The 2023 camping season has begun, and we bet you couldn’t be more excited. While most of us stock up on common camping supplies like rechargeable LED lamps, solar power stations, and cooking essentials, we generally neglect string lights for camping. For those unaware, string lights are simple and affordable light accessories that will undoubtedly liven up your camping trips.
Apart from that, they also provide ample visibility even after the sun has set. All you need is a peg or a hook to string the lights, and you should be good to go.
Over the years, the humble string lights have come a long way. In fact, nowadays, you don’t have to be bogged down with connecting cables and wires to a power source. Instead, you can switch to solar-powered string lights and take advantage of solar energy. Or, you can opt for battery-powered string lights.
With that said, here are the best string lights to liven up your camping site. But first,
- Check out these cool gadgets for camping
- Light up your way with these USB camping lights
- Here are the best solar camping lights
1. Solar Lights: Brightech Ambience Pro
- Length: 27ft | Outdoor usability: Waterproof
- Number of lights: 12 Edison bulb
If you want to opt for a quality green-energy string light, then the Brightech Ambience Pro makes for a good buy. To that end, the company’s string lights measure 27 feet and ship with a detachable solar panel at one end. As such, the solar panel can be unhooked and stowed in a sunny spot to recharge the device. Apart from that, you get around 12 Edison-style LED bulbs which surely will up the overall looks of your camping site.
The lights are bright. Do note that the brightness depends a lot on the solar panel. In fact, much like conventional solar-powered outdoor lights, the Brightech Ambience Pro string lights also get a built-in light sensor that ensures that they switch on automatically at sunset. More importantly, the built-in battery is capacious enough and quite a lot of reviewers have pointed out that the lights stay on the whole night.
Needless to say, the lights are beautiful and the 27ft length is enough to light the area around your tent or trailer. That said, you will have to ensure that the solar panel receives around eight hours of sunlight. Regardless, the Brightech Ambience Pro lights are popular on Amazon and have more than 20,000 user ratings on Amazon, with users loving the easy installation process and the durability.
2. Solar Light: Selarlyt Outdoor String Lights
- Length: 72ft | Outdoor usability: Waterproof
- Number of lights: 200
If you want to lend a magical light to your camping ground or camping area, then you should check out the string lights by Selarlyt. Here, you get a longer length of lights, a stake for the solar panel, and small LED bulbs. Naturally, with the long length, you get supplementary LED bulbs too.
One of the major advantages of the Selarlyt solar lights is that it comes with various lighting modes. To wit, the unit comes with eight built-in light modes. You can sift between the modes by pressing the switch behind the panel. While the feature looks good on paper, it has received mixed reviews from a handful of users.
On the upside, the Selarlyt solar string lights are quite bright. Again, you will need full sun for the solar panel to work its magic. But once charged, they stay illuminated nearly throughout the night which is a huge plus if you’re camping in the wild.
If you want a no-fuss long solar-powered string light for your camping trips, then you can’t go wrong with the Selarlyt outdoor string lights.
3. Battery Powered: Metaku Globe String Lights
- Length: 33ft | Outdoor usability: IP67 Waterproof
- Number of lights: 80
The Metaku Globe String Lights have a lot of things going for them. For one, the lights are powered by three AAA batteries, which makes them highly portable. You can simply hook them to pegs or long stakes near your tent, and then light them up. Secondly, the lights ship with a remote, which adds to their functionality.
More notably, battery-powered lights are usually brighter compared to solar lights, and the Metaku global lights are no exception. They are bright and emit a warm soft glow. The built-in switch or the remote makes it easy to turn them On/Off too, which is great.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room—how long do a set of battery last? Well, the batteries last long and if we were to go by a user’s statement, a single fresh set lasted for about 2-3 weeks when they used the concoction for nine hours each day. What’s more, the lights are weatherproof and can stand their own in the rain and under the bright sun too.
4. USB-Powered: Blingstar Fairy Lights
- Length: 33ft | Outdoor usability: Waterproof
- Number of lights: 100
If you want to save money, then the Blingstar fairy lights are your best bet for decorative camping lights. For one, they are super affordable and are USB-powered. In fact, you can power these string lights via a power bank too.
To give you a better picture, a 10,000mAh power bank can drive these lights for up to 7-8 hours. Before we go further, let us tell you that these are not the brightest lights out there. However, these should suffice for decorative purposes.
The Blingstar fairy lights are great campsite lights, and several users have jotted the same in their reviews. The same can be accredited to the unit’s IP44 rating. You should also know that the lights come in pairs, with each string running 33 feet in length.
5. Wired: Brightown Outdoor Waterproof String Lights
- Length: 25ft | Outdoor usability: Waterproof
- Number of lights: 27 Edison bulb
If you have a portable generator for camping, then you can pair it with wired string lights from Brightown to lighten up the area around your camping site. These are 25ft long lights and come with around 27 bulbs. Needless to say, the bulbs add their own charm to the area. And yes, they are dimmable.
These lights are UL-certified, which means they fulfill an assortment of safety checks. Plus, if you are keen to light up more bulbs, you can also connect other Brightown string lights. For the record, you can connect up to three lengths of lights. Interestingly, the lights are connected in parallel and as such, the string will stay illuminated even if one of the bulbs goes out.
The Brightown string lights are weatherproof and can withstand their share of light and rain. In fact, a user has written in their reviews that the lights worked even after they remained submerged and frozen in water. Now, that’s something!
These wired string lights have more than 50,000 user ratings on Amazon with users vouching for their easy installation process and their weatherproof nature. You can even use them as porch lights, once you are back from camping.
6. Wired: Lakumu Outdoor String Lights
- Length: 48ft | Outdoor usability: IP65 Waterproof
- Number of lights: 15 E26 sockets
Lakumu’s outdoor string lights stand out from the herd, primarily because they use S14 LED bulbs. The E26 socket type makes it easy to replace the bulbs. The bulbs are a little on the bigger side and add their own aesthetic appeal when lit. They are waterproof and can withstand dust and wind to some extent.
Like its counterpart above, the lights are connected in parallel, so you do not have to worry about replacing the entire unit should one bulb go kaput. More importantly, they are super bright, and installation is as easy as connecting the plug to a power source.
Light ’em Up
These were some of the best string lights for camping. So all you need to do is pick up the ones that sit best with your requirement and kickstart your camping season.
