Are Solar Lights Good For Camping?
Camping is a great activity that gets you away from the hustle and bustle of town and allows you to enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors. You will need many things when you go on your next camping trip, like a tent and a sleeping bag, but one of the most important items that you will need is a good camping light.
Solar lights are great for camping because these lights can offer up superior brightness while also being effortless to recharge. You will not need batteries for these lights as they can store up energy from the sun during the daylight hours of your trip. Choosing a good solar light can make your camping trip much more pleasant at night.
If you are ready to learn more about how great solar lights are for camping, read on!
What is the Difference Between Solar Camping Lights and Garden Lights?
There is a common misconception that many people have that the term ‘solar lights’ is synonymous with garden solar lights. There are plenty of different types of lights out there on the market that can be charged by a built-in solar panel, but when people hear the term solar lights they immediately think of the cheap solar garden lights.
Garden lights that are powered by the sun are meant to be stuck in the ground and have a tiny solar panel on top. These are meant to be permanently placed along pathways or in yards to provide nighttime illumination that is gentle and has some ambiance to it. These lights are never going to be bright enough or last long enough to fill your needs for camping and are really just designed to light up a small pathway with a very small amount of light.
On the other hand, there are plenty of flashlights and lanterns out there that are very bright, have a large capacity rechargeable battery, and can gather energy from the sun to charge that battery. Make sure when you are shopping for camping lights that you are not looking into lights that are meant for your garden. It can be easy to realize that your camping light search has become confused with a garden light search! Solar power is becoming more and more common, so you will need to be sure that you are looking at the right kind of product each time you shop.
What do Solar Lanterns Cost?
Solar lanterns can be quite affordable these days as both LED technology and solar technology have evolved into great consumer products at budget-friendly pricing. Small travel camping lights or lanterns can provide around 100-500 lumens of light and are about $20-$60. You will find that increased lumens lead to increased costs.
The cost will be reflective of the light’s brightness level, battery mAh size, solar charging capacity, and feature set. Some of the extra features may include the ability to changing lighting arrays like 360-degree lighting or spotlighting. Magnetic attachment points might also be an option to consider.
You should consider the warranty that is offered on the light as well as the hours that it is usable. You do not want to spend a bunch of money on a light that does not generate results for your money. Camping lights can be spendy but they should also offer you years of usable life before they need to be replaced.
Are Solar Lanterns Worth it?
These kinds of lights are well worth your money because they are so easy to use. You will not need to remember to bring charging cords with you or batteries to power these lights. So long as you are going to have a place in your campsite that they can get the light from the sun, you will have access to all the charge that you need to make these lights take care of your every need at night.
Solar lights are a great investment due to their durability as well. They hold up a long time and they are just as bright and effective as other kinds of lights. If you were worried that your solar lights would not hold up to your needs or be bright enough to illuminate your campsite at night, you will find that this is not a concern.
Solar power was once thought of as a dream of the future, but the technology is so effective today that solar is used to create power for the power grid and to take care of people’s home needs as well. A solar cell can convert many hours’ worth of charge and solar technology only continues to improve.
Being able to convert sunlight into power makes these kinds of lights the best way to be friendly to the environment while also getting the service that you need from your camping lights. Camping is all about getting back to the basics, and batteries and phone chargers are not part of the basics. You will love being able to get all the power that you need from the sun on your next camping trip!
So long as you invest in a quality solar camping light or lantern, you will have all the light that you need to keep your campsite safe and secure when it gets dark. People are often shocked at the brightness and power of these kinds of lights and wonder why they did not invest in solar camping lights sooner!
What Are the Best Solar Lights for Camping?
There are many brands that make solar camping lights, but they are not all created equal. As with anything else, you will find that some brands are more durable and more effective than others. You will always want to verify that the lights that you are looking at come with a good warranty and promise to offer enough lumens to make your campsite safe and comfortable each night.
Here at STKR Concepts, we’ve created The Flexit Solar Light as a multipurpose lighting choice for all your camping needs. It can be positioned in many different ways to illuminate lots of different kinds of spaces and it is durable and waterproof. The ultra-thin shape-lok body is covered in small LEDs with a large CREE LED in the very center. The body is easily bendable and shapeable which lets you create many different lighting patterns, including a 360 degree light output just like a standard lantern.
This Flexit design is a truly unique feature compared to many other lights on the market and it allows you to shape it into a lantern with 360-degrees of output, a broad floodlight, or even a focused spotlight.
You can hook the Fexit Solar around trees or poles or you can set it down on a flat surface to light up a kitchen or table area nearby. It has five light modes that can take care of your focused light needs as well as two kinds of floodlight settings and even a red light night mode. It also features a magnetic base that will allow it to stick to any metal surface that you want to affix it to.
This light offers a whopping 500 lumens and 70 hours of runtime from a single charge! This is far better than many battery-powered or rechargeable lights and you will have more flexibility with the use of this light since you are freed of the need to plug it in and charge it every day.
How Long Do Solar Lanterns Last?
Solar lanterns can last for a variety of different time periods. The amount of sun that your campsite is getting can affect the overall ability of your solar camping light to make your campsite bright at night, but if you have normal daylight to work with, this should be enough. Lower-quality lights will offer you a day of charge, while better lights might give you as much as 70 hours or so of runtime. It all depends on the size and watt capability of the solar panel, batteries the panel is charging, and the amount of lumens the light is providing. If you need to conserve battery, use low light settings.
You should always consider that more usable hours are better with lighting for your campground, particularly if you are going to be away from any source of power for a set number of days. There is nothing that has a bigger impact on your comfort and safety when camping than your camping lights.
You will want to be sure that you have enough lights or powerful enough lights in any case, to cover most of your campground at night. You should also consider making sure that you have lanterns or flashlights that you can use for walking around in the dark. Having the right combination of lights that will get enough charge from the sunlight during the day can make a big difference to your camping experience.
If you are going to be going somewhere that does not get enough light to power your solar lights on a daily basis, you will need to be sure that you have some backup lights that are battery-powered or charged by other means. You do not want to end up without any kind of light. There is nothing that is more frustrating than having a bunch of solar lights and not being able to get enough sun to use them!
Luckily the Flexi Solar also has a USB charging solution as well so for backup purposes you could bring a power bank and USB cable to charge it up if you can’t get enough sunlight.
How Bright are Solar Lanterns?
The illumination that is created by any kind of light is measured in lumens. Lumens are a lighting unit that is used to describe the relative brightness of lights. This still might not mean much to you as we do not often discuss the lumens related to the lights that we use on a daily basis.
As a way to get an idea of how bright your camping light is, standard incandescent light bulbs are about 800 lumens. This means that your living room or your garage will be lit by one or more of these lights. So if you are looking at a camping lantern and the description tells you that the light produces about 100 lumens of light, this is not very bright.
Solar lanterns that are worth the money should provide a minimum of 400 lumens. The best ones will give you around 500 or more. This is necessary to see truly well in the dark and to make sure that you are going to be able to see clearly across a large field of vision. This can matter when safety is in question as well as when walking away from other lights that might be lighting up the campsite.
How Important is a Spotlight Function?
For some users, a spotlight option will not be required, but you will find that diffuse lighting is not always the most useful kind of light. You might need to be able to see far off into the distance for certain purposes. You might also be using the light to guide the way from a campsite fire to your tent or to explore a noise that you heard around camp.
The spotlight function can also be very helpful for safety reasons if you need to be located in the dark in the case of an emergency. Being able to angle the neck of the light can make a big difference in your ability to direct the light and it can also make your use of the light much easier.
The combination of the right features and factors for your use can be a personal decision. You might need something different if you are backpacking and camping in various locations than someone who is traveling to a campsite with a tent or a trailer.
Which is the Best Rechargeable Camping Lantern
Here at STKR Concepts, we believe that our Flexit Solar Flexible Flashlight is the best choice for your rechargeable camping needs. It’s basically the transformer of camping lights at it can change from a focused spotlight to a full area lantern in just the bend and twist of its body. You can stick to the metal poles of your easy-up shade structures, or hang it from a campsite hook or even your tent poles. Its ultra-unique bendable body can even create the connection point letting you bend it around a tree branch, for instance, making this a very versatile camping light.
The Flexit Pocket Flashlight is another great choice for your rechargeable light needs. This great little pocket light will allow you to use it as a flashlight or you can stand it up on a surface wherever you need light. The flexible head allows you to angle light wherever you need it. You will get 72 hours of run time and this is a weather-resistant light.
The Flexit Pocket Flashlight offers 650 true lumens. This light has many settings and you can use it like a floodlight, as a spotlight, or on one of the various brightness settings. This is a great balance to add to your camping light needs and pairing this light with solar lights can make sure that you have the kind of lighting for any kind of activity that needs to be done around camp.
Picking the Right Solar Camping Light Can Be Easy
Picking the right solar camping light can be a snap when you know more about what lumens are and what the features of a good camping light should be. You do not want to guess about the things that you will need when you are picking a camping lantern, and the brightness of the light should always be the most important consideration.
Always remember that safety is the main reason that you need to have good lighting around camp. You should never compromise on your safety by buying cheap lights that will not provide the illumination that you need to be safe and comfortable around camp. Good lights should last you at least 24 hours on a charge.
Picking the right solar camping light does not have to be a struggle now that you have learned more about the right kinds of camping lights for your needs.