12v camping light

Hi Wildwest,

The Torpedo light by Evakool is very good and we sell heaps of them.

The tested load is 0.34 amps and the 13W globe is very bright.

I am not sure if Evakool fixed the typo yet where it lists the globe as 13 amps but it is infact 13W.

Regards Derek.

Gday wildwest- we use the Piranha fluro (same as versa-lite), draws just under 1amp/hr- but gotta say, that evakool light looks like a ripper at the same price as versa-lite/ piranha but half current draw!

Hi Wildwest

I have purchased some festoon LED (bulbs) for the vehicle which draw very little current. These are available from Dick Smith. This allows us to leave the doors open with interior lights on for extended periods.

Have a home made fluro for the cooking area ( 1 amp draw) and LED lights for the inside (bedroom etc) area.

Regards
Garry

If you want the most light from your DC power, then use a Compact Flourescent lamp - nothing is more efficient in converting electricity to light.

At 13 volts, ANY load rated at 13 watt will draw 1 amp, that's the definition of "watts".

If you had a very efficient Inverter, you might be able to get a Fluoro, (that uses 13 watts at 50Hz), to put out nearly as much light, using less than 13 watts of DC.

A 13 watt fluoro may put out as much LIGHT as a 60 watt filament lamp, but that's to do with the light's efficiency.

You won't get an argument from me about VersaLite and so forth, my two (a V.L. and a clone) have done sterling service. But I think everything is going to go LED. We have gone that way for all our torches and headlamps (the one that clips onto the cap is a cracker) and there are some lanterns and lead lights starting to come on the market. The kid tried out a 17 LED lantern I got off eBay (4*C batteries) on the last trip and said it was OK but not as good as thier previous Coleman "Brick" fluro. They only went through 1 set of batteries in a three week trip though. They need to come out with some with either more or better LEDS but I'm sure it will happen.

OT

i have a versa and the evacool one, the versa is a lot brighter than the evacool. I use the evacool inside the camper and gives enough light for that and the brighter versa in the annexe. I used to have a primus until it clayed itself and it was on par with the versa at half the price.

Get a $29.00 string of 240 volt party lights from Big W cut the 240 volt plug off, replace with cigy lighter plug as there are only 2 wires, go to Bunnings and buy 12 volt compact fluro's with bayonet ends. We just put the string of lights up where we want under the annexe of the camper and you have ten outlets, you can put as many bulbs as you need or just run a couple and shift them like we do. excellent light, doesn't use much power and cheap.

I use a normal everyday 4 foot fluorescent light running off my inverter and it does a brilliant job as you would expect.

If you need a light for moving arround just buy one of the LED lamps that you stick on your head.

The definitive solution on 12 volt Camping Lights. (IMHO)

I have a Versalite Fluro (about 1 amp draw) which is a very good light. The accessory bracket you can get for it is ingenious too. It "wraps" itself around a tent pole and the light slides into it, allowing a very flexible mounting solution. The height is adjustable by sliding the bracket up or down the pole.

I also have the EvaKool Torpedo (compact Fluro) and it's also a very good camp light. This light has a hook to mount the light by which slides along the cable.

Both these lights retail for about the same price.
Both lights are enclosed in a weather and oil proof enclosure. The Versalite is more of a wand style, but not too long, while the Torpedo uses a compact spiral type fluro in a squat shaped enclosure.
Both put out about the same lumens, with the Versalite perhaps a shade brighter.
Both lights come in a weatherproof storage pouch and have cigarette type plugs to connect to 12 volt DC and an adaptor to enable clamp style connection to a battery.

Out of the two.....line ball. You would be happy with either.

Now, here's an alternative, but depends on what you want out of the camping light.

I also have a "Super Bright" branded LED Lamp. The shape is similar to the Veralite and has a hook at the top to suspend it from. The rating of this lamp is 2.4 watt, 8000 MCD LED. (whatever that means)
It has 20 rows of 3 LEDS, or a total of 60.
It is NOT as "super" bright as either the Versalite (or its clones) or the Torpedo.
In fact I wouldn't recommend it as the only light. (It costs about the same as the others)
It does however have one distinct advantage. It does not attract insects.

Both Fluro type lights will have a cloud of moths, etc. around the light given the right conditions. (most of the time?)
With the LED Lamp, I have not had more than one or two smaller insects hovering near the LED light and for this reason, I use it over, or near the cooking and food preparation area of my Camper Trailer annex.

All three of the lights have made the Gas Lantern redundant.
All three of the lights (or any one of them separately) require a 12 volt light source.

I have found the most practical solution to be a portable battery system, which powers the lights and the fridge and can be recharged by the vehicle alternator on the go, or a 40 watt solar panel while stationary.

If you were only using the portable battery for one light, you can buy a 17 Ah "booster pack" for under a $100 from Repco or Super Cheap. This will last a fair while, depending on how long you wish to run the light for and has a further advantage of providing a Jump start to the vehicle battery if you find yourself "in the poo"

Alternatively to the above of course, you could connect the light to your vehicle's power source, but you need to ensure you don't flatten the only battery and can't get the vehicle started in the morning. (recommend a dual battery system here)

12V Nelson globs then put them in a work light holder and done you can but 3 globes and 3 work lights for the same price as a Versilight/Narva/ARB fluro, they are as bright if not brighter.



Or do this using a lamp fitting, i got mine from Vinnies




Baz.

That's all great info! Thanks for your input! I've got a bit of thinking to do now.
It has raised one other question though. If I plug in a 240v fluro through my inverter, that will use even more amps to power the inverter won't it?

Cheers