Ideas for Lighting your Portable?

[Doonbuggy]

Looking for some tips on how everyone lights their portables at night - what type of flashlights or setups work best?

I've got a two-man w/ metal tubes for support. Thanks for the suggestions.

DB

[TUMBLEWEED]

For those out there with Dewalt battery
powered tools, there is a nice krypton
snake light from Dewalt that runs off
of the same battery pack. I get two hours
of light from a fully charged battery.
It has enough power to do pretty well
in my 8x8 permanent as well. I paid
15.00 at a local hardware store in
Bloomington. They were trying to get rid of
them......

[Norsky]

I tapped into my snowmobile battery and have a small 12 v light with a conduit clip that clips on inside my portable. Works great, my sled battery will go dead after about 3 hours though, but I can pull-start it.

[fishermn]

I use a small backpacking single mantle butane lamp. Works well, and the mantle has busted yet. Pretty robust, and I like the little bit of extra heat that I get out of it. I also take a head lamp for packing up...

[The Chemist]

This weekend I was using a small flash light that turned into a lantern, and flash light that you wear on your head(I like this one better because you have the elastic strap to wrap around the pole and you can angle the light with little effort to cover your fishing area)

[MrBig]

This was discussed earlier, but I don't know where it was posted. I use 2 small spotlight/lanterns that I picked up for $5.00 from Fleet Farm or Menard's. They've got a moveable handle (that I use to hang them on the top main pole), and an adjustable beam. They take 4 D batteries, and work great. You can use them all year round and are great for camping.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I use one of those headlamps used for backpacking. I have it secured on an overhead pole with a plastic tie and can turn it back and forth to aim at my holes. When my dad's with, he just uses one on his head, that way he's got light wherever he's looking. I've got a second light that I use on my head when I'm packing up at night, that way my hands are free.

Lwn

[Surface Tension]

If I need a little extra heat once the sun goes down I like a lantern. I hang it from the overhead support pole. I converted and old 12 volt lantern that took 2 6 volt batteries to a 12 volt 7 amp hr rechargeable battery. Works slick, gives off a ton of light and lasts for hours. I always have my Aurora Tec headlamp with me. Its even been used as a night light in the tent when winter camping. The guys really like the low light mode in the middle of the night when nature calls.

[fisherdog19]

The best light I have found is a 12v flourescent light that only draws 8 amps and gives out light equivalent to a 60w bulb. It has 2 power sources: clips and a plug. Also comes with a stand for standing it upright, or you can hang it with the built in hook. I run it off of an extra vex battery and will get 14 hours out of it. By far the best unit I can think of, small and convenient with the ability to last a long time. If a guy wanted to use a deep cycle battery it would probably last a week or so. I got it at a local Ace hardware store for $12.99.
Fisherdog

[This message has been edited by fisherdog19 (edited 03-01-2004).]

[Yukon Don]

Doonbuggy,
I found a tent light made by Coleman at Target ($12.00-$15.00). It has a magnet in which you put one part of the magnet on the outside of your portable and the other side with the light inside with you. You can position it anywhere you want and it gives good light. You can fold it up still attached to the material as the magnets are strong. It runs on a couple of double A's. this is the best light system I have ever found. No messing with lanterns, hanging lights etc. If you want more light you can use two of them side by side. I mounted mine right above my head so that I can use it to tie and unhook fish at night.

Yukon Don

[delmuts]

doon one of the neat tricks i read about some time ago was that if you don't mind dealing with a batt. you can get one of the rope lights for inside truck boxes.tape it to your support bar and use clips to hook it to a batt. . my $.02 del

[ChuckN]

I used a cheap florescent light in my Otter and other fishhouses for a long time. It worked slick, but it died and I can't find another one.

I went to Wal-Mart and found a small light that is an auto emergency light that has a cig plug in and has a magnet on the light. The cord also winds up into the deal, easy and small. For only $4. I strapped in a deep cycle battery into the Otter sled and also run alligator clip cigerette plug. It hardly draws any power.

I also found a 12V working light w/ a 10' wire with a cig adaptor for $6 and I use that also. That is a lot of light (and battery juice), but still nice.

[76k20]

The trusty old coleman twin mantle lantern lights up the 3 man nice, and gives some heat too.