Snowboarding the ‘Peak of Evil’: Patagonia Athletes Shred Biggest Line of Their Lives in India
Watch ‘¡Ay Chihuahua!’: An Epic Mexican Exploratory Kayak Adventure 12 volt led lights for enclosed trailer
OneWheel Pint S Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Crashy
Gaining an Edge: One Hunter’s Secret to Success
The Best Camping Tents of 2024
The Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags of 2024
The Best Camping Mattresses of 2024
The Best Backpacking Stoves of 2024
$75 Smartwatch Provides the Basics, Not Much More: Armitron Quantum Review
Badass Alpine Shell With Gimmicky App-Pairing Zipper: Artilect M-Formation 3L Review
OneWheel Pint S Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Crashy
The Best G-Wagen Ever Is Electric: 2025 Mercedes G 580 With EQ Technology Review
Cooking for Strangers with Gerber ComplEAT
Sea To Source with Columbia
Whether you’re out on a solo car-camping adventure, making fireside meals with friends, or relaxing in your hammock, the best camping string lights make the mood what you want it to be. Our experts have been testing camp lighting for close to a decade, and we’ve strung up just about every option on the market and settled on eight of the best for every occasion.
A simple string of twinkle lights like the ENO Twilights Camp Lights — our top pick — can really brighten the mood wherever you use them, and even a budget-friendly option like the BioLite SiteLight String can perk up the interior of a tent or car camping situation. Moreso than camping lanterns or headlamps, string lights are easy to set and forget and can run long into the evening.
For this roundup, we toted these string lights from the frontcountry to the backcountry, stringing them up in national parks and remote outposts alike. We illuminated our rigs while overlanding, and cast light on camp kitchens to whittle down what exactly makes a good string light. We focused on functional differences in brightness, battery life, durability, and weight, and each light passed through the gauntlet of our unique testing regimen.
Scroll through to see all of our recommended buys, and at the end of our list, be sure to check out our Buyer’s Guide to learn more about how to illuminate your next camping outing. We’ve also assembled a Comparison Chart to level lights against one another, and a Price & Value section to suss out what your money gets you when it comes to these fun camp lights.
Editor’s Note: We updated our Camping String Lights guide on October 28, 2024, to add the Front Runner LED Light Strip and Brightech Ambiance Pro Solar String Lights.
The ENO Twilights Camp Lights ($25) are reliable, all-around string lights that can easily find their way into your camp hangouts. These packable lights offer a variety of light modes and boast a long battery life, making them a reliable top choice for camp lighting.
Reminiscent of Christmas tree lights, the ENO Twilights come with 20 LED lights and four light settings. We enjoyed stringing these lights up around camp, in the tent, but loved them best in the back of our car. You have your choice of the white light set or the color set, though the color lights definitely offer more of a holiday feel, so if you’re looking for something more neutral in a camping light, the white light version is the one to go with.
These lights have a brag-worthy 72-hour battery life for the three AAA batteries they require — although this can’t quite match the longevity of the USB-powered lights we’ve tested like the BioLite SiteLights, which can run for as long as you’ve still got juice in your power station. Although these lights aren’t rechargeable, they maximize battery life, making them a great choice for multiday camping trips, or for someone who doesn’t want to have to remember to charge their lights every time before hitting the road.
These lights come with a stuff sack that makes them easy to toss in a pack or car. We recommend storing these lights carefully as they’re a bear to untangle if they’re packed haphazardly. Packing them in their stuff sack will also prevent wear and tear, and these lights aren’t invincible like some of the textile-covered wire options like the MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights. We found that the plastic encasing the lights and wires is prone to stretching, so handle with care.
These lights are a breeze to hang and come with a loop on the end of the battery pack as well as a small clip at the other end of the lights. We hung them on a hammock suspension and tent pole, but they sit nicely in trees as well. These lights won’t illuminate an entire camp on their own, but if you can get your hands on multiple, you have a better shot at lighting up a larger area.
Despite the Twilights’ lack of invincibility, these lights are still a great choice for an all-around camping light. They’re perfect for a backpacker looking to add a little glow to their camp, or a car camper wanting to keep it simple. Unsurprisingly, they pair exceptionally well with an ENO hammock.
If you’re looking for a cheap, packable, and bright light, the BioLite SiteLight String ($20) is a no-brainer. And they’re even better if you’re already part of the BioLite ecosystem!
These come in strings of four lights across 10 feet of cable with 150 lumens of lighting power, which is pretty powerful. The last four feet of the string are without lights, though, so the lights are really more like 6 feet long. This puts their size on par with GoalZero’s Light-A-Light Minis, with fewer (yet larger) lights than both MPOWERED’s Luci Solar Site Lights. But since BioLite’s are a fraction of the cost, they’re a good deal, especially for those just entering the lighting world.
These lights worked well to light up these small spaces. While car camping, we used them to illuminate the back of a car as well as the inside of a tent. While they aren’t a great choice for lighting up an entire campsite on their own, they are daisy-chainable, so if you are okay buying multiple, you can make them even longer.
The SiteLights need to be plugged into an external battery, which puts them at a disadvantage over both MPOWERED models, which have solar options. But, since they have a USB dongle, you can plug them into any USB charger, which means you could create a solar charging setup for them. The dongle is removable and small, so be careful not to misplace it. If you don’t mind packing a battery pack, these lights are fairly backpackable but are even better suited for car camping. These lights play nicely with the BioLite AlpenGlow 500 Lantern which can run the SiteLites off its rechargeable battery.
These lights store well as you can wrap the cord around a slot in each light and then stack the lights on top of one another. Though this process can be tedious, it does make them easy to stow and take apart. They also come with cord-stabilizing hooks that make these lights easy to attach to parts of your campsite. We were able to easily attach them to the inside of a tent and the handles in a car.
These lights have two settings: on or off. There isn’t a way to dim these lights, which means you can’t set the mood right before bed. There also aren’t any color options other than the white light. But the simplicity is nice for a camper who is looking for something easy to set up and take down.
Overall, the SiteLights are compact, affordable, and great for single campers, but not super versatile or great for filling big spaces. In the end, their simplicity could be a good or a bad thing — it depends on what you want out of a light.
The Nite Ize Radiant Rechargeable ShineLines ($30) are definitely an attention-grabber. It’s a cool, modern take on a string light that can make a campsite especially classy. They’re a versatile and durable light choice that isn’t confined to a fixed camping setting.
Unlike traditional string lights, the Radiant ShineLines are fiber-optic cord lights, which gives them a unique look. It also makes them super versatile. We hung them between two cars to illuminate a group site, and we used them to outline a tent in a single campsite. However, they really shine when wrapped around another object, like a tent pole, deck railing, or bike frame.
The Radiant ShineLines are also rechargeable, which makes them even easier to bring along. They have a mini USB port, meaning you can plug them into anything with a USB power source. It takes about an hour and a half for these lights to charge completely, and they run for about 6 hours on a full charge. This short battery life means you’ll have to be prepared to charge them on a longer camping trip.
These lights come with four rubber-covered Gear Ties that can be used to hang and store them. We found that the ties made it super easy to attach these lights to tent poles. It also keeps these lights contained in a backpack. After looping the lights up, we wrapped the ties around the loop which kept them bundled.
Although the fiber optic design is unique, it doesn’t quite live up to the LED standard. These lights aren’t consistently bright the whole way through the cord. They are brightest at either end of the cord, but the middle is dim. However, when wrapped tightly around another object, such as a tent pole, the light is brighter. The more the cord bends, the brighter it is. These lights also offer more of a glow than they do a shine, reminiscent of a glow stick. If you’re looking for something that will offer great reading or cooking light at your campsite, it would be best to stick with an LED light.
The Radiant ShineLines are a cool, versatile addition to your camping set-up, so long as you’re not looking for anything too bright (for a brighter and still versatile option, check out the GoalZero Light-A-Life Minis). But get creative with them! They’re not a light you have to leave at camp when you go play.
The MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights ($70) are a cool, unique take on a string light. Their solar-powered battery makes them a great choice for a sunny camping trip. They’re also a great option for a light you don’t want to have to remember to charge.
These lights have two battery charging options. The solar panel on the top of the light means you can leave this light out in the sun and forget about it for a while. It does take 16 hours for this light to fully charge via solar panel, which means you’re not likely to get them to a full charge in one day. However, they also come with a USB charging port that you can use to charge these lights up in 6-8 hours.
These lights are best for medium to spread-out spaces. They have 40 light nodes of 140 lumens across 44 feet of cordage, which is considerably longer than other 10 foot string lights. The three brightness settings are easy to click through with the power button as well as a flashlight in the base of the lights. The flashlight seems like a better idea than it is, though. You’re better off using, well … the string lights. We also wish the internal battery lasted a bit longer, as at full brightness they only last about 8 hours.
The Luci String Lights also have the ability to charge your phone. This is an exciting feature for a string light, but we wouldn’t recommend relying on it as the battery will only get your phone to about 50% before dying. Still, it’s a good bit more compact than snagging a small solar panel and portable power bank.
We really loved the case for these lights, which was the best of all the lights we tested. You open the body of the lights, wind the string around the center, and twist the top back down to secure the lights inside. It made it nearly impossible to get the lights tangled in transport or unraveling.
Overall, the Luci Solar String Lights are a neat light perfect for camping in sites with plenty of reliable sunny solar power, or on multi-day trips, for those with extra juice to spare from a portable power station or onboard camper battery.
If you’re looking for versatility and the ability to light up one campsite or a few separate tents, the Goal Zero Light-A-Life Mini ($80) is a great fit. This is really more like a set of four chainable lights rather than a single string. That means it has the same amount of lights as the BioLite Site String Light, but covers almost twice the distance across the cord.
Each light has about four feet of cord with a USB on each end to chain them together. The segments each have their own switches with a brightness function: a 110-lumen function, and a 30-lumen “low” function. This is both handy and annoying. While it gives you greater versatility to adjust the lights when they are separated, it means you have to turn on or adjust each light one by one when they’re strung together.
For lights that don’t come with a battery, the Light-A-Life Minis are fairly expensive. But they do come with a number of features we really enjoyed.
The modular setup means you can easily split the lights to send two lights into two separate tents with battery packs. The lights are decently warm in tone, though we’d still like to see them go a nudge toward the warmer side. They also have shades you can adjust to give direct light or provide a more diffuse, lantern-like effect. Colored shades also give you the ability to set your desired mood.
As a string, though, we found the lights could be rather busy. There are a lot of cords, plugs, plastic, and switches, but if you’re after pure versatility, that’s the price of admission. Goal Zero says you can only chain four lights together, but that didn’t stop us from plugging our BioLite SiteLights into the fourth Goal Zero Mini for even more light. Just don’t tell anyone.
Calling the Front Runner LED Light Strip ($60) a string light is a bit of a stretch, but it functions similarly. It’s really more like a flexible light bar, more applicable for the overlander than the camper. We previously awarded the Lightforce Flexible LED Strip Light as being the best for truck camping, but found these lights to be the very same construction, cheaper, and run off a more universal USB vs. a cigarette plug.
If you have the equipment, this lighting system is an impressive option. The strip is not long — about four feet of lighting with an additional 16 feet of power cable — but it puts out an impressive amount of glowing light. And 72 LEDs create 1,600 lumens of light, which is enough to light up your entire campsite. The lights are also adjustable from 1% to 100% by gliding your thumb over the on button. The strip will also remember the last brightness you used and allow you to adjust from there.
The strip is also easy to deploy, thanks to a clip on either end of the light strip and Velcro straps throughout. You can wrap it around something, hang it from a tree, or strap it to a pole. It’s like one of those light bars you might see on the roof of a truck but with the flexibility you need for camping. In practice, we found the length perfect for stringing across the struts of an offroad awning or inside of a rooftop tent.
However, the ~4-foot length isn’t great for especially spread-out campsites or large rigs like RVs or campers. For that, we recommend grabbing a full-length option like the Brightech Ambiance Pro Solar String Lights. The trade-off, of course, is in ease of set-up and use (the TIKI lights can be a bit of a bear to set up), so there’s good reason to keep your camping quarters tight and go with the Front Runner option.
The LED Strip Light is easy to use, easy to attach to things, and incredibly bright. It is an easy choice for an overlanding campsite; you just need to make sure you have a power supply for it. We often bring along a dedicated portable power station when we’re offgrid in our vans, but a small power brick will work equally as well (your run-time will just be lesser).
The Brightech Ambiance Pro Solar String Lights ($45) are the ultimate ambiance creators for boondocking and car camping. They are actually marketed as home lights for pergolas and gazebos, but, they’ve been a trusted part of our van-camping lighting ensemble for four years.
First of all, they’re just fun-looking, reminiscent of some stone-cobbled European cafe. Plus, the 2,700K light tone is particularly warm for LED lights. They nicely light up the cooking area and beyond without being overpowering. In fact, we liked these so much that we eventually installed two sets on my mom’s deck. We’ve found the best way to hang them is off of awnings, car racks, or tree branches using zip ties or wire ties.
The lights, which are 27 feet long with 12 bulbs, run off of a small solar panel (which is a bit bigger than the MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights). Though the company claims five to six hours of runtime, we’ve found that they actually run more like 10 to 12. We never leave them on all night while camping, but at Mom’s house, they almost always stay on until the sun comes up, which gives her an added sense of security.
As for durability, they’ve held up for two years and counting on the deck through rain, snow, ice, wind, and squirrels. Just recently, we did end up replacing our first camping set, but only because we slammed the wire in the van door, and got tired of splicing it back together. (The wire is very sturdy, we just did a particularly fine job of destroying it.) The bulbs are also shatterproof.
The Solar String Lights also have a nice feature: an on/off switch behind the solar panel. However, this is also a pitfall as they don’t charge when the switch is in the off position. There have been several mornings when we forgot to flip the switch back on and thought they were charging when they were not — a glum realization once evening rolled around.
The other downside is that these lights are bulky and heavy, certainly not okay for backpacking but fine for a car setup. And we have yet to have demonstrated enough patience to wind up the cord in any sort of organized pattern. But if you have the space and a tiny bit of patience, they’re unmatched for both function and ambiance.
Originally designed as an add-on for the brand’s popular backpacking tents, the Big Agnes mtnGLO Camp Lights ($35) work just as well on their own, and can be strung up pretty much anywhere around camp for a bit of added ambiance. Our favorite feature, however, has to be the added translucent stuff sack, which when illuminated from within doubles as a camp lantern.
Powered by either 3 AAA batteries or a USB power source (we love options), it’s pretty simple to pivot mid-camping trip if your batteries decide to take the dive. Unfortunately, we did find that the included battery case for AAAs is pretty easy to break, with the door on our unit now no longer closing. Either way, these little LEDs sip juice and can be left on all night if you so choose — we’ve definitely fallen asleep more than once with them twinkling overhead.
The ripstop fabric cover surrounding the strand is a nice touch, and makes the string lights feel a good bit more durable than having the wire exposed like on some lights. Whether or not this plays out long-term is left to be seen, but we’re putting the miles in and will update our review with our findings. The plastic hanging clips used to attach these lights, however, aren’t our favorite, and tend to slip around and don’t hold the strand very securely.
Perfect for finishing that last chapter in your tent, the mtnGLO Camp Lights add a soft glow to the inside of your shelter that’s sure to brighten up any camping trip. They aren’t our first choice (scope the ENO Twilights for that), but if you’re already in a Big Agnes tent, they can make a lot of sense.
Our camp testing of these string lights has taken us far and wide, and they’ve lit the way to front country campsites across the West — from dim ocean-side camps in the Hoh Rain Forest to alpine lakes in the Colorado high country. Our experts cover the spread from mobile-working van lifers to itinerant dirtbags, and each has strung up a light or three to see what they’ve got to offer.
The weather isn’t always going to cooperate for your weekend shindigs, and our rain test occurs during real, day-long Pacific Northwest rain storms. After spending the day in the rain, each light is turned on and inspected for any damage. The battery test, too, sought to challenge these string lights with real-life usage, and included charging rechargeable lights fully, setting up battery-powered lights with brand new batteries, and hooking up plug-in lights with portable batteries, then running each light until they died.
The “big campsite” test assessed each light’s ability to light up a large campsite on its own. We were able to see if a light was bright or long enough to light up the common space where food and drinks were being made. The lights that weren’t suited for whole campsites were set up in tents, backs of cars, and over hammocks to see if they worked better for a single camper.
Our testing didn’t stop when we rolled up the sleeping bags, either. Over a handful of seasons here, we’ve pulled together a set of bench tests to really challenge string lights and ensure they don’t leave you hanging when you need them the most.
The first challenges string light’s particular capacity for turning into tangled spaghetti when absent-mindedly packed away, and during our so-called ‘stuff test,’ we packed away each of these lights both loosely and in any included storage bag. This test aims to determine how easy these lights were to pack and unpack, as well as how likely they were to tangle or break inside a pack.
In addition, the durability test involved some good old-fashioned muscle power, and saw our testers pulling, stretching, and yanking on these lights to see if they would break under abuse. Though this test might have been more aggressive than what these lights would see in their normal use, it not only determined each light’s general durability, but where a user might see wear and tear over time.
Our lead tester Maddie Downie is an experienced camper, hiker, hammocker, and fireside hang-outer based in Washington State. She grew up camping with her family in the Colorado backwoods, and now spends almost every weekend night out of the summer sleeping outdoors.
Maddie understands the difference between setting up a camp for an early start the next day and putting together a campsite for friends to gather for drinks, and tested each light with this context in mind, developing a few specific tests to put these lights through: a stuff test, rain test, battery test, “big campsite” test, and durability test.
One of our other main testers, Karuna Eberl has spent decades backpacking, tent camping, and van-life-ing around the West and Baja, down to the Florida Keys, and around Europe. She also has a background in filmmaking, which adds to her persnicketiness about using lighting to create a feel-good mood.
We set out to find the best camping string lights on the market to give you the best recommendations for your adventures. It’s important to note, also, that string lights oftentimes will be accessories to other camp lighting solutions, such as Camping Lanterns or a good Headlamp.
Consider all of these to form a system that covers your campsite with light: headlamps for detail work like chopping veggies or zipping up a tent, lanterns for gathering around and telling stories, and string lights to guide your way around the party. Here’s what we’ve found to be the most important considerations when purchasing camping string lights:
Before you can have light, you need power. String lights have a few different means of power, and what will work best for you depends on how you plan to use your lights.
For optimal portability, having a set of string lights with a built-in battery will allow you to bring light anywhere without further complications. These lights have the benefit of not needing anything else to work, but that means they’re another thing you’ll have to remember to charge before heading out for the weekend.
If you have the space, you can pack a portable battery as well. While these lights are easy to bring along, they typically don’t have long battery life, lasting for an average of less than 10 hours. For instance, the Nite Ize Radiant ShineLines take about an hour and a half to charge completely for a 6-hour battery life.
Battery-powered lights are also portable, but keep in mind that these batteries can weigh down your pack. It also means you have to remember to put in fresh ones before heading out or running the risk of running out of power. Having rechargeable batteries for these lights will save you money!
These lights will generally last longer than the built-in battery lights, anywhere from three days to a few weeks, depending on how much you’re using them. It’s most likely a string light with a replaceable battery will take AA or AAA batteries, such as the ENO Twilights that take three AAA batteries.
Lights that require a plug-in to work may be better suited for car camping, boondocking, or lighting up an outdoor space at your home. Plug-in lights can come in a variety of types, such as USB or outlet plug-ins.
Keep in mind that not all USB cords are the same; lights may come in USB-C, USB-A, or Micro-USB. USB plug-ins are the most portable as long as you don’t mind packing a battery bank. And some USB plug-in lights are compatible with lanterns, such as the BioLite SiteLights that can be plugged into the BioLite AlpenGlow 500 Lantern.
However, lights that require being plugged into a wall outlet are better suited for RV camping or lighting up your back porch. These lights are a great choice for car camping in cars that have USB or house-plug converters, or when you’re bringing along a portable power station. Plug-in lights also mean you can run these lights longer. House plug-in lights last as long as you want and USBs last as long as your battery bank can.
Some string lights are for small areas, like the back of a pickup truck, while others will light up your whole campsite. String lights that emphasize portability are generally better for smaller campsites as they are dimmer and smaller. These lights range anywhere from one foot to 10 feet in length. Shorter ones are better for lighting up the inside of your car or tent, or illuminating your hammock. The BioLite SiteLights, at 10 feet long with only four lights, are better at lighting up a hammock than an entire campsite.
Lights that require being plugged in are better suited for large areas as they are generally larger and brighter. These lights can range from a few feet to several yards, and can stay brighter for longer. But we didn’t include any in this guide, since there are also lights suited for larger areas that don’t require an outlet, like the Brightech Ambience Solar String Lights, which are 27 feet long with 12 LED bulbs. We use these with our van camping setup, plus have installed them over our back deck, even though there are outlets available.
The brightness of a light is also dependent on its power source, as well as the type of light. LEDs are the most common because they work really well and are power efficient. LED lights that run off a rechargeable or battery-powered source (including solar) are often not as large or bright as plug-in lights. This makes them better suited for lighting up small spaces such as a car or tent. Some, like the ENO Twilights Camp Lights, are particularly suited for backpacking, being very lightweight and compact. However, these types of lights may also dim as the battery dies.
Plug-in lights are brighter from 100 lumens (lms) to 1,000 lms. The Front Runner LED Light Strip comes in at 1,600 lms! Plug-in lights also stay brighter for longer and are less likely to dim as you use them.
Some camping lights use alternative light sources, such as the fiber optic lights in the Nite Ize Radiant ShineLines. These lights are generally not as consistently bright as LED lights, and offer more of a glow than a shine. The fiber optic design means that the light isn’t consistently bright through the cord, but is brighter the more it is bent.
Some lights give off a warm glow, like a campfire, while others are starkly white or even borderline bluish, like the moon. This is called color temperature, and it is measured in degrees of Kelvin. Camping and household lights commonly range from 2,000 to 6,000 degrees. The lower the number, the warmer the tone.
Choosing a color temperature is a matter of personal preference. Generally speaking, warmer tones create happier, more welcoming vibes, whereas cooler temperatures tend to feel utilitarian, even irritating. Cooler tones travel farther, so they’re better for flashlights. Otherwise, warmer tones are still capable of illuminating a cooking area, plus allow your eyes to more quickly readjust to the darkness beyond and are less obnoxious for all of the wild creatures you’re sharing space with (same idea as using a red reading lamp vs. a white one).
If you’re not used to looking at color temperature, you might not even notice it. Many people don’t until it’s brought to their attention. For me, it’s the most important factor when buying a light. There’s a reason movies use lighting to manipulate the mood. It’s the difference in scene between a rom-com, with a cozy cuddle on a beach, and a horror flick, with a lurker creeping up on the camp.
Many camping string lights come with light adjustment options which can be helpful in setting a desired mood. Many come with a simple high brightness and low brightness, such as the GoalZero Light-A-Life lights that have a 110-lumen high setting and 30-lumen low setting. This setting is great for transitioning into a sleepier mood.
Other lights have blinking and color-changing effects, which keep the mood more energized. The color ENO Twilights have a setting that will gradually rotate through all of the colors. However, a few lights require that you cycle through these different settings to turn the light off, which can definitely be an annoyance around bedtime. No one likes a strobing light right as they’re about to fall asleep.
There are a few factors to consider when thinking about storage of your camping string lights, which can be dependent on the type of camping you want to do. For backpacking or camping where a portable light is necessary, having a specific storage container is nice.
Several battery-powered or rechargeable lights, such as the ENO Twilights, come with a soft storage bag that fits nicely inside a pack. Some lights, such as the Nite Ize Radiant ShineLines come with gear ties that make it easy to loop these lights up and tie all ends together. Lights without a specific storage method require a little creativity to store and run the risk of getting tangled or damaged.
Even if a light comes with a specific storage container, the ease of setting them up and putting them away is a consideration. Soft storage bags are generally easy to stuff lights into, and ties take a bit longer to put away. The BioLite SiteLights may win the award for easiest to store as the lights stack on top of one another.
Despite how easy each light is to store, there is always the risk of lights getting tangled in storage. We found that string lights that can be stored in a soft bag are easy to get tangled, which adds more time to setting up your campsite. Lights that are stored with ties are less likely to get tangled. Spending the time to fold or wrap your lights carefully will prevent tangling and make your future self a happier camper.
Proper storage can also prevent wear and tear. Lights with rubber or plastic wire coverings have a higher chance of tearing, stretching, or breaking, so it’s especially important to store these lights with care. We found that lights that are shoved into bags or that are just tossed loosely into packs are more likely to experience this kind of wear. Even if a light doesn’t come with a specific storage container, creating one out of a plastic bag or with wire ties could save you from having to replace them right away.
The types of hanging features on a string light can determine how easy they are to set up at a campsite. Many string lights come with hooks that can be used to clip the lights to tent poles, hammocks, or the inside of your car. The BioLite SiteLights come with small hooks on either end that make it easy to attach these lights to different parts of a campsite.
The Nite Ize ShineLines might take the cake for hanging features. Not only are these lights easy to wrap around objects, but they come with four rubber-covered hanging wires that can be used to attach these lights to almost anything. The attachments are super malleable and can be moved anywhere on the light where they are best fit. They also make it easy to store these lights as you can tie off the lights when they are bundled.
When choosing between camping lights, the durability of those lights should be a consideration. As a whole, companies designing outdoor lights have put effort into making them durable, such as concealing the lights and wires themselves in some protective material. The ENO Twilights are almost completely plastic-covered, which keeps dust and water at bay for the most part. However, over time, the plastic seems prone to stretch and tear if these lights are handled roughly.
Plug-in lights that come with exposed components should be handled and stored with extra care. For instance, the BioLite SiteLights come with a USB dongle that could be damaged if left in the dirt and rain. The Nite Ize ShineLines have a plastic cover that should be used to keep dirt out of the charging port on the end of the light.
Many of these outdoor string lights are water-resistant and IP-rated. The IP scale refers to how water-resistant something is, and the definitions of each rating are easy to look up online. In general, most string lights seem to be resistant to splashes, but aren’t likely to make it if dunked in water. The Front Runner LED Light Strip is IP65 rated, meaning it’s resistant against “jets” of water. Still, it’s best to assume that no string light is waterproof and try to keep your lights out of the rain as much as possible.
Camping string lights aren’t typically the priciest thing you’ll splurge on for your camping kit, but as consumer electronics, there is a pretty wide spread in terms of price and in turn quality. Cheap string lights tend to burn out prematurely, so it’s good to invest in something that is going to last, and provide the ambiance you’re going for.
Even budget string lights can be excellent (or top pick, the ENO Twilights Camp Lights is only $25), but there are a few things you’ll likely leave on the table for spending bottom dollar. For one, budget options tend to be powered by traditional AA or AAA cells. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find integrated batteries in a cheaper set. Overall brightness might also be a little less, and make these lights better suited for use inside of tents compared to across entire campsites.
The $20 BioLite SiteLight String is a great example, and while you only get four lights across the 10-foot string, the unit is USB-powered, meaning you can run these lights as long as you’ve got juice. The Nite Ize Radiant ShineLine ($30) is only $10 more but not quite as versatile as it’s more of a lit cord that’s ideal for wrapping around tent poles.
Spending $40-60 for a set of string lights means they’ll almost always be brighter, longer, and potentially adjustable. This can come in the form of dimmability or the addition of different light modes, such as a twinkle or pulse effect. Increased durability will also come with the increase in price, with better water resistant ratings, as well as more protected cords that might be covered in rubber or textile sleeves.
The Brightech Ambiance Pro Solar String Lights ($45) get you a lot for the money, and while they’re better suited for RV boondockers, you do get a built-in solar panel to power the lights, meaning you’ve got true off-grid ability. The Front Runner LED Light Strip ($60) is similarly suited for vanlifers but is a bit more functionally rich with a dimmable switch as well as a robust sleeve for the LED strip and multiple mounting options.
Premium string lights are going to offer up even more versaility, and the MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights + Power Hub ($70) integrates a built-in solar panel, as well as an on-board battery bank that can even charge your phone. The extended length is also typical of the price range, and a full 44 feet can illuminate even the biggest campsites.
The most convenient light will depend on what you need to do with your light. Are you walking and exploring in the dark? Then you’ll want something like a headlamp or flashlight you can use to direct a beam of light ahead of you and down the trail.
Do you have a central area like a table or tent you need to light? Then the expansive glow of a lantern might be what you’re looking for. If you’re trying to light up a large, spread-out area, string lights are likely your best bet as they can extend over a large area. And if you want brighter light, you can simply wrap them, or even pile them, in a more central location.
The length of time your lights can stay on will depend on how bright you have them set and how powerful the battery is. Sometimes the power source is built into the lights, but others can be plugged into an external power bank. The bigger the bank, the longer the lights will last.
Still, with most high-efficiency LED lights used in these products, you can expect your lights (like the ENO Twilights) to last for at least several hours. If you use a lower-power setting, some string lights can even last for days at a time, and features like built-in solar panels on the MPOWERED lights will only extend this time.
The number of lights you need is entirely dependent on how big your campsite is and how bright you want it to be. For brightness, consider whether you want a single string light that crosses a campsite for some added ambiance, or if you want to crisscross string lights across your campsite to provide illumination.
Some brands offer long strings with dozens of lights (like the Brightech Ambiance Pro Solar String Lights). However, you may actually be better off opting for smaller sections of lights you can string together (like the BioLite string lights). Just remember, the more you string together, the faster the battery drains.
Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment to find the lighting you prefer.
Whether heading into the backcountry or lighting up the night car camping, we’ve found the best camping lanterns for every use and budget.
We tested the best headlamps of 2024 with options for every budget. Top picks include BioLite, Black Diamond, and more!
Maddie is a freelance writer for GearJunkie . Maddie has been writing about climbing, hiking, and camping gear for three years. Prior to that, Maddie taught English 101 at Western Washington University and still is part of the management team at VITAL Climbing Gym in Bellingham. Based in Washington, Maddie is a rock climber, mountaineer, backcountry skier, and enjoyer of a good alpine meadow.
Karuna Eberl is a freelance writer and indie film producer. Her beats match her life’s passions: outdoor adventure, travel, nature, conservation, and green living. Over the last 30+ years, she’s written hundreds of articles for dozens of outlets, with some of the most recent ones being Gear Junkie, Atlas Obscura, BBC Travel, the National Parks Advocate, Family Handyman, Reader’s Digest, and Birds & Blooms.
boat rocker switch Get adventure news and gear reviews in your inbox!