Battery light

[colleen]

can anyone recommend a good lantern type light that works on battery. our main usage of our motorhome is at sporting events where we have no 220v power. my elderly father travels with us and we need to leave a light on for him at night. Over three nights, this runs our leisure battery down.

 

Happy motorhoming to all in 2007 (lol) (lol)

[Ralph]

Without being specific, suggest you look at LED types as they take much less power than conventional bulbs.

There is an article in the current Camping & Caravan Club mag

[Ranger]

Hi Colleen, We are knocking on a bit too and need a handy battery light for middle of the night use. The type we find very useful is the dome shaped type which are sold for use in cupboards, dark places like under the stairs in houses etc. They are switched on by pressing the lense in and give enough light to find ones way around the 'van safe and sound. We keep it on a work top near at hand to the bed, so just have to reach out and press, and we get light in our darkness. they take two AA batteries which are always readily available at a reasonable price. It can be fixed to a bulkhead or left on a work top. I have not left it on all night so I do not know how long it will last, could fit the smallest available bulb and try it out, or perhaps if it is on your Dads coffee table by his bunk he could press it on if and when required. They are very cheap to buy, often come on packs of two or three. As well as for night use, we also have one screwed in the wardrobe.

[RoyH]

Maybe some solar panel set up would help to charge the battery during the day. But I do not have the technical knowhow to suggest the exact thing. I'm sure that someone more knowledgeable than me will advise you soon.

 

I see that you are from the "old country" so, Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit

( I hope)

[Guest Frank Wilkinson]

If as you say, you need a light that stays on all night, then the small ones powered by AA batteries will be useless. They'd run down very quickly.

Have you considered a candle night light? They're about three inches high and about inch and a half wide. In camping shops you can buy a plastic holder with a handle which is specially designed for this kind of night-light/candle. 

The holder is like a small version of a miner's lamp so that you can't touch the flame and if it falls over there's a good chance that it will just go out.

You would obviously have to place it where it couldn't be knocked over and my suggestion would be in the stainless steel sink. It would give a nice warm light and ought to be perfectly safe if placed there.

I used them I was a backpacker and found them very useful. The only thing that I don't know is the price of them but I'm sure that they should work out cheaper than batteries.

Finally, you may consider using rechargeable batteries in the kind of small light mentioned in the other post, but you'd need a few and you'd have to charge them before your trip. If you're away for a longish period then you'd have a problem, unless of course you have mains electricity occasionally.

Edited to say: I remembered the name of the firm that I bought all my backpacking stuff from (Field and Trek) and they're still going! Here's a link to a candle lantern but you'll have to email them for the price of replacement candles. For some reason the link isn't working but if you copy it and paste it into your browser it should be OK.

http://tinyurl.com/y4dodd

[w1ntersun]

Hi,

 

I have an LED PETZL headlight that runs on 3 aaa batteries and it lasts for 120 hrs. You can easily read from the light

 

 

Richard

[chas]

Hi- I have heard of people using one of those garden solar powered lights, that could charge up during the day. The leg spike can be detatched to make it more compact, and gives a gentle light for hours. chas

[sax]

I use a Coleman (American) lantern. It can be obtained from fishing tackle shops, is rechargeable from mains and has two levels of light as you can use the tubular long life bulbs singly or both together. On the lower strength it is perfectly adequate for several nights. Also excellent for keeping indoors during winter in case of power cuts.

All the best for 2007.

[GJH]

Ranger - 2006-12-29 6:16 PM

 

The type we find very useful is the dome shaped type which are sold for use in cupboards, dark places like under the stairs in houses etc. They are switched on by pressing the lense in and give enough light to find ones way around the 'van safe and sound.

These are available in packs of four (two small which take AAA batteries, two larger which take AA batteries) from Poundland. I bought some a few weeks ago with the intention of mounting one each in the gas & battery lockers.

 

Graham

[alf]

Hi Colleen, look at B&Q they do a range of recessed LED lights for 10 no single lights the price is about £29 but you would be able to spead about and only have 1 or 2 lit at night and use the rest as general lighting as required you can get lights with 3no LEDs at more cost

[AlfM]

Hi

The latest issue of Motorcaravan has a shopping catalogue inside, there is a lantern of the type you asked about, either at £20 or free when you purchase something else.

[Dave Newell]

Hi Colleen, if you shop around you might find a camping lantern with LED lights and a wind up generator fitted. I saw one in "The Works" just before Chrimbo for around a tenner. Not sure how long it will provide continuous light for but when it dies you just wind it up again.

 

D.

[GJH]

I was given a wind-up LED torch last Christmas. Not suitable as a lamp for the application in question because it needs to be hand (or teeth) held but great for its intended use.

 

On that basis I should think that the lantern which Dave saw will probably be fine.

 

Graham

[Ralph]

Don't know if this comes too late but I've just seen this from Lidl and it looks ideal:

 

http://tinyurl.com/2tllkj

 

 

 

[Clive]

Or there is this one. If the battery life is unacceptable then it could always be converted to plug into a spare 12 volt socket. Its current consumption being peanuts.

[Bridgender]

Hi Coleen,

Homebase are presently selling a small [about 3" across] 3 LED 'bulkhead' light for £5.99 which gives a really strong blue light and will stick underneath a locker or on the wall of your motorhome.

It operates by pressing the centre of the light and will last for about a week if used all night.

Good luck

Bridgender