Your priorities for a source of light while camping might be low down on the list of priorities but boy does it go to the top when you all of a sudden find yourself in the dark. Your camping light needs to be reliable and have a readily available fuel source or power supply.
There are many ways to light your camp site and you need to consider what your needs are so you can purchase the camping lights that are right for you and your family. I’ve compiled a list of the various types of camping lamps available in the marketplace today and listed their various benefits and disadvantages.
Gas Lanterns
Gas lanterns have the advantage of providing the brightest light out of all the camping lights currently on the market. If you camp in the cooler months the lantern will even provide a bit of warmth with a clean burning flame. A slight disadvantage to gas lanterns is that the flame does burn hot so you can’t leave them unattended, especially with little ones around.
Kerosene Lanterns
There are two types of kerosene lamps, pressure and wick. The pressure lamp produces the brightest light but can be fiddly to use. The major appeal of kerosene lamps are that it’s very easy to get fuel for them and the wick type is very cheap. Wicks are cheap and readily available. You do have to make sure that the lamps never git tipped over so they don’t cause a fire. Never leave a burning kerosene lamp unattended .
Butane Lanterns
Butane lamps are an excellent source of light for the weight conscious backpacker. They provide quite a bit more light than a torch for an equivalent size and weight. When you see one working you can be quite surprised at the amount of light they produce. Some models can output the equivalent of an 80 watt globe.
Battery Powered Lamps
The battery powered lantern is probably the safest form of camp light on the market. Without a flame there is little to no chance of a fire. You also avoid having to deal with dangerous flammable liquids. One of the greatest things about battery powered lamps is that there are solar powered 12 volt versions available. With a good solar powered system set up to recharge the batteries you will never be without light again. The major disadvantage in the past has been the fact that battery powered lanterns have been unable to produce the same amount of light as the gas powered versions. The new technology producing super bright L.E.Ds has been changing that as they use little power, produce very little heat and can produce quite a bit of light for their size.
Solar Camping Lantern
Rechargeable batteries are great when you have the means to recharge them but what if you are in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have a 12 volt charger for your car. Getting a solar camping lantern could solve your problem. There are models that will even give you a bit of extra juice on your cell phone which is always a plus.