Recommend Light for Inside Tent

[explorerlyon]

Please recommend a light for inside my tent while camping.

1. MUST be a very wide throw to illuminate the inside of the tent. I have tried using a small LED flahslight, but it did not do a very good job of casing a wide beam.

2. AA, AAA or A123 ok.

3. Dedicated light for the tent is OK. Great if I can also carry it in my pocket and use it for other functions, but this is primarily a tent light.

4. Adjustable Lumes. LOW LOW for just sitting in the tent chatting or brighter for scrounging around looking for the missing sock.

5. Must be able to hang.

[eg1977]

4sevens mini 123 xml

[Cyclops942]

4sevens mini 123 xml

I happen to have this light, and while I agree that the low is pretty low, the beam is not that wide. I would have to recommend the 4Sevens Preon0, their stainless steel 1xAAA light, instead. The beam is very wide (there's basically no reflector, because the reflecting surface is coated with GITD material, giving you all spill with no hot spot), the low setting is very low, and the high setting is quite a bit of light for close-up tasks. Plus, the neodymium magnet in the base gives you a hanging option other than the split-ring. This light (the Preon0) gives a beautiful flood of light in either high or low mode. It is not a lantern, but is instead a directed flood light.

[ada_potato]

Please recommend a light for inside my tent while camping.

1. MUST be a very wide throw to illuminate the inside of the tent. I have tried using a small LED flahslight, but it did not do a very good job of casing a wide beam.

2. AA, AAA or A123 ok.

3. Dedicated light for the tent is OK. Great if I can also carry it in my pocket and use it for other functions, but this is primarily a tent light.

4. Adjustable Lumes. LOW LOW for just sitting in the tent chatting or brighter for scrounging around looking for the missing sock.

5. Must be able to hang.

SolarForce L2T (3-mode XML drop-in with lantern head)

[samuraishot]

Muyshondt Mako flood

[Ezeriel]

Fenix LD22 with a diffuser tip

[Outdoorsman5]

I have a lot of experience camping, and have used lots of lights in the tent for my family & me. Our current favorite & very versatile set up is a Quark X AA2 (now called the Quark QP2A-X) with a Fenix diffuser tip. It produces a true 280 lumens all the way down to a 0.3 lumens, and hangs from the center of the tent using a clip. The Fenix Diffuser Tip fits just fine, and spreads the light throughout the tent very well. When not in use inside the tent the light is one of the best all around general use 2 x AA lights. It has 5 output options plus 3 blinky modes. Here are the runtimes from Foursevens.com's website -

Moonlight: 0.3 lumens, 15 days / Low: 2.7 lumens, 3 days / Medium: 24 lumens, 20 hrs / High: 115 lumens, 2.5 hrs / Maximum: 280 lumens, 0.8 hrs

I got the Fenix Diffuser Tip from FenixTactical.com. The tip is called "Transparent Diffusr Tip" for the LD/PD Fenix series of lights.

This whole set up is lightweight & great when you don't want to hike in with a monster sized lantern. I use rechargeable eneloops in ours for better runtimes compared to alkaline or I sometimes use Energizer Lithium batteries in it for the very best runtimes.

Another one of our favorites (but is a 3 D cell LED lantern) is a Rayovac Sportsman Extreme Lantern - got mine at Lowes. It's advertised as 300 lumens, but is more like 200 lumens. I don't take this hiking; just use it on basic camping trips. It has high & low. It can serve as a lantern on a table or, the hood comes off so it can hang upside down with its built in hook inside the tent (clever design.) It's a good one with awesome runtimes, and recommended quite a bit around here as a good LED Lantern.

Good Luck

[greenlight]

When you're camping the only light you really need is the one that's inside your tent. You go to bed before it's completely dark, right? You could choose from dozens of weak flashlights or even a compact lantern.

I have spent a lot of time in a tent and I usually only need my weakest flashlight to see (gerber sonic). However, a headlamp is nice for doing some reading before you crash out.

[Lou Minescence]

I agree with Outdoorsman5 in post #7.
Quark with Fenix diffuser tip for your needs.
I usually try to keep my tent lighting to a minimum. That way fewer bugs come and hang around the tent.

[Owen]

Hang your headlamp inside the tent, or just wear it, if you're alone(assuming you have a floody headlamp).
Backpacking, I sometimes get up, pack up, and start hiking before daylight, and sleep with my headlamp on, or pulled down around my neck.
If you're just camping, and not toting all your gear around, weight and bulk aren't so much of an issue, so a LED lantern might work fine. I'd still rather use my headlamp, though...

[explorerlyon]

I have a lot of experience camping, and have used lots of lights in the tent for my family & me. Our current favorite & very versatile set up is a Quark X AA2 (now called the Quark QP2A-X) with a Fenix diffuser tip. It produces a true 280 lumens all the way down to a 0.3 lumens, and hangs from the center of the tent using a clip. The Fenix Diffuser Tip fits just fine, and spreads the light throughout the tent very well. When not in use inside the tent the light is one of the best all around general use 2 x AA lights. It has 5 output options plus 3 blinky modes. Here are the runtimes from Foursevens.com's website -

Moonlight: 0.3 lumens, 15 days / Low: 2.7 lumens, 3 days / Medium: 24 lumens, 20 hrs / High: 115 lumens, 2.5 hrs / Maximum: 280 lumens, 0.8 hrs

I got the Fenix Diffuser Tip from FenixTactical.com. The tip is called "Transparent Diffusr Tip" for the LD/PD Fenix series of lights.

Good Luck

I have a Quark AA2 tactical. I will have to try the difuser tip. I did learn I do not like the tactical for camping.

[Outdoorsman5]

I have a Quark AA2 tactical. I will have to try the difuser tip. I did learn I do not like the tactical for camping.

I like the quarks with the regular UI (now called the "Pro" UI) much better for almost everything because I use all five outputs often. My wife on the other hand hates having to cycle through each setting, so her light is a Quark with the tactical UI.

The diffuser tip works well on the quarks. I have some of the older Fenix diffuser tips as well, and had to lightly sand the inside of them to get them to fit on my quarks. But, the new & improved "transparent diffuser tip" doesn't really need to be sanded down. It's a snug fit, but doesn't need to be sanded.

For those wondering why I didn't just use the fenix tip on a fenix light - I like fenix lights quite a bit (& own several), but I prefer the new Quarks with the XML LED in em which makes them brighter. Plus the Quarks have better lows than the fenix lights....imo.

[skyfire]

i just got a preon 0, and i think it wuld do well as a tent light.
it uses 1xAAA. has a low low mode of .2 lumens, and a high for about 25 lumens. its an all flood light with a wide beam.
it also has a magnet on the tailend, which can come in handy. and its only about $20

i havent had enough time to test its durability, since ive only had it for a week. but so far so good.

[reppans]

I'm longtime camper and I'll add another +1 on the Quark AA^2 X, but I would suggest getting the optional 1xAA body for smaller size and EDC pocketability Inside a tent all you'll need is 0.3 and 3 lumens and at those low levels, 1xEneloop will last a couple weeks of perpetual nighttime use. Then put a 14500 cell in it and carry it as your ~300 lumen EDC light when you get home.

The XML has a great floody beam, but I also use this for my lantern/diffuser/90-degree reflector in confined spaces - hard to beat ZERO cost/weight/volume, not to mention living in my wallet 24/7. I just clip the whole thing to window flaps in my tent or seat belts and curtains in my campervan.



Another good one to check out is the Zebralight H51. Great selection of low modes, equally long runtimes, and the 90-angle head has loads of hands-free use options, not even considering that it is a headlamp.

With some inventory left on 4Sevens rebranding sales, you can get the QAA2X + 1xAA body for the same price as the ZL - $65. I'm partial to the Quark though, for it's long warranty, wider battery options, and Lego-ability.

[neonnoun]

+1 for a Diffuser tip. Almost any light will do.

I use a Preon with a chapstick lid as the diffuser in my backpacking tent. I use an old Fenix 2XAA light with the Fenix diffuser in my cabin tent.

[jorn]

I use the neurtal mini-x with a p7 suspention clip and a homemade difuser dome. Cut a hole in the ball from a small deo or insect repellant stick, I cant remeber what it was..

[reppans]

Now that's a good one Jorn... ping pong ball would work too.

[MattSPL]

The Jil Lite Constel looks like its made for the job

[Dave H]

Xeno makes an excellant white traffic wand diffuser tip that comes in three sizes. As some have mentioned previously you don't want the light on in your tent for long it attracts bugs. You don't want too much to carry so just use your regular flashlight add a diffuser tip. Its a lot cheaper, lighter to carry and works better.

[jorn]

Now that's a good one Jorn... ping pong ball would work too.

It's good as a hedlamp replacement. (for when the headlamp attract too mutch bugs to ur face.) Clip it to your front pocket or a twig, and you still got your hands free, but keeps away all the bugs from your face.

[jhamer9]

I just ordered the fenix LD10 and a tip diffuser. I haven't gotten it yet, but from what I'm reading any type of light that can be dimmed (>20 lumens) should work well for a tent light. I bought the diffuser incase of power outages around my house, but I'm sure it will work well in a tent also.

[GunnarGG]

What I tried ones that worked pretty well was an old filmcanister that I hung in the tent and just dropped my little mini123 in it when I got in the tent.