Illuminating your tent at night is far more effective with a tent light, rather than a standard camp lantern or flashlight. Our top list has tracked down the best tent lights for every style outdoorsman so you can select the perfect camping option!
Here’s a high powered hanging tent light that also features a reliable power bank for charging your other electronic devices.
This rechargeable option from SUBOOS has a 5200mAh power bank built into the design that can fully charge a smartphone one or two times. It’s a brilliant feature for a tent light when you really think about it that allows you to charge your phone and camping gadgets overnight – just like having a bedside outlet!
There are three different light modes – full brightness (280 lumens), a dim setting, and a red light mode. The red light mode can be used when you need some illumination for camp chores, but don’t want to ruin your night vision!
This lamp is furthermore totally waterproof so it will work out in a heavy rain if you need to bring it outside your tent!
SUBOOS has built this option with impressive battery life – the most powerful light mode lasting up to six hours! The lower light mode (likely the one you’ll be using most within the confines of your tent) has a borderline absurd 18 hour run time on one charge. The red light boasts 125 hours on one charge.
Here’s a neat camping lantern/tent light option with a magnetic base and hanging hook for easy attachment or mounting virtually anywhere!
Similar to the other SUBOOS tent light listed here, this unit sports impressive battery life and brightness. For its size (four and a half by 2 inches and six ounces in weight), this little powerhouse unit puts out a whopping 290 lumens on the brightest light mode. There are seven light modes in total, including a red light mode for maintaining night vision.
A battery life indicator is present on the base of the light so you can keep an eye on your power level. Like the other Light by SUBOOS listed here, It’s well rated for holding a charge, especially if you’re not blasting the brightest light mode.
This tent light is also effectively waterproof so you don’t have to worry about any rain damage – just don’t fully submerge it!
What’s particularly great about this tent light option is its ability to mount or hang just about anywhere. The hanging hook is likely all you’ll really need for use inside your tent, but you’ll, of course, end up using this as a camp lantern as well. The magnetic base is a really nice feature that’s bound to come in handy!
Here’s a different approach to tent lights from Big Agnes that allows you to customize how you run or hang this 100-inch long LED lighted strand.
The mtnGLO LED Tent & Camping Lights are brilliant in the sense that they can be set up in an unlimited amount of configurations. Run them around the floor of your tent, drape them from the ceiling or set up a lighted walkway from your tent door towards the restroom or fire pit – the possibilities are endless. This is also a particularly nice option for setting up some romantic tent lighting if you catch my drift.
The light-strand design is both practical and easy to set up, but Big Agnes also includes a transparent triangular case to stash the lights in order to create a lantern! You truly have free reign to customize how you choose to set these lights up, and there are even three different color choices to choose from!
Two light modes (‘on’ and ‘flicker’) are both cycled between using the simple control panel at the end of the light strand.
These lights are powered by three AAA batteries or can be plugged into any external USB power source. The mtnGLO LED Lights would pair great with a portable solar panel, allowing you to barely rely on the batteries. However you choose to arrange and power these lights, they’ll provide you with many camping seasons of both fun and intimate area lighting!
Here’s a unique option for tent lights by BioLite that allows you to string and orient your illumination however you’d like!
The SiteLight Overhead String Lights put out 300 total lumens of light (150 lumens per ‘half’) and can be strung up in a variety of ways. Each unit splits into two separate lights, and they can furthermore be daisy-chained to other BioLite lights. There is a mini and an XL version of this light available through the same link that are all connectable.
This lighting system is similar to the strand LED-light option by Big Agnes also listed here but utilizes two high powered lights instead of an array that runs down the length of the ‘string’. The SiteLights also require an external, USB compatible power source as opposed to providing their own power. This may seem frustrating at first, but the lights are remarkably efficient and will give you many nights of illumination drawing power from a regular power bank or portable solar panel.
Set up is super easy, just pull apart the lights and plug them in! When it’s time to break down, the power cord wraps nice and neatly into the design. It’s a versatile tent lighting system that you’ll likely end up using all around the campsite!
This tent light option is remarkably lightweight and compact for those campers or backpackers who have a need for super portable gear.
This teeny-tiny option is just an ounce and a half in weight and fits right in the palm of your hand. It can hang from your tent ceiling using the included hook, and also has a magnetic base for securing to metal surfaces. This option is so compact you could even hang it from your keychain.
Don’t let its size fool you, this little light still puts out a whopping 200 lumens at its brightest light mode. It’s furthermore USB rechargeable so you don’t have to worry about packing batteries.
Without a doubt one of the most compact tent lights worth buying if you’re short on pack space or just prefer low profile, highly portable gear.
Here’s a unique option of tent light that emits a wavelength that is not recognizable by insects, therefore it won’t attract mosquitos and other bugs!
This LED option by Ryno Tuff is a simple battery powered hanging bulb-style light – but it’s built with a few neat features. The coolest, is in my opinion, the utilization of a yellow bulb in order not to attract bugs. It doesn’t actually repel insects, but it won’t induce a swarm as soon as it’s turned on like traditional lights often do
There’s also a remote control that pairs with this option that works up to 30 feet away, allowing you to turn out the lights from the comfort of your sleeping bag!
This tent light option is furthermore totally waterproof so you can use it outside around the campsite as well, and even leave it out in a rain. It’s an equally awesome light for illuminating the campsite for this reason. Set up an array of lights in and outside your tent and simply turn them on with the remote control when you need to shed some light on the situation.
This option is USB rechargeable and has five different light modes (one of which being the yellow-light that insects ignore). The brightest setting is 150 lumens, more than enough for the inside of a tent. Battery life is impressive – up to four hours on high and over 300 hours on low!
Here’s a neat innovation by BioLite that turns your headlamp into a lantern you can hang from your tent ceiling!
This is a brilliant design that scatters the light of your headlamp for area-illumination while also protecting it as a carry case. BioLite recently sent me their 330 Lumen No-Bounce Rechargeable Head Light (also available through this link) along with this carry case/lantern bag and I love using it while camping!
It should be noted that the 330 lumen headlamp that BioLite pairs this ‘lantern bag’ with is well built, low profile and reliable – make sure to check it out if you’re in the market for a new headlamp.
I’ve made a habit of packing my headlamp in this convenient carry pouch, and then simply tossing it in and hanging the bag when I need to light up my tent. Easy, affordable and multi-use, you gotta love this plain and simple concept by BioLite!
Here’s a unique tent light option with a built-in bug zapper that’s perfect for those brutally buggy campouts.
This is both a nice quality tent light and bug zapper – and the price is right. Rugged Camp has built this light to be tough as nails and totally waterproof so you can plan on utilizing it for years of camping. The zapper and light can furthermore be used at the same time, or utilized alone (either, or).
Even though the zapper contains most insects, you won’t want to set this bad boy up directly above your sleeping space in case of any falling bugs! There’s an included cleaning brush for when it fills up with insect carcasses, and trust us, it will! This zapper is also almost totally silent so you won’t be hearing mosquitos getting fried as you drift off to sleep!
The ultraviolet LED 1000 volt mosquito zapper will last up to 15 hours, while the low light setting of the lantern can last up to 20 hours. That’s a pretty impressive overall battery life! Rugged Camp foolishly does not list the brightness of this light in lumens, but it’s a bright tent light with low, medium and high modes that can illuminate even huge tent spaces.
All things considered, this is a great camping tool for the cost that hits two birds with one stone!
Here’s an attractive and effective tent light with a sharp looking aesthetic available in a nice array of color options if you’re the kind of camper who likes the ability to customize their gear.
The Moji Lantern is a very simple, but well-built tent light option. It’s durable, waterproof and provides great illumination for small quarters area lighting, and that’s about it. This is a no-frills option that boasts reliability as it’s most notable trait!
This lantern runs on three AAA batteries, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not an efficient option. The Moji can provide up to 70 hours of light on the lowest power setting.
The frosted globe of the lantern ensures the light it puts out is nice and even ambient light as opposed to the more potent, glaring light of some other options. There’s both a hanging hook and a flat base for tabletop use so you can set this unit up anywhere with ease.
Choose the color choice that suits you best and match this light with your tent and other camp gear. Black Diamond is a respected brand in the outdoor world for a reason – this tent light is no exception to their high standards and is no doubt well worth the cost.
Here’s a neat hanging or standing light from SUAOKI that can be powered by the sun or direct USB charging.
This compact tent light can be used as a lantern when expanded, and as a flashlight when closed. The clover design is great for absorbing sunlight when deployed for solar charging, and also puts out some nice area lighting when being used as a lantern.
This unit sits nicely on flat surfaces and can also be easily hung by the built-in (hidden) hanging hook. It’s definitely water-resistant, but don’t expect it to last through a pouring rain fully exposed.
The only real downside to this light is that you only get four hours of power on low and just two hours on high. If you don’t have a need for prolonged tent lighting at night, you should be able to solar charge this lantern/flashlight enough to keep it powered for the duration of your camping trips. If you’re a reader who often stays up late with a book inside your tent or are just looking for an option that can go all night, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
All in all, this is a super compact (2.5 by 6 inches) tent light option you can keep going on nothing but solar power that comes at a more than fair cost.
Here’s a great budget option for those campers looking for a simple, but reliable choice of tent light.
These LED light-bulb style camp-lights are powered by three AAA batteries and hung from a tent ceiling. Because of their inherent design, they can only really be hung by the built-in hook or else they’ll roll!
These lights are just 60 lumens each, but for smaller sized tents they put out adequate lighting. Both of the lights together (this is a two pack!) combine for some fairly powerful lighting.
E-TRENDS has built these tent lights to be weatherproof, so you can go ahead and use them outside your tent as well. Sporting up to 20 hours of run time on just one set of batteries, these bulbs are impressively efficient!
For the casual camper who doesn’t necessarily need a performance tent light, these bulbs by E-TRENDS are an excellent value buy!
Our list of the best tent lights has tracked down the top illumination options for every style tent and campout!