Camping has been in our interest for many years already. If we are looking for equipment that we have been missing so far, we are at the right address. In addition to tent, sleeping bag and other gear, we will also need something that will help us during evenings and nights - some lighting. Yes, we are talking about some kind of light for camping which is definitely familiar to all of us. In the past, those were usually oil lamps and kerosene lanterns that we could put on the table or hang on the ceiling. Kerosene was replaced by a battery and LEDs, but let´s reveal little more than just that.
Yes, it matters
Some might say, that we can use any light for camping - whether it is headlamp, flashlight, multifunctional torch, etc. We have to admit that it is true, but if we are looking for a real camping lamp, then it looks a little different. We will want to use such a lamp especially for tent lighting as well as to illuminate the space in front of the tent - 360° lighting coverage - and the headlamp would simply not work for this. Therefore, these lamps are more or less considered to be a general lighting source to illuminate the surroundings rather than lights for personal use. So how a such lamp look like ?
Where to put it ?
You can see various designs of these lamps. However, it should always be designed so it can be placed in the middle of the table or hang somewhere. At the same time, the light must allow for 360° lighting coverage. As we have already mentioned - point lighting is inappropriate. These lamps can often have special features such as small solar panels or magnets for attachment. However, those are rather advanced features. We should stick to basic facts which is possibility of hanging and good lighting properties. And how is that possible ?
Big step ahead ?
As for the bulbs, we are still able to choose from two basic types - classic bulbs or LEDs. The first version is quite old and not much used nowadays, however these bulbs can be replaced, which is not the case of LEDs. LEDs, on the other hand, offer long life span and bright light. In this case it is a combination of LED diodes of different shapes (it can be square, hexagon, but also a cylinder). The diodes are covered by glass or plastic protection as we are used to with kerosene lamps. At the bottom part of these lamps is a space for batteries. We can see either standard alkaline batteries or bulit-in rechargeable battery. It is difficult to say which one is better - it is about personal preferences - both of them have their pros and cons. The protection is provided by the material from which the lantern is made of. We don´t use aluminium which would make it really heavy but rather plastic, which is appropriate material in this case. In addition to classical designs, we can also see special, shall we say, simpler pieces. However, if we stick to our preferences, we won´t be dissapointed.