Extra outdoor lights

Also of the opinion that minimal light is preferable. Using the floodlights for backing in is fine, but too many folks just leave them on all evening. Camped one site over from a 5er a few years ago and he left the lights underneath the camper on all night, every night. It was really a distraction from the campfire and stars.

I had given some thought to maybe 4 of the solar lights for the end of the driveway just to help with the last walk of the night with the dog, but wondered how well they do recharging in shaded areas. We have a couple strands of tacky lights - the small red lanterns that have a flickering bulb and some pumpkins that we use for fall. Plenty of light for us with that and the amber porch light.

It is a 10W LED flood light.

tkoden wrote:
Here are some of the lights I am thinking about putting under the trailer for backing up.

Lemonbest® 10w 12v Silver LED Underwater Flood Light, IP68 Waterproof Landscape Fountain Lamp, Warm White



They claim 100 lumen/watt and they are 10W each so I figure if I can get 900 lumen out of each I will be happy.

What kind of light is that? I can barely make it out from your photo...

Here are some of the lights I am thinking about putting under the trailer for backing up.

Lemonbest® 10w 12v Silver LED Underwater Flood Light, IP68 Waterproof Landscape Fountain Lamp, Warm White



They claim 100 lumen/watt and they are 10W each so I figure if I can get 900 lumen out of each I will be happy.

I used two wires from a 4-wire trailer light kit. I just hang them/wrap around the awning arm each time. Then short hop along trailer side to front battery. It's not permanent; I run the wire each trip. A bit of a hassle. Lights mounted to side of the trailer just under the awning would allow cleaner wiring.

How did you run the wires back to your battery. My TT has a hard awning cover attached to the trailer that I was thinking about hanging the lights from but I couldn't figure out a clean way to get the wires back inside the trailer to a 12v source.

I added some tri-color LED strip lights on the awning tube of my TT. I love them! White can be bright to help. Colors are just fun. They are getting cheaper. The controller takes 12V input, so I wired it directly to my batteries. Add a 5-10A automotive fuse!

To do it again, I'd probably stick to TT side under awning. Then I would not have to run my power wire every time the awning is put out.

That's my next project is to put some backup lites on. I have some Hela driving lights I never mounted on my sold GoldWing. For some reason the wife never quite knows where to point the flashlight when backing up in the dark.:)

We use solar lites around the 5'er. They only cost $2.50 each about 3 yrs ago and are still working. Keeps the light low so it's not offensive to anyone. We usually put some near big rocks or those round parking posts. Also have two that stick magnetically to the steps.

At an auto parts like Napa you can purchase auxiliary agricultural lights. Low draw and mounted in a downward position under the back of the trailer, they make a great back up light. I mounted the switch in the top of the battery box and ran a power wire to them. They ground to frame and work independently of the backup lights to allow them to be on without the vehicle being in reverse. Not offensive to the neighbors. We use rope lights on the ground under the trailer, provides enough light to see utilities when you are required to run outside at night.

tkoden wrote:
Anyone add any extra lights to the outside of their trailer? The one light we have is really pathetic. I am thinking about adding some lights under the edge of the trailer pointing down and out to light the ground and not blind any other campers around us. They would also double for parking at night.

12 years ago I mounted a pair of the cheap "Navigator" flood type lights to the rear bumper of my Van specifically for better illumination when backing up the trailer. You can buy similar lights that mount to the receiver, but to be effective they need to be mounted at the edges of the TV so that they light the sides/wheels of a towed vehicle. I power these via a switch in the cab thru a relay mounted in the rear bumper area and are powered by the existing "trailer charge ckt". I had removed that wire from the 7 pin connector and ran a dedicated 8 ga wire for my trailer charge for better design. I put these on a switch because I can turn them on when hooking up at night to better illuminate the tongue area and the sides of the trailer. My bumper had two existing holes at the edges of my bumper that I used. Here is a pic of mine:




I found this mod even with the cheap "Navigator" type lights so much better than the lacking existing back up lights I even installed the cadillac version using the $150 PIAA backup lights specifically designed for this use to our 2013 Sonata vehicle since I have to backup a 100'+ private drive into our garage at home. Any vehicle I use a lot will now have some sort of auxilary backup lighting system so you can actually see where you are backing up at when dark.

Larry