Camping Lamp

Light that fills a tent instead of pointing at one thing

A camping lamp throws light outwards in every direction, which is the opposite of what a torch is built to do. The models here include solar charged versions for pitches with no power, multifunction units that double as a torch, tent hanging designs and combined insect lamps. Choosing between them comes down to how the light is spread, how it is powered, and where it will hang once the tent is up.

What is the difference between a lamp and a torch?

A torch concentrates light into a beam so that a distant point is visible and everything around it stays dark. A lamp diffuses light through a frosted body so a whole area is evenly lit and nothing casts a hard shadow. That is why cooking, reading and finding something in a bag are lamp jobs, while walking a path at night is not. Most people carry one of each, since the focused beam of a rechargeable torch and the soft glow of a lamp solve different problems and neither substitutes for the other.

How is a camping lamp powered?

• Solar: charges through daylight left on a rucksack lid or a tent, with no fuel to carry. It depends on sun the day before, so it suits summer better than a wet British winter.
• Rechargeable battery: predictable output from a wall socket or a power bank, and often a USB port so the lamp charges a phone in turn.
• Replaceable cells: nothing to plan around, since a flat lamp is fixed with a spare set from a pocket rather than by finding electricity.
• Combined: several units accept both solar and USB, which is the arrangement that copes with a change of plan.

Where should it hang?

Above head height and towards the tent door. A lamp on the groundsheet lights the floor and throws shadows up the walls; clipped to the ceiling loop it lights faces, hands and the contents of a pack. Most designs carry a hook or a magnetic base for exactly this. Turning the output down once the tent is lit matters too, because eyes adjust to the dark within minutes and a bright lamp resets that adjustment every time someone looks at it.

Do you still need a head torch?

Yes, for anything done with both hands away from camp. A lamp lights a space, but it has to be carried or set down, and setting it down leaves the walk to the water point dark. A headlamp points wherever the eyes point and keeps the hands free, which is the one thing a lamp cannot do. The two belong together rather than in competition, and the wider selection in lighting equipment covers the rest of a camp setup.

What about insect lamps?

Some models pair a light source with an electrified grid, drawing insects towards the lamp and away from where people are sitting. Placement is what decides whether that helps: set well away from the table, it pulls insects across the pitch rather than over the food. Hung over the group, it does the reverse. The traditional hanging designs in camping lantern keep the same job simpler, with light and nothing else.