Lighting for portable

[metrojoe]

I still can't believe those 3 foot rope lights are $30.

Seems like such a rip off since I got the 6 footers for $8

[fmc3]

I have them set up and am reasonably happy with them. They seem well built but I was expecting a little more light from them. I have nightblindness though so I can always use more light. I think they were worth the money.

[castmaster]

fmc3,

if you only have 2 in your house you must be wearing night vision goggles as well! i AM NOT happy with the lights at all. i bought 4, and with all 4 running it is still VERY dim in the shack. on top of that 1 light was loose inside the housing (figure that one wont last long) another light has 1 burned out led and another that flickers like its close to burning out, and a thrid light has a bad connection where the wires attach, so if it gets bumped even lightly it turns off.

at least the seller is willing to refund my $$. even at $10 a piece the lights arent worth it in my opinion. i think it would take about 8 of them to get a decent amount of light.

so the saerch continues!!

[captkev]

This just keeps getting better, I've tried to show many others the anwser and they just keep spending money on the dump and once its all over with... they end up with these anyway...

[ice_it_06]

There are a few good ideas on this thread for portability, function and quality. But the rope light avenue isn't one of them IMHP.

You want quick none cluttered lighting follow deephole57 set up. My brother and his friend did and I have the same thing.

These things work great and are durable, last many years and highly recommended. The $60 pays for itself in a hurry IMHP.

[captkev]

... I only have $36.00 into two of mine

[castmaster]

captkev,

can you post a pic of your shack lit up with nothing but those 2 led units? from the pics it sure looks like there is another light source from the glare on the bar and above the light unit. the leds wouldnt throw off light that would hit those areas.

just curious as to how bright it would be. you should be able to take a pic without any flash?

[metrojoe]

I've got two sets of those 6' rope lights in my portable and they work great. For the money they can't be beat, but you may have a point about durability, but we'll see, so far so good.

[ice_it_06]

Metrojoe: I hope they work out for you. It's all personal preference I guess. I just dont care for 12 ft of rope lights to deal with if they do work. You get a "christmas" look with the rope lights though

I figure any light set up to operate under the frame of a semi is rather industructable.

CaptKev: Your set up is nice but for $36 in (2) 3" fixtures, you only have 1/4 the led's my (1) 4" has

seeing its a (54) bulb unit and extremely heavy duty.

So the $$$$ are off set rather quickly in comaparison.

[captkev]

I'll try to get some pic's. tonight, I tried to hold my finger over the flash one time but the finger was in the way of the lense too

[gerty]

I can vouch for CaptKev's set up. Did the same thing. Two lights in my Frabil Ranger Solo and I have more than enough light. Since my eyes are getting bad(or I'm getting old??) I do wear a head light in case I have trouble tying a small panfish jig. But, that is the only reason to have any other light in there. As he mentioned. Cheap ($36), work great, very durable and you can direct the light to where you need it. Perfect!

[castmaster]

ice it,

which brand do you have with 54 leds? how many of them do you think a guy would need to really light up a otter lodge? what is the cost?

i had ordered 4 25 led aquariam dome lights, but even with 4 of tehm it was pretty dim, would still need a headlamp or something to tie line eyc.

i want my shack as bright or brighter as what it was with either a propane lantern or a regular 75w 12v bulb.

how does a guy tell what light output is? all iseee are how many leds are i nthe unit, but obviously there must be adifference in leds because the ones i had were 25 i neach light and they SUCKED, where other guys are bragging up the light put out by ones with half as many leds.

i just dont get it!!! this has been a pretty frustrating project to say the least jsut to find quality lights that actually LIGHT!

[ice_it_06]

castmaster : The light I have is that MAXXIMA everyone talks about from deephole57 set up.

My brother got on that train as soon as deephole posted it. He then bought (2) of the slimmer type with (45) led as well.

The type of back up lights you would see on a straight truck box or semi-trailer.

There is alot of junk out there like any product I guess.

Nothing cheap, brittle or sub standard about this set up at all.

The $40 I saved on a deep cycle plus dragging it around & charging paid for this light, and it goes 2 full days on a 7 amp 12v. I got his "tractor" back up light for $50 off him all set up with wiring but I know he went to that same Peterbuilt Dealer others have mentioned in south st. paul.

It's hooked up in my 6 X 6 permanent and lights it up well.

It's recessed in to that steel flange with the rubber groumet so its impossible to damage it as nothing is exposed, plus those are tough as nails anyways.

Their designed to throw a beam as wide as the tractors width and out about 10ft if that helps you at all.

Filled my brothers 2-man Otter wall to wall with a nice 6 ft cone side to side, front to back just like the polar I believe shown in the pics above. Mounted just like the pics on deephole57 post. Assembles in five minutes and you can slide it anywhere down the pole you want it if not centered.

(1) is all I think you need for sure, as mentioned earlier my brother has the (2) 45 led MAXXIMAS and thinks its too bright (lol) wants to switch back with me.

The led bulbs come in different sizes and perform different tasks. Lights like captkev (dome lights) will be a brighter option as well. Something designed to throw some light on the subject, just as a high cluster back up light.

[SomethingFishy*]

I have the otter lodge and I use 1 or 2 (depending on my mood) of the Craftsman flourescent lites that run off of there 19.2 volt batteries. These things are awesome i get about 5 hours of light out of them. I have a power inverter in my truck and bring a charger with and they only take 1 hour for a recharge if neccesary. They have a hook on the top which fits around the otters square tubing. I only paid $15 for the 2nd light and the 1st came with my cordless combo kit.

Just an idea for others to ponder

[castmaster]

ice it,

so the 45 led ones your brother has now are available at peterbilt in south st paul? and they are tractor back up lights?

i'll have to run up there tomorow.

[captkev]

Here is the Pic. W/O flash, it looks dark because of the dark floor, look at the bucket, or the top of the Vex bag. you can see the light is plenty bright, I was alone so no one else to hold the camera to take a pic. of someone on the inside, I'll post more soon.

[nitroant]

I have used my Otter Lodge a few times now with the Maxxima 54 LED light and I think its great. As mentioned above, its easy to install, durable and bright. I think Captkev's lights probably work just as good and are better priced, but if you buy them right like I did off of HSOList, its cheaper per light than his. This is not a shot at him or his lights, just want you guys to know you don't have to pay through the nose if you watch HSOList. Wait until this summer when ice fishing is on the back burner and you might be able to find them again since I think the word is out on the set up. The Maxxima set up is worth the money.

My biggest concern was how bright the set-up was before I bought and I am happy with what I have. I live in the north metro so if you guys want to pick a lake and have a little show and tell I would be glad to bring my house and show you how well I think it works. Right now I think this weekend would work for me.

[bigdog]

I installed two of CaptKev's lights (thanks for the tip). One is installed as he did so it's somewhat permanent, screwed to the pole. For the other I made it moveable by screwing the lights base to a 1/2" PVC pipe mounting clip. The PVC clip allows mounting anyhere in the house and I can even take it outside should I need. This weekend I made an aluminum battery box to hold the battery against the pole mounting frame. Now if I could find time to fish.

[castmaster]

bigdog,

are you happy with the 2 lights as far a s brightness? from capt kevs pics it still jsut doesnt look real bright, maybe i'm just asking for too much. like i said i want something comparable to the brightness in an otter lodge when running a coleman northstar lantern hanging from top with reflector. or else a 75w 12v bulb running on a deep cycle.

will these lights do it?

[bigdog]

I have a fish trap guide and one light was not enough to light up the house. Did pretty good on half of the house. I have not actually tried two at the same time yet. I do not expect using two to be as bright as a coleman lantern but its all a matter of how much light you want. I will try the lights vs.lantern on Thursday and post up how it looks.

[castmaster]

bigdog,

yes please post your results with running two. i personally like the ability to really light a house up if i want to (a guy can always turn a couple lights off if want it dimmer) so maybe its best to just go with 4 lights to start with.

[JohnMickish]

Here are a few things I have done to mine over the winter. I have the battery in a padded box and added a push/pull switch along with a cig lighter for the tv. I have three of those Gander cheapo rope lights along with a flourescent that is in the fan. Those along with the 5 LED headlamp I wear and a 21 LED bicycle headlight I can pretty much do surgery in there if I have to. The reflectex on the ceiling really helps with the light along with the heat. If I had to do anything over again I would have usd a coiled cord instead of taping straight wires. I don't know why the pics are so big.

[bigdog]

Holy buckets those last pics take a long time to load when a guy has dial up!

I tried both Capt Kev's lights today in a dark garage. They light up the fishing area well enough to watch bobbers, etc. The back of the sled is dark, as would be expected as these things throw a flashlight like beam. If you wanted the whole house lighted you would need either a lantern or another LED or two. I don't think a single 54 LED vs. two 15 LED makes much difference. These are not lanterns, they shine light in one direction. I am happy with the two lights I have for fishing but may add a third in the back to light up the sled/minnow bucket. I would post pictures but Capt Kevs look about like what I experienced. Light enough to see but you will not get a tan.

[castmaster]

bigdog,

thanks! i will probably go with 4 if i decide to go that route.

[Big Roy]

mnfishingguy,

How did you attach the reflectex to your shack?