Tell me about your LED lighting...

[ChezCheese:-)]

What kind of lamps do you have, where did you get them, where are they placed, etc? What do you wish you'd done differently?

 

[makenmend]

replaced my low beams with LEDs,huge improvement in night vision. Have 5 dome lights in my van 2 have leds the others stock, leds much whiter light still undecided no replacing all at this time. leds run cooler and need less power.

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

(To clarify, I mean inside your vehicle not the vehicle's headlights.)

 

[MrNoodly]

I got a 4-pack of these from Amazon and recessed them in the ceiling.

<img src="https://image.ibb.co/fwawLe/light1w.jpg" alt="light1w" border="0">

What do I wish I'd done differently? Thought of these and wired everything up BEFORE doing the paneling. But ideas or answers don't always come in the order you need them.

 

[Dingfelder]

I bought them already installed in my trailer. Love that they give off a very clean bright white light, which I find more cheery and easier to read by than the yellowish light from incandescents. Also, so much cooler! Even a single incandescent or halogen light bulb can heat up a room when it's already hot. Love that the LED's put out so little heat and take about 1/10th the energy.

I also got a couple each of two kinds of portable, solar-rechargeable LED lights, the Luci lights I've seen mentioned in so many RV videos

https://www.amazon.com/MPOWERD-Luci...33316463&sr=8-3&keywords=portable+solar+light

.... which you can squish down to something the size of a large coaster, and another more durable kind I got at our local grange, with a stronger handle. I hang one of those right by my door to take on night-time pee duty, often keep one in my car to make my way back to my trailer in the dark, and hang the other two randomly from cabinet handles in my trailer. They strobe and all that stuff(not sure why that is good), and one of the Luci's I keep in the car flashes red for maybe some help in emergencies.

Very lightweight and overall I like them a lot. If I ever figure out a permanent spot, they're so light I will be able to hang them from any Command hook.

 

[capt_caveman]

I was forced into living in my truck bed camper
 I had to think fast so I went to the dollar store picked up 4 dollar led solar driveway lights they did so well I never used any thing else . They did so good I had to cover them up when I went to bed or they would keep me up all night .
And yes they last all night 

As my Dad all ways said keep it simple. thanks dad .....

 

[lenny flank]

I have two of the push-on hockey-puck 10-LED lights from Walmart. Five bucks each, IIRC, and use rechargable AAs. I have one at each end of the van. They provide all the light I need.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have two of these, one over my kitchen counter and one over my table/desk:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKO0J6C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I have one of these over the head of my bed as a reading light:
https://www.amazon.com/PANCAKE-CEIL...D=41BGkEge1ZL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

No changes, works well for me.  Lights the camper up like a lighthouse when all are on.

 

[Rabbit]

I have four of these in my 6x10 cargo conversion, one in each corner.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0151FGFS4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm very happy with them, and in practice normally only use three at once. They're plugged into USB converters that run directly (DC to DC) off my house batteries, so no inverter usage is required. Power consumption varies depending on how bright you set them.

One hint-- the plastic diffusers like to come off on bumpy roads. A strip or two of scotch tape prevents this while not having any noticeable effect at all on their functionality.

 

[sreesekelley]

I ran a string of LED's around the inside on the roof. They can be turned into various colors. I like them because at night I can set them on red and if I need to turn on a light the red doesn't destroy my night vision. i bought the string off ebay for about $50. They are much cheaper now. 12v. I just ran them to a terminal on my 12v fuse block and i have a remote to turn the lights on and off or cycle them thru the colors. This is a short video of just the lights.



I also installed 2 sets of white leds and wired them into the same 12v fuse panel. They put out enough white light to read or do other stuff in the van. All of my lighting i video'd and posted on my youtube channel.

 

[Almost There]

I installed 2 recessed square lights, one over the passenger seat which swivels (the seat not the light) - it's my dining room/living room/office chair, and the second light over the head of the bed for reading in bed.

I also installed an LED strip  light that  has a built in dimmer switch over the kitchen counter.

I get the most use out of the kitchen light since I now use a Kindle Fire for reading and it is back lit so I don't need the overhead light.

I wish I had installed lights in the overhead storage areas, sometimes I have to grab a flashlight to find stuff in the back, particularly the front storage that holds all the kitchen equipment.

 

[Canine]

The light in the front nose of my 6X12 cargo trailer is this: http://www.mcssl.com/store/jason.weaver/brilliant-light-3002--interior-single---150-lms . I got the motion light module and dimmer module, but took the dimmer module out. Generally speaking LED's don't last as long when dimmed. The light does a great job of lighting the front area of the trailer. The motion sensor is awesome and won't go without it. I can have my hands full of groceries in pitch black darkness and when the door is opened, I have light. It's great. This is an expensive light! Without the motion sensor, you can easily find high quality lights of the same style for far less. I have some buyer's remorse on this light as far as the cost not on the quality or functionality, though. It comes in white or beige. Don't get two different colors like I did. Doh!

I got some of these lights: https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/swivel-led/ . Two 13 inchers and two 9 inchers. The swivel aspect is nice to have to help direct the light since I'm not trying to light up an open area, but more specific areas. They are far from spot lights, yet don't cover as much area like the type of light above does. The lights are super efficient for the light they put out. The two 9 inchers are great for reading as they aren't too bright, yet plenty bright enough for reading while drawing a pittance of electricity. I can read as long as I want almost no matter how bad the sunlight is on the solar panels while not having to worry about electricity.

My final light is waterproof and is in the shower. It is a touch light. Excellent purchase for that application. https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Lighting/Optronics/UCL60CSBB.html

I also keep a flash light easily handy as looking in the back of a cabinet is still hard to see. Am toying with the idea of a solar powered motion light on the outside of the trailer above the door. All of my wiring is on the surface of the walls.

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

Thanks for the ideas and links! Any others?

 

[losthighwaydrifter]

I put 2 8ft strips of a roll o got on amazon for $16? way bright in the step van now.