LED Lighting for RVs, Campers, and Boats

LED lights are becoming very popular.   Because they use less energy and generate less heat than incandescent bulbs the are particularly useful for outdoor recreational applications.  Having flashlights and lanterns that last for days or more instead of hours is a real blessing for campers, RVers, and boaters.  Reducing the battery drain on RVs and boats is significant.  Anytime you rely on batteries to power your lighting, whether they are flashlight batteries or big RV batteries, LEDs are going to reduce the amount of power drain and greatly extend how long you can use your lights.

While the energy saving benefits of LED lighting delivers the most impressive results for RVs and campers, updating the lights on your tow vehicle or even your daily driver can be helpful.  Since most of the time you are using your lights on these vehicles, the engine is running, it doesn't have much impact on the battery like it does on RVs, campers, and boats but LED stop and turn signals can be brighter and therefore safer than incandescant lights and some are said to respond a fraction of a second faster, giving other drivers a little more time to react to prevent accidents.  LED headlight provide great illumination and might help keep you from running your battery down so fast if accidentally left on.

For many years the classic Coleman gas lantern has been the staple for bright, white light for campers.  When I was a kid we were still using kerosene lanterns in our barns and for camping.  I really envied those well-heeled campers who could afford the bright, white Coleman gas lanterns.  Looked like they had a 100 watt electric light in camp!  Today, LED lanterns are capable of producing light that competes pretty well with the classic Coleman lantern level.  There is one significant difference:  the difference in heat.  Coleman lanterns put out quite a bit of heat; LED lanterns generate very little heat.  One of my friends used only a Coleman lantern to heat his camping van and lots of people use them to warm their tents.  On warm nights that extra heat might not be welcome and the fire danger associated with using flame-powered gas lanterns in tents was always of concern.  Modern LED lanterns provide safe, cool, long-lasting light in any location.   There are also LED lanterns with built-in solar battery chargers so you can use them again and again by just leaving them out in the sun during the day.  Some of these lanterns even have USB ports to charge your cell phone from the solar chargers.  Rechargeable lanterns generally cost more than battery powered lanterns but you get back the extra cost in convenience and by savings by not buying batteries.

LED lights are a clear advantage when you are relying on battery power, like in a boat or RV or a flashlight.   The low energy draw gives you many more hours of light than you get from incandescent or even fluorescent lights.  I visitor once left the light (incandescent) on the the bathroom of my motorhome one afternoon and by evening the big 12 volt deep cycle battery was dead!  I left an LED lantern powered by 3 C cell batteries on over night in my barn and it was still bright the next morning and continued working well for months without changing the batteries.  You can buy LED bulbs to replace most of the incandescent bulbs in your RV, boat or other vehicle.  The better quality ones are still a bit pricey, around $10 each, but there are cheap imports available if you don't need really bright lights.  And, since LED bulbs last many times as long as incandescent bulbs, even the more expensive ones will pay for themselves over time in addition to reducing battery usage.

LED bulbs are also less fragile than conventional incandescent bulbs.  The hot filament in incandescent bulbs is all too susceptible to vibration or being jarred.  LED bulbs are kind of a solid state technology that is far less affected by sudden movement.

LED headlights are now also available.  The come in different "colors" or color temperatures too, ranging from similar to ordinary headlights to a bright white that is almost blue.  They offer excellent highway and off road performance and use significantly less energy than regular headlights.   BTW, the color temperature has nothing to do with how warm the bulb is to the touch.  It measures the "warmth" of how the light appears, with warmer temperatures tending toward the yellows, reds, and oranges.

Navigation lights on boats are needed anytime the boat is operated after dark as are mooring lights in many situations.  The reduced energy consumption greatly reduces the chances of running your batteries dead before dawn.   LEDs are especially helpful on sailboats that don't always have a motor driven generator or alternator to supply power for lighting.  Many of  the interior fixtures in the cabins on boats, just like interior lights on campers and RVs, can be converted to LEDs for even more savings.  Some LED lights may emit signals that can interfere with radio signals so make sure any LEDs you install on the mast near or anyplace near a radio antenna is rated to not produce radio interference.

Converting most fixtures to LED is usually as simple as changing the bulb.  LED headlights may require some additional wiring changes, but most interior lights, dash lights, turn signals, and clearance markers can be converted by simply replacing the existing bulbs with their LED equivalents.

LED replacement bulbs can be purchased just about anyplace that sells 12 volt light bulbs for vehicles.   I have found they typically run about $10 for a package of 2 bulbs.  I tried buying less expensive bulbs on the Internet and found they weren't nearly as bright as the 12 volt incandescent bulbs I was replacing.  That was OK for my RV porch lights, but not for work or reading lights.  I would avoid using sub-standard bulbs in brake lights or turn signals where reduced brightness could be a safety factor and might not even be legal.

LED bulbs are also available to replace most regular 120 volt light bulbs.  Doing so may reduce the load on an RV or boat generator and even reduce your electric bill at home.  Be aware, some people are sensitive to the difference between LED and incandescent lights, so check to see if you or anyone in your family has this sensitivity before changing all your bulbs.  You might have to try swapping a bulb or two to find out.

LED flashlights are a real boon to campers.   LED bulbs are less fragile and use less energy than incandescent bulbs.  I once left a 17 LED lantern on overnight in my barn and it still worked find for several months afterwards before needing new batteries.  An incandescent flashlight would have run the batteries down long before the night was even over!  Small, "pencil light" sized LED flashlights will fit easily in your pack or pocket.  They put out a surprising amount of light and last a really long time.  I keep one in my dirt bike tool kit.  They don't have to be expensive.  I get mine at Harbor Freight and even sometimes Dollar Tree.

Let's LED!

Dollar Tree Update for RVers, Campers and Boaters

For more than 30 years Dollar Tree held fast to their tag line  "Everything's a dollar".   Well, not any more!  My last visit to Dollar Tree was quite a surprise.  Now nearly everything is $1.25!  I looked it up online and found this is a change that is being rolled out to all the Dollar Tree stores.  If yours hasn't changed yet, it soon will.  Actually, they do still have a few items at $l.00, just as they used to occasionally have had items at less than $1.00.  Got to say a sudden 25% increase was a bit of a shock and a big disappointment!  However, even at $1.25 a lot of what they have can still be a bargain for RVers, OHVers, campers, and boaters.  Interestingly enough I recently read an online article that said we could expect more national chains of dollar stores in the near future!  Apparently they can be quite profitable!  Sometimes you may actually pay more per unit at Dollar Tree than you would at name brand stores because the size of items might be smaller.  However, the smaller size is often a real benefit to RVers and campers and low cost makes it fairly reasonable to replace used up or expired items as needed.

Also recently notices some new items higher prices, like $5.00.  So it looks like Dollar Tree is moving toward the pricing structure of their sister store, Dollar General.  So, now we will have to be more careful when shopping at Dollar Tree to avoid unpleasant surprises at checkout.  One more strike against them.

I understand that the cost of goods is and has been rising for years.  We see it almost every day.  Most retail stores routinely adjust prices as their costs go up, but, if your niche is defined by ''Everything's a dollar!" you can't do that.  While I respect the economic reality that rising costs from suppliers demand increasing retail prices, I found the HUGE 25% increase at Dollar Tree quite surprising and irritating.  Guess they have to make up for lost time or maybe they are hedging against the continuing increase in their cost of goods!  Not sure I can suggest any really helpful alternatives.  Perhaps they could follow the pattern of Family Dollar and Dollar General -- that is, to offer some higher cost items at higher prices, but still maintain the dollar price on as many items as possible.  Since they are all owned by the same company that would seem to make sense.  However, that being said, the consistency of prices at Dollar Tree has always been a defining factor that has motivated my loyalty -- along with knowing that ''Everything's a dollar".  So, I suppose, having a uniform price of $1.25 may still have its advantages and many things may still be a better bargain than at "regular" stores.  However, the 25% price increase has already affected MY shopping habits.  I used to often stop by Dollar Tree just to pick up one or two items, like toothpaste or deodorant, and by the time I reached the register I typically had about $27 worth of merchandise in my cart.  No more.  It used to be easy to justify adding just about anything to the cart since it was ''only a dollar".  But now I will be measuring each item more carefully.  During my last several visits I spent far less than my typical $27 a visit (usually under $10!), even at the higher $1.25 prices and I expect I will continue to do so.  I am definitely buying less at Dollar Tree than I used to.

Is Dollar Tree still a viable source of supplies for your camping and boating activities?   Yes, I would think so.  Even at $1.25 their prices are still a lot less than you will usually pay at regular retail outlets.  Sometimes the price per item or price per ounce may add up to more than larger sizes at regular stores, but the smaller sizes (and lower prices) are often very helpful for campers etc.  For example, getting each plate or bowl or saucer for just $1.25 is pretty inviting, but consider how much you will spend for a complete 8-place set (3x8x$1.25 = $30).  You can often buy a full set of dinnerware for around $24.

Does this mean I will stop shopping at Dollar Tree?  Probably not, but it will very likely mean I will be buying fewer items each time I go there.  In my opinion, they will find they have shot themselves in the foot with this new pricing policy.  Instead of increasing profits through higher prices expect they will see a drop in sales with a corresponding drop profits.  Historically I have often gone in just to pick up one thing and by the time I got to the register I usually spent about $27. My total for each of several recent trips since the price change was under $10!  So I guess I should thank them for continuing to save me money, just in a different and less rewarding way.  Funny how that additional 25 cents has impacted what I buy, or rather, don't buy!

Dollar Tree   Dollar Twenty-five Tree!