Actually as long as setup is quick (and it is in this case) I don’t need waterproofing. So this is good, thank you for sharing your recommendation.
Cool.
Good to know this option, it would be cool to upgrade to Optisolis one day.
Nice idea though not for me.
Magnets would reduce setup / teardown costs but these would nevertheless be high. Since most of my stays are just 1-night long, this is a big deal.
Now I’m used to hanging a light off a loop and it’s OK.
Permanently mounted string lights promise to cut this down further so for now I’m going to try that. If the lights don’t survive - I don’t care much as they are very cheap, I paid $1.60 for a 10m string. I see that the seller claims it’s IP65 and I actually believe that’s correct (except for the plug) as the whole thing is enameled.
I tried my cheap light string.
It worked very well, way better than I’d expect from $1.6 light, especially as lightweight as this.
Considering the lack of regulation, the 10m string was just right. Bright enough to see, not enough to read, not too bright in any case. Note that my tent is big and has black interior so it’s pretty much the worst case; I would recommend shorter strings for other tents.
Note that 10m was likely too much for my powerbank to handle (I use Folomov EDC C4), there’s a good chance that the strip was not running at full power. I see a similar strip consuming 8W over 10m which would amount to 1.6A. I don’t know what can C4 support at the max but it’s likely 1A.
It weights very little, mere 20g (without powerbank). The heaviest part is the USB plug and short thicker wire near it. I feel tempted to cut it shorter, should be easy 3g saving. May do it one day.
I didn’t measure runtime yet. And I don’t know if it will survive folding. I folded it with the tent and I’ll see if it comes out alive. This time and quite a few times in the future.
What are the options to get regulated output? Here I see a 20m string with remote control for $6. I’m not fully convinced to remote so I did a quick search and I see there are 5V inlinedimmers as well.
Dreaming about the future:
Remote would be nice if I could wire 2 strings to a single powerbank, one for the sleeping are and the other for the vestibule and control them with a single remote. Would be nice with smartphone control as well, except that my phone battery runs out too fast when using BT…
Some more experience with the light string.
2 more trips, it survives folding so far.
I love how cosy it is with the light on, I’m way more satisfied than I thought I would be.
I so wish that the powerbank and the string used Type C connector.
Now I have a power bank - Micro USB - converter - Type A - string. And having to orient both MicroUSB and Type A correctly is annoying.
I may switch to another converter, one that makes it impossible to plug wrong. It will make things slightly easier.
Got one issue though, I got a single dark night where the string wouldn’t turn on.
I was too tired to troubleshoot and the next day it was OK.
Some connectivity issus (I tried reconnecting several times)?
Some weird quirk of my Folomov flashlight-powerbank?
I don’t know, I need to troubleshoot it the next time it happens.
Go to Customer Reviews. The 2nd one is from a fellow in Russia who was unsatisfied and soldered in his own LED’s. Red is kind of useless for a light such as this, as it’s not all that useful as an emergency beacon. So he swapped in warm white LED’s. Looks really nice now. Wish he had a better write-up on it!
I have a couple of the Soshine CB2 versions of that light you pictured, (I also have a couple of that same AAA-powered version) its a rechargeable 1800mAh Lithium Ion powered version. (built in USB micro charging, warm-white LED tint, AliExpress seems to be the only place i seen them. They work ok, small compact, lightweight, couple hours run time on high, around 200 lumens, down shining & ideal for hanging in a tent. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32814866531.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.188b4c4dKyUW3K
Two Fenix CL25R’s, one inside the tent, and the other in red mode. Zanflare T1 on low. I leave the red on all night outside. Works as a night light and doesn’t attract bugs.
No kidding? Dang. I’ve had one of these and got rid of it because step-thru UI was tiresome and basically forced you to use the light since it just blinded you. Had red though. https://www.fasttech.com/products/3720601
Also had ordered this one, great battery life, USB recharge, no PWM, tiny, but does have the step-thru UI so cover it up for the first 3 clicks. Kept it because of size and battery life. https://www.fasttech.com/p/3720501 D’oh!
I guess the mosquitoes will find me even in the dark but if red will keep away the dorks of the bug world, the Junebug, then I’m all in.
Fixed. Sorry. The one in the fixed link has magnetic back also.
It’s a first-world-problem but a bad UI just kills a light for me. I’d pay 50% more for any light or lantern with a UI that doesn’t ruin the experience. Long press for low, no forced blinkies, no more than one click for off. I don’t think they use their lights. None of this will matter soon when the LT1 ships (woo!) but perhaps a small BLF micro-lantern would fill a niche?
Actually a VERY good little lantern… I use mine for Camping, Caving, Warning light at night walking alone a road, General reading light and so much more…
Lights up a room Very well indeed, same goes for a 10 man tent! Great in medium sized carverns when caving and fantstic in small ones…. Just a nive EXTREMELY pocketable lantern….
Yeah, looks nice, thank you for the suggestion.
But as of now I’m looking to get another 10m string, for the vestibule. Though I could really use something with regulated brightness there…
Those look really cool. I was not aware there were so many different nice lantern designs out there.
Candle has caught my attention.
Though I’m not a fan of solar charging due to the fact that I often leave my tent unattended. I don’t want to leave the items that need charging exposed and if I don’t do that they won’t have much charging time.
Some Luci lights come with USB charging (2-way, those who like solar can collect some energy to power other devices) - but candle doesn’t.
Also, candle outputs mere 25 lm. Enough for a mood light but not for a general purpose. Luci Pro Outdoor 2.0 looks better for me, though it doesn’t have a candle mode. And it doesn’t have CCT specced.
I just came back from Bratislava and Mosonmagyaróvár - I used a Folomov EDC C4 with my favourite (Naturehike) diffuser. My wife complained that mood-wise it was way worse than a LED string….
I still need a light for the vestibule of my villa. And another for my smaller tent. I have a feeling that after some trials (LT1 needs checking) I’ll end up with light strings in both.
And it doesn’t have CCT specced.