Tip on camping with LEDs

Copy of a reply I sent about a query on 7ah sla batteries - as a new post.
.......as you say you are going to use the 7ah sla battery for camp lighting. The move these days is to LED lights instead of fluros as the equivalent uses 5 to 10 times less battery. There are quite a few options coming on the market right now including a 12v circular "trouble light" (aboiut 8 LEDs) with alternative red LEDs flashing and cig lighter plug (or rip the plug off & attach direct to battery). This item $16.95 from auto parts shop. There are also some "strip" emergency type lights with multiples of LEDS but these are a fair bit more expensive ($50 or so) and some are only attached to internal small capacity rechargeable batteries, rather than running direct off 7ah or car battery.
What I did was to get a halogen table lamp (or behind-the-bed on-the-wall with switch halogen base) that TAKES A MR16 HALOGEN GLOBE. Then I replaced the halogen globe with a 12v MR16 multiple LED clusterfrom Hybralec Industries Ph. 03-9761-6780 (they have other style replacement LEDs too (see www.hybralec.com.au), and attached the necessary wiring for MY 7ah battery. This gets over the slightly poorer light produced by LEDs (actually your eyes soon get used to LEDs once it gets dark). Get 5-10 evenings out of the battery now.
Also consider a cheap LED garden light ($6 or so). charges up free during the day, looks ziggy & guides you to your camper/tent early evening. Turn it upside down, solar panel down on the benchtop or wherever when you go to sleep & you get adequate light in the middle of the night if you have to get up for some reason or other (i.e. if you are old like us).
This is my first new post. Hope you found it interesting.
Arkay - Adelaide SA