Camping Light

[Anna A]

Hi!
I am a design student and I am working on a Light for outdoor life such as camping and hiking, as well as for use in your cabin. I am hoping that some of you would be able to help me with some of my questions around this. I would be happy to hear about your experiance with campinglamps.
What is for you the most important feature of a lamp, lightquality, weight, power efficiency, other?

Thank you for your help!

[Bigdog57]

For a mini lantern type, I like enough light to actually see by, and it should have enough battery life to last a weekend excursion.  I found a mini-CFL lantern at Wally's that fills the bill fairly well, though would like better light output.  It is pocket-sized (in a large pocket...) and fairly light.
Using common batteries is good - don't want to have to carry weird batteries or keep recharging at camp.

LED's are getting better - perhaps something along that line?  I love my Dorcy LED flashlight, but it's no good for area lighting.

[oki]

Battery life (or alternative efficient and long lasting energy source) is my biggest thing, I think. It drives me crazy to always have the batteries run out at the least convenient moment.

I also like it to be compact (perhaps thin like a flashlight so it fits in bags without adding bulk even if it isn't really small) and not too easy to tip over, so maybe some sort of fold-out stand.

...LOL, if you're even still working on this project.;;;;

[tentfreak]

One good feature will be a manual crank, which can be used when the batteries are absolutely dead, Just crank it manually and get some power to survive.

[campgirl25]

weight is def important and life of the light. Windup lights are great bc you have no fear of batteries dying! There are some really long lasting lights out now in 3 LED which are top notch.

[CrazyCamping_Greg]

Hi

I am new here and love camping and can't wait to go this year !!  My suggestion is to head on over to http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/index.php? there is a WEALTH of information on the subject of ANY kind of flashlight, from handheld lights to lanterns. I am also a member of their forums, but in no way benefit from letting all you know about it,  Cheers!!

Greg

[Maleki]

Yeah I'm new here too.  My gf and I tend to go a little overboard on three things during camping: food (take a reasonable amount of food ... and triple it), bug warfare (Saddam had nuthin' on us), and lights....

My gf has an upgraded mini-mag light with a 1 watt led.  I have a phoenix tk-10 (range 200m on high). 

We used to use a florescent lantern then I came across these UFO lights.  Really cheap(4-6Cdn) lights in the shape of … a UFO.  They’re about 20cm across, less than 50g empty, have a hook in the middle, house about 30 LEDs, and are powered by 4 AA batteries.  We string a couple of them up by ropes across the middle of the camp and have enough light to setup the entire camp.  (We also tend to arrive at the campgrounds rather late.)  We use rechargeables but this isn’t something you’d take on long camping trips.

M

[mrman]

Currently, the LED's out there are getting very good battery life, and with a recharging battery you could save bundle, so battery life and tough parts are important. If you plan on designing something for a family or group trip, I would lean more towards light output 1st, tough parts 2nd "kids can destroy anything, kids and drunk people", and battery life 3rd. Weight is not as much of an issue, and battery life can even be sacrificed a little. For example, I use coleman northstar propane lanterns, they go through propane way faster than an LED would go through 8 D batteries. If I went backpacking I would want an LED, the stepper the climb or father the walk the smaller I would go. But I have to agree with Maleki's post, people who like to camp like to get a good light source, so it should be bright and reliable. The only reason I will not go with battery lighting comparable to propane light output, like 15 million candlepower spotlights, is because the battery life is way too short "like 1 hour". Long story short, to answer your question reliability is the most important thing because you are out in the woods and even if wal mart is 3 miles away its late and you don't want to plug back into society yet, and finding your keys to get there won't be easy in the dark.

[camperator5]

Hi!
I am a design student and I am working on a Light for outdoor life such as camping and hiking, as well as for use in your cabin. I am hoping that some of you would be able to help me with some of my questions around this. I would be happy to hear about your experiance with campinglamps.
What is for you the most important feature of a lamp, lightquality, weight, power efficiency, other?

Thank you for your help!

You may need multiple lanterns for the usages you describe. For pure brightness, propane or liquid fuel based mantle lanterns are the best. The are not intended for indoor use however (fumes and fire hazard issues, etc.). For general camping you may need to consider what you need to do. For specific tasks like cooking, an LED lantern kept nearby is good but they are not great for general area lighting. Compact fluorescent battery lanterns are nice and bright  but the bright ones, with all those D batteries, can get heavy quickly. You wouldn't want to take one of those hiking. For hiking a modern compact LED lantern would do. So as you can see, there are trade offs in choosing one lantern. In the end, I use a fluorescent lantern  (or 2 hand crank or 2 LED lanterns for good lighting inside a tent or cabin). If I need good area light outdoors, I use a propane or liquid fuel lantern. For lighting single objects, a single LED lantern/flashlight does the trick. Unfortunately, one lantern does not fit all uses. (I'm leaving out a lot about lantern power usage, battery life, etc.) If you can only get one, choose the one that will fit the situation you will be in the most. Hope this helps.