Best way to light a portable

[toughguy]

What do you guys use to light your portables? I was thinking of picking up a lantern this year. I am using a 2 man flip over style this year. For those that use lanterns can you hang them from the ceiling? or do you put them on the ice? What are the options out there for battery powered lighting? How do you power these lights? Can you run them off of a vex battery or do you have a separate system? This snow has got me anxious and I want to be ready for first ice.

[mamohr686]

I'm a fan of the new white LED rope lights from the clam corporation. They are bright enough to see what your doing and fold up with the ice house. A 7AH battery will work fine and give you about 48 hours run time in a warm temp situation. I also use a LED headlamp for a back-up. The headlamps are great for finding items that you drop in the sled and also give you hands free light when you have to drag your icehouse during the early season. I've found that lanterns are cumbersome and the cold weather temp change seems to crack globes like crazy. 2 years ago I went through 3 globes at $7 each with my coleman lantern. You can also cut you line if your mono gets too close to the lantern, they waist valuable floor space on a portable, and you have to wait for them to cool down to put them away and move to your next spot. You need to carry extra fuel with lanterns, but they do give you the benefit of additional heat when the sun goes down. Lanterns are nice in a permanent house or if you don't move often, but in a mobile flip-over house It's hard to beat LED rope lights.

[homerj]

I've got a one man flip over and use a coleman two mantle propane lantern. I don't hang it - just set it down on the ice between the two holes. I prefer this over a battery model because it is brighter and it gives off enough heat to keep the chill off.

[toughguy]

I checked them out on the clam HSOforum. They look great. Thanks for the tip. How many do you use to light your portable? Will one be put off enought light to tie a knot? I hate not being able to see the mono agter dark.

[Yukon Don]

Toughguy,

I posted this some time ago, but the best light (and I've tried them all) is what is called a "tent Light". Its a light which is powered by 4 AA's and has a magnet in which one sie of the magnet goes on the out side of the house material and the light part of the magnet on the inside. You can position it anywhere in the house and you can even use two if needed. It has a switch on the light to turn it off and on. The magents are strong and won't move around. you can even fold it up in the folds of your house when you set-up or take down your house. Batteries last a long time you don't have to worry about all the abuse a lantern takes when inside of a sled going across the lake. I've heard a lot about light ropes, but then you need a battery and you have ropes hanging all over the place. This is the perfect light for a flip-over style house.

Yukon Don

[Huskiedevle]

With a bottle of lighter fluid, or another accelerant....

[toughguy]

YD

I checked out the tent light at cableas.com and found the old posts you mentioned. I think I'm going to go that route. Thanks for post! I also read in the old post that you can get a fan to hang from the ceiling to keep the heat moving. Both of these look absolutly great!!! Thanks again

[Blaze]

Quote:

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With a bottle of lighter fluid, or another accelerant....

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Hah!

[Crickschop04]

How much light do the "tent lights" give off???

[Eiger0304]

Help, could not find them on Cabelas web site. I used their search feature and everything but tent lights popped up.

[toughguy]

click on camping, tent accessories, (3rd item from the left)

[Borch]

I just checked there. Coleman tent lights. They are there.

How long do they last on the 4 "AA" batteries?

I'm looking at making up some super brite led light bars for this winter, but may pick one of these up for auxilary lighting for another house or as another lightweight option.

[Eiger0304]

Thanks, must of skipped right over it.

[MossBoss95]

I have one of the tent lights from coleman and I wouldnt wast the money. It gives off minimal light.

[mamohr686]

The white lights give off enought light to tie a knot, the red LED lights do not. You can always use the LED headlamp I mentioned to tie up also if you need additional light. They come in 3 ft sections and one should be enough if you mount it on the pole directly above you but you can always add a second one.

[MNmikew]

I have one of these and have to agree with MossBoss. They dont really give off that much light. Perhaps if you had several of them. Can't beat a coleman for light output. I use one hung from the roof of my Otter mag lodge with a fishbright deflector, works great. Make sure you use some sort of deflector to protect roof from the heat.

[Yukon Don]

Crickshop04

I'm not saying you can do surgery with these tent lights. But when it comes to taking fish off the hook or hooking on a minnow or just for wraping thigns up, there is plenty of light. It's portable out of the way and a set of batteries last me all winter. I use the light only for the things I mentioned, I don't keep a light on while I'm fishing at night. The glow from my sunflower and light from my Vex is light enough to sit there and fish. I use the tent light for more of the minnow hooking and unhooking of fish type of activities. Guys who fish with lights on need the lantern type lighting.

Yukon Don

[slabberknocker]

I just bought an Otter Lodge last week and what I did was take the my deep cycle out of boat, bought a 12 volt treble light from fleet farm for 6 bucks and am set. I have the battery mounted in a box on the back of the four wheeler so I dont have to ever lift it or mess around with it and the cord is 20 feet long. I can get home, hook it up the charger and am set for the next day. I like it because you can hang it anywhere and it does not get in the way or burn any holes in the canvas. No more mantles to break. Still need to be a little careful not to break the bulb.

Slab

[Yellow Dog]

A take-off of the treble light idea:

At Menard's or any lighting place, get a reflector light that has a spring clamp on it--it is easily clamped just about anywhere in the portable shack--except where the canvas is really tight. I put mine on the side pole. Then outfit it with a 12 V bulb--could keep silver light shield or take it off--cut off the 2 prong plug--hook up some alligator clips--I use an extra Vexilar battery for power. Total cost: $5.52

[Dave]

Yellow Dog. I use that setup in my boat. Works great. I think I checked it out once but, I suspect you get around 4 hours of use with the Vex battery powering that 12v bulb?

[18 inch Crappie]

They make a led camping kind of light at Target. Looks like a bulb light but uses LED's and will run for a long time.

[winona walleye]

i use two of those push lights that you can buy at menards they are like 4-6 bucks a piece and they work good, they run on AA batteries, if you buy industrial velcro and put one side on the shack and another on the light you can take them down after each time, it works well

[Crow Hunter]

Sportsman's guide has an led lantern that has 30 led's; you can select whether it lights 15 of the led's or all 30. It runs on D cells. Cabela's has a similar lantern, but only 12 led's. Anybody used one of these? DO they throw a decent amount of light?

[Borch]

I think Bruce of Today's Tackle uses that one from Sportsman's guide. I asked him about it and it'll light a small two man or a one man pretty well. Otherwise it'll be a bit dim.

[Yellow Dog]

Dave -

That sounds about right - I like it because it's very easy to move and lots of light. For those hours when the 'eyes are cruising in, I may use a smaller light...you guys have great info!