Dome & Hexayurt Lighting - Last Minute Ideas Needed!!

[shimgotit]

I built a dome for the playa last year and at night while I was either drunk or tripping (or even sober lol) it was really hard to see using only a flashlight. Id like to devise a light I can hang from the ceiling of my 2V dome. (Also asking for a friend who is building a Hexayurt). Any ideas for low cost, low energy lighting I can use for the week?

[percussivepaul]

Go simple -- get something with integrated batteries that runs on standard sizes. You can get strings of LEDs that run on AA batteries, and you can get LED-based camping lanterns that likely run on C or D cells (which you could maybe decorate with fabric or tissue paper to change the colour). Look on Amazon or in places like Target or Home Depot or outdoorsy stores.

[catfishpkt]

Bit late for this year, but I'm planning on making a holder for each wall to hold solar lawn markers. In the morning I would put them in a bucket behind the yurt to charge and in the evening I would grab them and hang them inside. Haven't tested this so not sure how many would be needed or how effective it would be.

[ProfessorChaos]

I found this amazing LED light that I have velcroed to the inside of my tent for camping. It is touch sensative (touch on, touch off), super bright and lasts something like 3000 hours (freaking LEDs, man). It cost all of around $10.00, I think 3 of these would be awesome for a hexayurt. I am planning on having 4 or so of these around our hexayurt this year. Just attached with velcro for easy removal for night time bathroom runs. Only thing I would be concerned with is the touch terminals might stop working in the dust... so maybe the physical push version rather than the tap on/tap off.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?par ... &cId=PDIO1

[Captain Goddammit]

Yeah there's only one answer - LEDs.
Costco around here is selling some LED flashlights in packs of two for $20-ish, I think Energizer brand - forgot - that are freaking BRIGHT! They obliterate my D-cell LED Mag Lites that I used to think really rocked. A few of those.... hell one of those pointed at the ceiling would make the place light right up.

[shieldbearer]

I have a light very much like this:



The name is different. I paid nearly this much for the one and these have a three year life on the battery, otherwise it looks the same and I love my light and always get compliments on it. Sometimes when backpacking with it I forget to set it out to recharge, that's the only problem I have had with it so far.

[BBadger]

Yeah there's only one answer - LEDs.
Costco around here is selling some LED flashlights in packs of two for $20-ish, I think Energizer brand - forgot - that are freaking BRIGHT! They obliterate my D-cell LED Mag Lites that I used to think really rocked. A few of those.... hell one of those pointed at the ceiling would make the place light right up.

I got one of those 4x packs of Duracell LEDs from Costco. They are really bright. The only problem is that they use 3x AAA batteries that don't last long at all.

The real trick, and what I did once, was to take an old 2-D cell Maglight and wire it up with an ultra-bright LED + throw lens and boost driver. Then I had the best of both worlds: great battery life (no incandescent), and a damn bright flashlight with great throw. No tiny batteries or exotic LiPo batteries either.

It's not hard to make the conversion with a lens, LED, and driver from one of those online sites like DealExtreme, and you can choose LEDs with a better color "white" than many of those less expensive LEDs. They take some heatsinking, but I just attached the LED to some tin plating taken from a mint can.

[ProfessorChaos]

Yeah there's only one answer - LEDs.
Costco around here is selling some LED flashlights in packs of two for $20-ish, I think Energizer brand - forgot - that are freaking BRIGHT! They obliterate my D-cell LED Mag Lites that I used to think really rocked. A few of those.... hell one of those pointed at the ceiling would make the place light right up.

I got one of those 4x packs of Duracell LEDs from Costco. They are really bright. The only problem is that they use 3x AAA batteries that don't last long at all.

The real trick, and what I did once, was to take an old 2-D cell Maglight and wire it up with an ultra-bright LED + throw lens and boost driver. Then I had the best of both worlds: great battery life (no incandescent), and a damn bright flashlight with great throw. No tiny batteries or exotic LiPo batteries either.

It's not hard to make the conversion with a lens, LED, and driver from one of those online sites like DealExtreme, and you can choose LEDs with a better color "white" than many of those less expensive LEDs. They take some heatsinking, but I just attached the LED to some tin plating taken from a mint can.

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.