Choosing Lighting

One of the delights of camping is that you are based in peaceful, picturesque parts of the country usually far from built-up areas. This means that when darkness falls, there are usually no streetlamps to guide you around your campsite/base, therefore it is essential you have your own lighting when embarking on a camping trip. The following are suggestions of lighting that you may find useful.  

Headlamps

Headlamps are very useful when you need both hands and have to use a flashlight at the same time. When shopping for a lamp think about comfort, weight, and look at the various features that come with these lamps. (e.g. zoom or multiple beam (hi and lo) brightness options). Many headlamps are coming with combination LED and standard bulbs in the same lamp for maximum versatility in brightness when needed and long-lasting light when desired. More.....

Electric lanterns

These are perhaps the safest of the lantern options, although the downside is battery consumption. Some come with optional 12-volt adapters that allow users to plug into a lighter socket in a vehicle, and that's a nice feature to have. Our editors also like the remote-control lanterns by Coleman, especially when camping with children. A quick flick of the remote turns the light out on the picnic table outside the tent when everyone is "safely" tucked in for the night. Another quick flick turns the light on to prevent blind stumbling should nocturnal wandering become necessary. More.....

Gas/Fuel lanterns

The choice of fuel will be liquid or pressured (gas canister). Many outdoor veterans prefer and recommend the gas canister for convenience and ease-of-use as well as safety. Gas lanterns are very bright, although they have the drawback of being a tad on the noisy side, rather like camping near a jet engine running at half speed. More.....

Torch

This should be on every campers packing list. Generally there are no street lights in camp sites and you'll need to find your way back from the pub/toilet/walks at night. The small, strong and super-bright torches (such as Maglites) are excellent, Head-mounted torches leave your hands free and are very useful when cooking. More.....