little silk mesh socks but are burned to ash once installed so they tend to be a little fragile.  Always make sure you have plenty of spares for camping and emergencies.   Gas lanterns put out quite a bit of heat and the globes get VERY hot so you need to be careful using them in a tent.  They also consume oxygen and emit toxic fumes so you need adequate ventilation to prevent suffocation.

Kerosene lanterns have fallen out of the popular use they once enjoyed.   They cast a kind of orangish-yellowish light that isn't nearly as bright as a Coleman lantern and some people find the odor of the burning kerosene unpleasant.  If you like the ambiance of a kerosene lantern but want to avoid the odor, try using scented lamp oil or "liquid paraffin".  Citronella scented fuel will even help keep bugs away.  Kerosene lanterns use a simple cotton wick so they aren't as fragile as the white gas and propane lanterns and allows considerable flexibility in controlling the level of light.   Kerosene lanterns are less complicated and less expensive than propane or white gas lanterns. Y ou can usually find them for under $10 at stores like Walmart.  That is a real bargain compared to around $90 for Coleman Dual-Fuel (white gas and unleaded gas)lantern.  A quart of kerosene is about $6.00 where sporting goods are sold but you can use lamp oil or liquid paraffin if you don't like the odor.  You may be able to buy kerosene cheaper in larger quantities at farm and ranch or fuel stores.

I do not recommend using either gas or kerosene lanterns inside a tent if you can avoid it.  The globes get VERY hot and can easily start a fire or melt tent fabric.  They also consume oxygen and give off toxic fumes which can make them unsafe to use in any confined space.  If you must use one in your RV or tent, keep it away from flammable fabrics and make sure you have adequate ventilation.  For safer and more effective tent lighting, use battery powered lanterns or flashlights or glow sticks.  The heat given off by a gas or kerosene lantern can be an advantage if you need to warm up an area like a tent or inside a vehicle.   Just be sure to keep them away from flammable surfaces and make sure you have adequate ventilation!

Candles are another nostalgic source of light but avoid using an open flame inside a tent!   If a candle gets knocked over inside a tent, chances are the fire could rage out of control before you can escape.  Tent fabrics are usually fire resistant but not fire proof.  Citronella candles are helpful around the campsite to keep insects away.   They are a good bet for picnic tables and in the "patio" area under the awning next to your RV -- just don't hang them close to the awning fabric.   If you decide to use candles in your tent, lantern-like candle-holders will be a little safer than a loose candle.

Tiki torches, designed primarily for back yard or patio use, could also be used in camp.   Fuel them with a citronella fuel and they'll also serve to repel insects.   Smaller, wax based torches (kind of like big candles) can be used for a portable light source, but take care not to set the landscape or your fellow campers on fire!   Dripping wax can be a fire  hazard.  Flashlights are a lot safer and a lot easier to use.

A milk jug filled with water with a headlamp type flashlight wrapped around it with the light facing in makes an interesting tent light, as long as you don't knock it over and spill water all over your tent!  The jug and water make an excellent defuser to create a nicely distributed glow.   If you want you could add food coloring to the water to create mood lighting.

I came across some battery powered, remote controlled, LED lights designed for use in above ground swimming pools.   They have magnetic bases to attach to steel wall pools and metal plates that go on the outside of vinyl pools so the magnets can be used to attach them.  This option will work just as well on a tent.  The use of LEDs means the batteries will last longer than with incandescent bulbs and the remote control makes it nice to not have to crawl out of your warm sleeping bag to adjust the lighting.

Glow sticks are useful where bright light is not required or where you must avoid any possible source of ignition.  They can provide sufficient light for dressing and undressing, for walking around camp, and for comfort and general conversation.   They are usually not bright enough for reading or other detailed work.  Glow sticks can not be turned off once they've been activated.  They usually last 4-8 hours.  They have a limited shelf life so storing them for long periods of time isn't feasible. However, I have noticed that old glow sticks seem to still be viable if the packaging is still puffy. If the packaging is flat, they're probably useless.  I have a few glow sticks that expired in 1997 and some of them still worked almost 20 years later.  I have noticed that the ones with deflated foil packages are always dead but the ones that are still puffy usually work.  Foil wrapped glow sticks have a predicted shelf life of 2-4 years.  They should be stored in a cool, dry place.   Dampness can penetrate the plastic tube and will cause chemical deterioration.  These are a good option to include in your emergency supplies.  They are light weight, take up little space, and are safe to use even around fuel spills.  They do not provide bright, reading-light levels of illumination, but are adequate for general lighting for safety and comfort and are certainly sufficient for routine tasks like getting dressed in a tent or finding your way to the bathroom.  A light stick provides a surprising amount of comfort to trapped victims in a natural disaster.  I made tubes to protect them in my fanny pack for dirt biking by cutting and capping PVC pipe to the right length.   Storing them in these nearly air-tight container also seems to extend their shelf life.

Mountain Dew, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide glow lights have been touted on many web sites including Youtube.   The claim is that by adding hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to Mountain Dew you can make your own glow sticks.   According to snopes.com, this is a hoax. Attempts by many people have failed.  The Youtube "successes", though impressive, are said to be faked.   Don't waste your time or ingredients trying this one.

Tiki torches lend nice ambiance and provide a nice flickering light for many outdoor activities.  You can use citronella scented fuel to help keep insects at bay.  They are great for extending a campfire ambiance over a larger area for night time activities in camp and in the back yard at home.   Take care how you store your torches for transport.  Keep them upright if you can.  If you have to lay them down in a compartment, make sure you drain all the oil first or you'll have a dangerous mess the next time you open the cabinet.   Store them in a well ventilated area.   As the residual fuel in the wick evaporates it can create volatile fumes.

Firelight maintains the ambiance of camping.  A large bonfire might be appropriate for a large group, but normally you don't want to don't make any fire bigger than it needs to be for the number of people it needs to warm and illuminate.   Sometimes several small fires will do a better job of lighting an area and keeping people warm than one big one.   One big fire keeps one side of you warm while the other side freezes.   Standing or sitting between small fires or in a ring of small fires can provide all around warmth.

Battery powered lanterns and flashlights are safe and effective for use in tents and confined spaces.  These days you can get LED lights that use about 1/12 the power of traditional flashlights. The "bulbs" last for tens of thousands of hours and batteries will last 10-12 times as long with LEDs than with ordinary flashlight bulbs.  You can even get lanterns with built-in solar chargers to replenish the batteries during the day and those with remote controls so you can turn them on and off from the comfort of your sleeping bag.  A handy variation is a combination light, one that provides both a flood light for general illumination and a focused flashlight for focused use.   Depending on the size of the light, it may be powered from anything from AAA to the big square 6-volt batteries. By the way, if you take a square 6-volt dry cell battery apart is is made up of a bunch of AA size batteries.   Something that might come in handy if you run of of AAs during a trip.   If you choose battery powered lanterns, bring plenty of extra batteries on every camping trip -- or switch to rechargeable batteries and bring a generator and charger, a charger to run off your vehicle's cigarette lighter, or a solar charger.  Most rechargeable lanterns come with both 12-volt DC chargers and 120-volt AC chargers.  I recently picked up a pair of LED lanterns that look like old fashioned kerosene lanterns but are lit by 17 bright white LEDs and powered by 3 "D" cell batteries.  The LED bulbs are advertised to last 100,000 hours and with the low power draw of LEDs, the batteries will last several nights before needing to be replaced.  I once left one on in my barn over night and it was still going strong for for regular use weeks after that.  And they don't get hot so they are ideal for use to light tents.   A remote control is a nice feature, allowing you to hang the light high in the tent for best illumination but then being able to turn it on and off from the warmth of your sleeping bag.  My favorite tent light is small enough and light enough to be used backpacking.  It is about the size of two or three ball point pens bound together and is powered by 4 AAA batteries.  It easily fits in a shirt pocket.  It has two modes:  a spot light in one end and an area light along one side, making it useful as both a handheld flashlight and an area light inside a tent.

Solar lights.  I've seen solar yard lights at Dollar Tree on several occasions.   We bought some Halloween styled models to light our walkway for Trick-or-Treaters.  You might remove the stake from walkway lights and add a bail to hang them by.   Or you can make a portable base using a can or flowerpot and some beans, glass beads, pebbles, or sand to hold the stake.  Sometimes you will even find solar lights that already have a lantern style bail that is perfect for use in tents and on picnic tables.  These inexpensive solar lights would work well in tents.  They're safe and energy efficient. Just remember to hang them out in the sun during the day to get charged.  Solar walkway lights can be used to illuminate tent stakes and guy ropes and other obstacles so you don't trip over them at night.   I've used them on either side of my RV step on occasion to make it easier to find at night.

Natural lighting is a pleasant option when the moon is full or nearly so.  If you haven't damaged your night vision with artificial light, moonlight is often enough to safely move about camp.  You will be surprised how bright moonlight can be!  Remember, moonlight is reflected sunlight.  A measurement called "albedo" is used for reflectivity.   0 means none, 1 means 100%.  The reflectivity of the moon is 0.12 so it reflects a little more than 10% of the sunlight that strikes it.  Given how bright direct sunlight is, 10% is pretty bright -- enough to hurt your eyes, especially if you attempt to view the moon via a telescope or binoculars.  Relying on natural light is especially helpful if you are engaged in star gazing or using a telescope to view the planets.  Even a relatively small telescope will let you see the rings of Saturn, the red hue of Mars, and the Giant Red Spot on Jupiter.  You can also get a pretty detailed view of the craters on the moon, but you may need filters for that.   The moon is extremely bright when viewed through a telescope or even binoculars.  If you need light to illuminate star maps when star gazing, use a flashlight with a red filter.  It will give you enough light to read the star maps without destroying your night vision and spoiling your view through the telescope.  You may want to remove the rain fly from your tent on clear nights so you can enjoy the view of the moon and stars if your tent itself has see-through netting on top as many double-wall tents do.

Lighten up!