Vehical camp lighting question

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Tremor

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Michael
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Horgan
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I am new to building out an overlander, I have a ford F150, I will be putting on a diamonback tonneau cover and a frontrunner rack system. On top of that we will be getting Freespirt RTT. I am looking for some type of lighting I can mount to the rack and then turn on and off with a remote control from inside the tent. I thought a flood light on each side and the back so they would light of the area around the truck when needed. I am getting a Jackery 1000 so I though about something I could plug directly into the jackery which will stay in the truck bed, I do not want to get involved in wiring the light into the trucks electrical system. Anyone know if something like this exists?

Thank you
MIke
 
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They make different sized "bar" lights that plug into a 12v acc. port with remote. No so waterproof though and if someone else has one it might turn on theirs. I have one to light under my rear deck lid on my XJ, Amazon $30.
 
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bgenlvtex said:
12v remote control LED strip lights on Amazon

That said they use a tiny amount of electricity and connecting them to your main battery is not really a problem
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Thank you, I just get a little nervous tapping into my vehicle electrical wires. I was also looking for the flexibility to take the rack and the lights off the truck when I am not using them.
 
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Geomike said:
Thank you, I just get a little nervous tapping into my vehicle electrical wires. I was also looking for the flexibility to take the rack and the lights off the truck when I am not using them.
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Here you go connect this or something similar (longer or shorter) to the battery and take to the bed, and then use
this or something similar to connect your lights.

When you take your rack off just unplug it, and you still have power to the bed if you want to plug something in.
 
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Have you thought about maybe using a solar powered exterior perimeter light. They sell them everywhere. Maybe attach a magnet to the base so you can mount while stationary and remove it when rolling out.
 

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We have this one by HardKorr and love it. Obviously not a hard mount option, but it’s versatile, plenty bright and 12v. Plus it’s amber, white and dimmable.

gtfoverland.com

39" LED Camping Light Bar Kit by Hard Korr - Orange & White Dimmable

These durable, functional, and I'll go ahead and say it, sexy lights just seem to work in almost any scenario. Clamp them to your awning poles. Stick them to any metal surface. Permanently mount them to your campervan ceiling. They really do work anywhere. Plus, they can be chained together if...
gtfoverland.com gtfoverland.com
 

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I would recommend red light to minimize disruption to your "night eyes," and to avoid bothering neighbors too much.
 
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What about adding a second truck battery with a charge isolator under the hood? You could then wire your lights directly to that second battery and not have to "tap into" your existing wiring. This isolates the battery used to start your truck, so even if you ran your lights until the second battery died, you have the first battery to start your truck with. And when the truck engine is running, it will charge both batteries.

That way, you may only need the Jackary 500 for other camp charging needs and solar charging capabilities

Just a thought, as I am slowly working in that direction
 
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JAM420 said:
Have you thought about maybe using a solar powered exterior perimeter light. They sell them everywhere. Maybe attach a magnet to the base so you can mount while stationary and remove it when rolling out.
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Ya, I was thinking of something I could light up if I arrived at spot after dark, something to help set up camp in the dark. ALso something I could light up if I had to get out of the tent in the middle of the night. I can be clumsy in the middle of the night.
 
64Trvlr said:
Keep in mind that the wires are 16 gauge and won't take much of a load.
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Yes it won't run sodium phosphor lamps, but you connect enough LED to 16ga wire that you will have more than enough light without it being an issue.
 
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Battery powered lanterns for camp setup that way you can move them wherever they are needed and a headlamp for late night trips to the bathroom .
 
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I use these magnetic usb powered led lights, got from amazon. Was about 20 bucks for an 8 inch strip.

I'll post pic later when im home.

I love it because it sticks almost anywhere.
 
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64Trvlr said:
Keep in mind that the wires are 16 gauge and won't take much of a load.
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bgenlvtex said:
Yes it won't run sodium phosphor lamps, but you connect enough LED to 16ga wire that you will have more than enough light without it being an issue.
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I realize that 16ga will run LEDs but the guy asking questions doesn't have much if any experience with wiring.

A guy down the road from me burned his new 80K Raptor to the ground with undersized wiring.

Wiring is easy if you pay attention to what you are doing and listen to knowledge advice when it's offered.
 
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64Trvlr said:
I realize that 16ga will run LEDs but the guy asking questions doesn't have much if any experience with wiring.

A guy down the road from me burned his new 80K Raptor to the ground with undersized wiring.

Wiring is easy if you pay attention to what you are doing and listen to knowledge advice when it's offered.
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I was making a specific recommendation for running specific lighting, 16ga wire @7ft is good for 10 amps, which is enough LED to light up the world.

I understand, he doesn't know a lot and says as much, so I was helping him narrow that down and reach an uncomplicated solution. While your concern is noted and worthwhile, pointing out that 16ga may not be enough(particularly without a recommendation of what you believe is enough), does nothing but fuel his concern and unwillingness to do a very, very, simple wiring task by himself to build some confidence and knowledge.

Mr.Raptor didn't burn down his truck because he used undersized wire (to run LED lights) he burned down his truck because the circuit he installed was not correctly fused or broken for the wire,load and run length.
 
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Smileyshaun said:
Battery powered lanterns for camp setup that way you can move them wherever they are needed and a headlamp for late night trips to the bathroom .
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have a squared off, battery powered, red Coleman LED lantern, probably 10 years old. And I have a couple headlights as well.

My truck "fun fund" purchases have been suspended until after Christmas, of course. Not to mention it's going in the body shop starting tomorrow for a new bumper and associated damage. So it will be January before I get it back and can do any work to it anyway
 
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