Every avid fan of winter fishing or camping faces the burning question of a practical way to light a tent.
We will look at three of the simplest and most inexpensive options, with which you will get bright and long-lasting light for one or even several nights.
To power such lighting, you can use either a bulky standard 12V battery or several other devices:
- power banks (price from 1000r to 2000r)
- small batteries from uninterruptible power supply systems (“bricks” from 2000 rubles)
- rechargeable batteries 18650 format (from 200 rubles per piece)
Choose your own power source based on your budget and availability. The only note is that when buying a battery, make a choice in favor of devices labeled AGM.
These batteries are more suitable for cyclic operation - charge-discharge and will last you much longer.
To calculate the operating time of a battery with lighting of different power, you can use the formula:
t ≈ C / (I * k)
where t is the battery operating time, h (h);
C—battery capacity, A*h (Ah);
I - total current consumption, (A)
I = P / U (P - lamp power W, U - voltage Volt);
k - coefficient of incomplete discharge of the battery (k = 1.3)
Low voltage light bulbs
The first option is low-voltage light bulbs with a constant voltage of 5V or 12V. First, let's look at 5-volt ones.
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They cost from 100 to 200 rubles. One such lamp is ideal for a small umbrella-type tent.
There will be more than enough light from it. If you want even more, simply remove the diffusing cap and expose all the LEDs.
Of course, this will completely destroy all moisture protection, but in cold weather nothing bad will happen to the light bulb.
It is connected via a wire with a USB connector at the end. This connector is simply inserted into the power bank.
Example of lighting in a tent
At the same time, in order to minimize the length of the wires and get rid of everything unnecessary under your feet, the Power Bank can be tied directly on top of the tent not far from the light bulb or thrown into the top pocket.
12V lamps
If the brightness from a five-volt lamp is not enough, use 12 volts.
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And there are two connection options.
The first is from the same power bank through a boost module from 5V to 12V.
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For full illumination for a couple of nights, a 5-watt light bulb will suffice for you, even a 20 A/h power bank, not to mention large capacities.
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The second option is direct connection to a large battery via alligator clips.
If you don’t have 12V bulbs, you can use homemade LED lamps, which are widely used in spotlights on the ceiling.
They come in different capacities. The most popular ones are 3-5-7W.
To simplify the connection of all wires and contacts, find ones that have two sharp pins on the reverse side (GU 5.3).
This male-female terminal connector is screwed onto these pins.
It fits perfectly. The factory base in the cold, after several times of pulling out the light bulb, very quickly begins to act up.
You can also use a standard small E14 cartridge. Just buy the corresponding adapter GU5.3 - E14 for it.
Solder the pin connector from the audio cable onto the power wires. Or use a ready-made speaker cable for this purpose.
This wire does not tan in the cold and is more resistant to negative temperatures.
This plug will snap onto the male-female connector on the light bulb.
Of course, you can assemble everything using twists, but how long will they last you?
Plus, don’t forget about the convenience of connection. You can assemble a whole garland from similar light bulbs for a large tent or marquee.
You buy a splitter and assemble a “chandelier” with 2-4-8 lamps through it.
For convenience, place this switch at the very beginning of the cord. It is usually used on sconces or table lamps.
A loop is made at the end of the wire, to which a carabiner clings.
With its help, all the lighting can be easily hung behind the hub or arc of the tent. Here is a clear example of lighting a tent with just one such 5W LED lamp.
Those who want to get really confused and fully control the brightness of the lighting, while controlling the battery charge and the speed of the heat exchanger fan, make a variety of homemade units.
It turns out to be a real life support control center for the entire tent.
Flying sky lantern
The beauty of Chinese lanterns is that they glow brightly and float in the sky, creating a fairy-tale atmosphere. Before you make a Chinese lantern, you need to prepare materials for the main structural elements - the dome, frame and burner.
Traditionally in China, the dome is made from rice paper. However, it is difficult to find such material in our area. Therefore, the simplest solution is to use plastic garbage bags. You will need 2 bags of 30 liters.
Cut off the bottom of one bag. Connect the 2 bags with glue to make a cylinder. Make the frame from wire, you should get a circle-shaped piece. Its size should correspond to the diameter of the bag whose bottom is cut off. Use two wires to make a cross that intersects in the center of the circle.
The burner can be made from foil. Shape the foil into a cup shape and attach it to the center of the crosshair. It is best to use cotton wool or cloth soaked in alcohol as fuel. You can use dry alcohol tablets.
To start the flashlight, first straighten it out. Light the fuel in the burner. Avoid contact with the dome. Place the flashlight on the ground and just wait for it to fly up from the accumulation of hot air.
LED Strip Light
The second option is to use LED strip in any of its forms.
This can be either a homemade assembly from short sections glued to an aluminum profile with a diffuser, or ready-made kits, such as daytime running lights or kitchen lighting.
Everything is already assembled there and ready to connect. All you have to do is stretch and connect the wires from the battery or power bank.
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To secure the top of the tent to such a lamp, Velcro is glued. And they are already being led beyond the arc.
Some fishermen attach LED modules not to the top, but to the lower legs of the clamshell.
In this case, the face area remains not illuminated by bright direct light, which is very convenient and non-irritating, while the entire space near the holes and the floor are perfectly illuminated.
To get maximum ease of control, a miniature controller or dimmer is placed between the power supply and the LED strip.
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When connecting it to the wires, do not mix up the ends. The one where it says Led goes to the lamp, where 5-24V goes to the battery.
The dimmer comes complete with a remote control. With one button, without getting up from your seat, you can either lower the brightness or turn off the lighting completely.
Simple and beautiful paper lanterns
The easiest way to make a paper lantern is to roll the thick material into a tube and decorate it with decorative elements. Even children can do this kind of work. Due to the lightness of the paper, the flashlight will sway beautifully in a slight draft.
A paper lantern can be decorated or covered with various decorations. There are many models of paper lanterns.
You can make a simple paper lantern as follows:
- Fold the paper sheet in half.
- Make several cuts on the bend side. But don’t cut through completely, leave 1.5-2 cm.
- Unfold the workpiece and fold it into a tube. Use glue to fix it.
- Make a strip-shaped handle from a separate sheet and glue it to the workpiece.
And photos of finished homemade works can be found on the portal: SvoimiRykami.Guru.
Camping lantern
With all the advantages of the previously mentioned lighting methods, they have a main drawback - a web of wires.
These wires must always be hidden somewhere; in the tent they get in the way and get underfoot. They need to be connected and disconnected through special connectors.
Buy the connectors themselves somewhere, solder them to the wires, etc. Add to this the problems with bulky batteries.
All this takes up space not only in the tent, but also in the car. Therefore, many sooner or later think about an alternative.
And there is such an alternative - YN-F03. This is a compact camping lantern powered by 18650 lithium-ion batteries.
With it you will forget not only about wires, but also about heavy batteries.
Many are afraid that Li-Ion may lose some of its charge due to cold weather. However, in a heated tent, it does not experience any problems with loss of charge.
Moreover, it is hung at the very top, where, in fact, all the warm air rises.
The flashlight is very light. Made of high quality (doesn't stink like many Chinese products) and thick plastic.
There is a hook on top for hanging, as well as a magnet. If necessary, you can simply magnetize it to any metal surface.
The battery charge is controlled by a simple and clear 4 indicator strip.
Recharging is carried out via a micro-USB connector. There is also another 1 Amp output next to it.
With it, the flashlight can be used as a full-fledged power bank.
The problem with most cheap LED lights is that they don't last long. And this happens primarily due to the degradation of LEDs from overheating.
The Chinese want to squeeze out as much light as possible, saving on everything else. Things are much better with this flashlight.
In addition to the honeycomb structure of the top cover (for better heat dissipation), a metal disk is additionally hidden behind it! Which is very rare for the budget segment.
The declared capacity of the built-in rechargeable batteries is 7200 mAh (3 batteries) or 4800 mAh (model with 2 batteries).
The main question is how long does this light last? These are the declared characteristics from the Chinese:
But what about the fact? Here are real measurements taken by Lumeniac user:
The flashlight has three brightness modes:
- low (this is not a firefly at all, but rather a night light)
- average (most popular)
- maximum
They are switched by pressing the orange button. The maximum mode is comparable to the glow of a 50 W incandescent light bulb.
But it doesn't last long. Literally after 2 minutes this brightness drops by half and shines until it gradually reaches medium mode for almost another hour.
However, too bright a light in the tent is not needed at all, especially since at shallow depths of the hole it will simply scare away the fish. For a 2*2 cube tent, even a 3W LED light bulb is enough.
Medium is the most useful mode. When suspended, it performs perfectly.
You will be able to see all the small details perfectly. The light is good and soft. With it you can calmly read without straining your eyes.
In medium mode, the flashlight operates at constant brightness for almost 6 hours. After which the brightness gradually decreases to a minimum level over the course of an hour.
If you initially turn on the flashlight in minimum mode, which is almost 30 Lumens, it can work continuously for two days!
With a competent combination of modes, you can completely extend the operating time throughout the night.
Lantern made from clothespins
A very simple but interesting way to make a flashlight with your own hands. Quite an attractive craft in appearance.
To make it, you will need a medium-sized glass shot glass or a short glass, as well as wooden clothespins and glue. The entire surface of the container must be tightly covered with clothespins. Leave a little space between the clothespins.
Position the clothespins so that the clip is facing down. If desired, the clothespins can be painted in different colors.
But it is better not to use plastic analogues, they can melt and emit an unpleasant odor. Place a small candle inside the glass.
At this point the flashlight is ready, just light the candle and enjoy the pleasant dim lighting. This flashlight can be used as a decorative element.
