Saturday, Feb 01, 2003 at 19:07
Paul,
Have been down a similar path to you.
Personally I have used a gas light with disposable cylinder (only the full screw on type not the twist on type or piercing type). These are self sealing when you remove the lantern. I know that this is perhaps somewhat expensive for gas, however it is lightweight. Recently I have found an adaptor & hose to the stove from one of these cylinders. This way I can carry some spare gas for cooking.
The cylinders come in 100g, 250g & 750g. The 750g one will last about 5 nights for me.
Back to the electrics - personally wires to a light are something to trip over and I dont like to use the vehicle battery for the same reasons you have given.
The high quality camping fluoro's are supposed to draw one amp. One nights use of 4-5hrs should not present a problem as long as the vehicle is run each day to charge the battery. Beware of some of the cheaper versions - they can draw upto 4 amps.
Some options & thoughts to consider
1) There is a rechargeable Coleman for about $95 (12v & 240v). I have
not used one of these, however they are
well made. There is also a
smaller one that runs on batteries for about $45.
2) The personal headlamps are worth considering especially for cooking
as both hands are left free
3) There are some excellent torches about which are reasonably good
on batteries. For about $50 - $80 you can get a 12v charger and run
NiCd or NiMh batteries. Some torches are a dual function and you can
easily have room for a couple. (It is funny how the one light is always
needed in several
places at once).
These can range from small 2AA hand held upto Dolphin lanterns
(there is an adaptor for these to allow use of 4xD cells in place of the
Lantern battery. www.jaycar.com.au , www.batteryworld.com.au and
www.eveready.com are a starting point.
4) The
Rainbow Power Company www.rpc.com.au is a good site to have
a look at. If wanting the ultimate they do a lighting system which is
totally solar for about $385 panel, battery & 3 x LED Lights.
All said and done it is really a matter of what works for you and what you want to carry around. I
I am interested in the Trailer details - could you please forward a contact.
Pete G
AnswerID:
12353
Follow Up By: Brian - Monday, Feb 03, 2003 at 08:57
Monday, Feb 03, 2003 at 08:57
You can purchace the LED cluster light on it own fro RPC for about $45.
Brian
FollowupID:
7226