Need camping lighting? No batteries? No camping fuel? No worries, use solar spot lights – my experience with camping tells me that at some stage I’ll run out of fuel for my camping lamps. My butane supply will run out, or the gas will go, or the batteries will deplete. Time and time again it has happened and it can be at the most inappropriate moment which could even prove dangerous. The supply of proper camping lighting is fundamental to a safe and rewarding camping trip.
My strategy now is to cover all bases with my camping lighting requirements. On a bigger camping trip I’ll use a generator to power a floodlight to light the larger communal areas of the campsite, and have up to five different camping lamps (particularly on a longer camping trip), using different fuel sources. I’ll also assign a battery torch to each camp mate, and I’ll have solar spot lights on hand for those moments when a lighting source runs out or if I simply want to conserve camping fuel or batteries.
Solar spot lights can be surprisingly bright and can actually last some time on the stored solar power. Of course it wouldn’t be practical to use them as your only camping lighting source, but solar spot lights are perfect as a back-up lighting source, or to use when you need to conserve your other camping lamps. And of course most importantly they offer a renewable lighting source. Use them at night and then simply let the sun recharge them through the day. Perfect.
I carry spare fuel and batteries for all my camp lighting, but storage space can be at a premium, especially on longer camping trips. The strategy I use to cut to cut down on my traveling supplies, is to make sure I have good quality solar spot lights as part of my camping inventory. Modern solar technology allows the solar spot lights to store a good supply of solar power and offers a bright light (Most of the older solar technology meant that the lighting was quite dull and wouldn’t last very long.)
You can find a good supply of solar spot lights at most good camping stores, or even some hardware stores. Many campers wouldn’t bother with this type of camping lighting, but I believe they are essential, especially as a back-up lighting source.