Tent Lighting

As far as possible I would stick with LED lights. No heat and low current draw. There are some very good multi led fittings available that are very bright.

.

What batteries and charging system is your 12 v for the camper?

If you get a rechargeable LED lantern, and LED torches, you can charge batteries while driving during the day when needed.

Motherhen

Hi
LED's are the way to go just for general light ( too dull to read by ) I have two strip LED's in my camper- going to fit 2 more to brighten it up a bit- try www.modncomputers.com.au I bought mine from them 8" super brights about $7.00 each + $6.00 post
Cheers Kev

hi, for our tent and just for outside lighting we bought those solar shed lights available from hardware stores for around $20, it surprising how long they go for on one charge and they give off a good light. we hang ours not connected to the solar charger and then through the day when needed take it outside and plug it into the panel- easy and free!, well worth it, they do come with a fair lead from the panel to the light but we choose to use it not connected as it seems easier.
Chris.

while everyone is recommending LED's I still use a 12 V 12 watt fluro from bunnings (now about $32 each.)
draws 1amp per hour from your battery but provides the same light as a 60 watt 240 bulb
just get a clear plastic storage container and fit the bulb in a batten fix mounted in the screw top lid , a bit of lead with an inline switch to the battery supply and bobs your uncle . another advantage is that the bulbs travel well inside the plastic container.
we have used ours for over 3 years.

cheers
Howard

Recently installed 2 of the BL102 from following site -
http://www.brightlightautoparts.com/NEW_LED_LIGHT_INTERIOR_EXTERIOR_LAMPS.html

They are our reading lamps when up in the bed room ...

Just bought another lamp from them AF210012P120 ( same page )

as a general purpode lamp for the annex - it looks bright enough
but not field-tested yet !!

Rgds

Steve

The first tent lighting I saw was on a school camp at Wilson's Prom about 37 years ago. We used gas.

First my mate Tom had a go.... Then Danny, but his pants caught on fire.

It was amazing... flashes of light lit up the whole tent.






But mate..... it stank!

The best reading lamp setup that I have used was in the Kimberly Kamper. The lights (one on each side of the bed) were not LED but some form of incandescent 12V mounted on the end of a flexible goose neck that could be folded down alongside the mattress when not in use.
My Coromal Camper has rather useless reading lamps mounted on the central support over the beds. You can't read properly with that set up. The rest of the living area is lit with 12v Fluoros.

Does anyone have a source for the Kimberley reading lamps? (I suppose the manufacturer would be a good starting place for a search, but I haven't done that, hoping that I could pick them up as an accessory somewhere locally.)

Kingo

Just in case anyone is interested Supercheap sell 12v globes in the same shape and fitting as the newer domestic household BC/ES compact fluroescents that everyone has been told to buy now to save the planet.

Craig

I don't know why no one but us uses the following

We have an inverter 12VDC to 230VAC and run a normal household plug in fluro that everyone is replacing their light bulbs with.

Cheap, reliable and heaps of light with low current draw.

We are usually using the inverter for the laptop anyway.

We just have a normal bayonet light socket on a cable with a normal 3 pin plug on the other end. One is setup permanently in the Troopy and we have a second one for the tent.

Plenty of light for reading from a 11W fluro.

Stevesub

LED headlight for each head

Bob