Tips For Camping In The Ozarks- Proper Lighting
Updated: Feb 8, 2020
Light pollution is a problem in many urban areas. Getting away to experience natural darkness in the wilderness is awesome but you will still need to see. Properly lighting your campsite keeps things safe and fun. The best camping lights include solar powered, battery powered, string lights, phone charging lights, remote controlled camping lights and lights you can wear!
Warmer weather here in the Ozarks means bugs are buzzing! When the sun goes down just about every light around is fair game. The brighter your lights are, the more bound you are to attract tons of insects. Have you ever had to dump out all the crispy critters that have accumulated in your gas lantern throughout the night? One way to counteract bugs is to install bug lights in the areas where you will be most active, and standard lights further out (drawing bugs away from activity hot-spots). I put my brightest light farthest away from my camp. You can use your old fashioned gas and propane lanterns as kinda of make shift bug lamps if you don't have actual bug lamps or bug lights. They work great for this in the Ozarks! It is the heat emitted as well as the light that attracts them. Just make sure your old lantern is about 20 ft. from where you will be hanging out. A study conducted by the Department of Entomology concluded that bugs were attracted to the different color spectrums in light rather than a specific light bulb. The study showed that 22% of bugs were attracted to the blue spectrum, while 18% were attracted to white, 10% to yellow, 2% to red and 4.7% to green. The study was conducted to help develop light insect traps (rather than pesticides) for the agricultural industry. But the same applies to us campers and outdoorsman.
I shop holiday clearance sales in search for these short strand, battery operated, LED lights all the time. I usually find them priced around $3 or as low as .99. During Halloween they may come with skulls or pumpkins on them or snowflakes for Christmas time. Either way the decorative covers slide right off the LED bulbs to make a great camping light (or you an keep them on for an unique look around your campsite)! These little lights are amazing! You can wrap them around trees, paracord lines, poles, etc. You can drape them in your tent, on your tent, or strung below your tarp. For a few bucks more you can find a set of strand LEDs that change colors. Some include a little remote control to change your lighting. These work great in tents. Go red or green to keep the bugs off your tent if you are going to be inside for awhile.
No matter what your camping style or where you’re headed, it’s always a bright idea to have some extra light on board. It doesn’t take up much room and you never know when it might come in handy. LED bulbs are especially useful as camping lights since they’re so efficient; if properly taken care of, they’ll last just about forever, and they draw almost no power to get charged up in the first place. And in the majority of cases, you don’t need to worry about plugging anything in at all — you can find many solar-charged and battery operated options when seeking LED lights for camping.
FREDI Camping Lights with Bug Zapper Mosquito Repellent Function,a IP67 Waterproof USB Rechargeable Camping Lantern!
This little light should be called the Ozarks Lantern! Great for Backpacking, Fishing, Camping, or Emergencies. Size:3.5" * 3.5" * 7.5"(L x W x H) is very portable. This 2 in 1 bug zapper / camping lantern uses advanced physics to eliminate mosquitos. It is easy to use, environmental friendly, energy efficient /energy saving, non-toxic, and has style. Charging via USB for long-time use. Take it anywhere!
$17.99
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Just because the sun goes down, doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. There are plenty of things to do while camping at night on just about any trip, whether it's a family vacation or a backpacking adventure with friends.
There are campfire classics such as storytelling, music, and campfire games. And there are more active ways to pass the time, such as night-hiking, flashlight tag, and even night bowling. Plus, there are tent activities, such as playing cards, reading, writing, etc.
