There are many good options for tent lights these days. Some years back, candles, a kerosene lantern or a trusty Coleman gas lantern or flashlights were about the only choices. Anything with a flame is a potential hazard in a tent, although a Coleman or kerosene lantern, if used cautiously may be OK and will also serve as a heater. Kerosene gives off fumes that are offensive to some people and somewhat toxic. A propane powered propane lantern will be almost odorless but will still consume oxygen. Always provide adequate ventilation when using a flame powered lantern inside your tent to avoid suffocation. Keeping a window on opposite sides about 1" is usually about right. Ordinary handheld flashlights are kind of cumbersome to use and the narrow beam isn't very good for area lighting. Fortunately today they are many battery powered lanterns that work very well and are very safe to use in a tent. For optimum battery life, choose an LED lantern. Rechargeable lanterns are good if you have a way to recharge them in camp or on the road. Many offer charging via 12-volt plug that fits a standard car cigarette lighter. Solar powered lanterns are great, as long as you remember to put them outside in the sun regularly to recharge. Might not be so good if you get a lot of rainy days or stay in the shade where you go camping. You can even get battery powered lanterns with remote controls so you can turn the light on and off without having to get out of your warm sleeping bag.
Some tents have loops sewn into the top of the inside of the tent or built into the framework for you to hang your lights on. If yours doesn't, you can usually use a clip like those used to fasten accessories to RV awnings or ID badges to your pocket or lapel, to secure your light by clipping them to a seam or tent pole. Another option would be to sew your own loop inside the roof of your tent. Be sure to seal the stitching with seam sealer or you'll probably get a drip when it rains. While it would be ideal to make the loop from matching tent fabric, it may be hard to find. A scrap of denim from an old pair of jeans will do the trick. And, since it is very small, and mostly out of sight, will most likely not be at all offensive. Some tents come with matching bags for tent stakes and you may be able to steal a strip of fabric from one of those to make your loops. Another handy way to secure lights is using a spring type paper clamp. You can also use ordinary binders twine to tie them up just about anywhere you need a light.
I've had one of my favorite tent lights for years, long before LED lights were available. It is very small, about 1 1/2" x 3/4" x 4". It runs on AA batteries and has both a spot light and a flood light mode. Its light weight and small size makes it ideal for hanging from the top of a tent and the flood light mode does a fair job of illuminating a pretty large area. The spot light is handy for looking inside packs or illuminating trails after dark. It fits easily in a pocket or in pouch on your back pack. These days I'd opt for an LED version to get better battery life. I also have a pocket sized LED light, with both spot and flood light modes. Again, it is small enough and light enough to hang from the top of the then and the LED bulbs do not generate enough heat for it to be any danger to tent fabric, even if it is hung directly from a fabric loop at the top of the tent. I bought mine at Harbor Freight. They are often on sale for $2.99, but even at the regular discount price of $3.49 they are a bargain. Hey, the advertised retail price of $7.99 isn't bad, considering the functionality and utility of this handy LED light. Quite often you can even find coupons in the Harbor Freight ads to get one for free!
I have a new possibility I am looking forward to trying out. It is a remote controlled above ground LED pool light. It has a magnetic base that would normally attach to the steel walls of a Doughboy type pool, but it also came with a steel plate that would go on the outside of a plastic pool so it could be used when there are no steel walls. I plan to use the steel plate on the outside of my tent so the magnet has something to stick to. The remote control should be a nice convenience.
If you end up using your Coleman lantern in your tent, make sure to keep it away from the tent fabric. It will probably be kind of heavy to hang from the top of the tent, but even if you have a very sturdy tent or sturdy frame to hang it on, be sure to keep it away from the fabric. Since heat rises, having it within a few inches of the tent roof could damage the roof or even cause a fire. Better to set it on something, like an overturned bucket or an ice chest. That keeps it away from the roof and will usually provide better heat distribution. And, as mentioned before, be sure you have adequate ventilation. Coleman lanterns put out quite a bit of heat. A Coleman gas lantern was all a friend with a camper van used to heat his van on chilly nights.
Candles have been used for hundreds of years in residences and in tents and are still a viable option, if you use them wisely. The open flame means you have to exercise extra care to avoid setting your tent on fire. Using a lantern style candle holder (also known as candle lanterns) is one way to minimize fire danger while retaining a nostalgic appearance and economical operation. They provide a little protection against the open flame coming in contact with fabric or other flammable materials if they get knocked over or pushed up against the side of the tent.
Modern LED lights offer many useful advantages. Battery powered LED lights run cool so there is little danger of them starting a fire even if they come in contact with tent fabric. LED bulbs use far less electricity than incandescent counterparts making batteries last a LOT longer. A visitor once left a single 12-volt light on in the bathroom of my RV and it totally drained two large deep cycle batteries in afternoon. Contrast that with an 17 LED lantern powered by 4 " D" cells I inadvertently left on in barn over night. Not only did the lantern still work the next day, the batteries held up for 3-4 months afterwards. Solar lanterns are available too. Just remember to put them out in the sunlight every day to recharge. You can even get camping lanterns with remote controls so you don't even have to get out of our sleeping bag to turn them on or off.
During the day, you may be able to take advantage of natural light. If the tent fabric is light enough, it may allow enough light in that you won't need any artificial light. Opening windows and doors will also let light in, but if you use a tarp over your tent for shade or extra rain protection, you might still need artificial light during the day. You may be able to lighten up the interior of a double wall tent by temporarily removing the rain fly.
At night you might want to light up your tent inside so it can be seen to avoid someone running into it with a vehicle or even walking into it in the dark! LEDs would be best for this since you wouldn't have to worry too much about the batteries running down if you need to leave them on for several hours.
Light it up!
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