LED Camping Lights – Buying Guide

Camping lights are pretty much an essential item to bring on your camping trip. One of the ways to illuminate your campsite is through the use of a campfire, but it is not enough to illuminate everything within the camp. Places in your camp such as your kitchen set up, tent, wash area, and even while walking through the campsite. Nowadays, with the technology of LED, the majority of camping lights are with the use of LED bulbs. We’ve purchased different kinds of LED lights and tested them to give you a guide on which kinds of lights are best to buy for your camping trips. These are the LED lights we recommend per category of use when camping:

Decathlon’s FORCLAZ Trekking Headlamp is our personal favorite when it comes to personal lighting. It gives you the freedom of working with two hands while being well illuminated on the things you are doing at camp. Whether walking around the campsite at night or grilling your favorite meat by the campfire, having a light that you can basically switch on and off on your head is the most seamless device you can ever attach to your head. The only downside to the headlamp is that the battery isn’t rechargeable (it comes with AAA batteries when you buy them). We’ve used the headlamps for several camping trips and the batteries are holding well, which means the led light isn’t consuming much juice. On the other hand, you can buy rechargeable batteries to help lessen the disposal of batteries. After all, saving our environment is one of our goals

Runner Ups: There are other headlamps in the market, especially online, and we have tried some of them. Some are poor in design (looks like a bike headlamp attached to a strap), and some have poor quality build (especially the battery – the typical china battery we see in the market). It is worth mentioning Nitecore headlamps; they are well built and are rechargeable. However, for the price it stands (around Php 1,000) it might not be the best valued. It was a close comparison for the two brands, but we just came up unanimously on the Decathlon headlamp.

Naturehike’s LED Waterproof Tent Light is what we recommend when it comes to lighting your tent and just about anything else. It comes with a strap to hang inside your tent or under an awning (hook or carabiner needed for some tents with no hook). We’ve estimated around 12 hours of use on a full battery. Perfect for lighting your camp the entire night or by switching off when not needed extends its life if you’re camping for extended periods. It’s compact enough to fit on any bag or pocket, has 4 different lighting modes (white, natural, warm, red SOS), and is IP67 rated (you can actually leave it under the rain!). It might be an overpowered light just for your tent, but if you happen to have a large tent with a living area, this would be enough. You can also use this and hang this in your kitchen area to have a nice light while cooking. Having around 2-3 of these would be enough to illuminate your campsite. A bit pricey but is well worth your money.

Runner Up: Surprisingly, a generic china light stood up to our requirements when testing for all-around lights. The Portable Rechargeable USB LED Camping Tent Lantern Light/Outdoor Hiking Waterproof Hangable Spotlight Mini Night Lamp | Shopee Philippines is one that we bought for dirt cheap, and one that we least expected to perform well. It does not have the same features as the one Naturehike has made but the simplicity, and the price, have given it enough attention to us that it ended up as a runner-up on our list. It has a high, low, and SOS mode, has a hanging hook, has a magnetic back, and is rechargeable. At a low setting, we have stretched the light up to 4 hours constant. A little less to say when it comes to the high as the brightness tapers off as time goes by. But for the price, I suggest getting as much as you wish and charging them up quick if you happen to have a huge power bank or charging them up on your car’s cigarette lighter socket via USB.

Coleman is still one of the best when it comes to camping equipment. They have been in the industry for decades and have made products that are proven. For the best main light, the Coleman 2 Panel Led Lantern is what we can recommend. It is, we believe, a very well thought of a product that Coleman has produced. Before we get into the quirks, this lantern is bright enough to light up your camping site. Hang it on a tree, turn on all lights and this can light up every section of the area. The low brightness setting can up to days and can last for around 17 hours on high power. Now for the good part, the panel lights are detachable! You can remove the 2 side panel lights if you happen to need them in a hurry. It charges back up the moment you clip them back to the main body. The feature also has its consequences. Since there are detachable lights, it is only IPX4 rated. Be careful not to leave the lantern exposed to rain as this will damage your lantern.

Runner Up: It was hard to consider what would be a runner-up to the Coleman led lamp, as each and every one of us at MotoKampo had different choices. We did end up putting the Telescopic COB Rod LED Fishing Outdoor Camping Lantern Light Lamp Hiking BBQ | Lazada PH on the runner-up stage for the reason that it is good when it comes to lighting the campsite. Since it is high up on the ground, the light it gives to the campsite is very convenient. It is small when packed up and takes no weight and space when storing. The only issue we do have is that it will run on your 12v battery. The set comes with alligator clamps and a 12v male socket for your car’s cigarette lighter. And since you are going to run this on your car’s battery, this might not be a good idea for who will leave their vehicle to camp. Plus you should refrain from leaving this light turned on an entire night as it might drain your car’s battery. But, if you have a portable power station, jump-starting battery, or a solar 12v pack (we’ve reviewed one from Ecoflow), then this one is a very heavy contender.

Spice up your camping setup and put some accent lighting on your awnings or tarps. This does not illuminate well the way the others above mentioned, but these are enough to have a more intimate vibe while you enjoy exchanging stories with your mates at night. And what most have bought is what we will also recommend. For subtle camping lights, we recommend Solar powered string/fairy lights. These lights are hung up on any place you like, turn them on, and change the feel or vibe of your camp setup. The longer it is the nicer your camp becomes. Leave this as the only light lit up when you are just relaxing at night and enjoy chatting with your friends or family members without having too much brightness for your eyes.