Have you ever been caught out in the open country after the sun sets without augmented lighting? Then you know just how dark it can get – and how underwhelming most stock vehicle headlights are off the pavement. If you’ve ever had to do a vehicle repair, set up a campsite, or just answer nature’s call after dark, you also likely understand the importance of decent personal lighting gear beyond a simple flashlight. Thankfully, the age of dim and delicate incandescent lighting has pretty much ended in favor of tiny but bright LEDs that draw very little power and can be quickly recharged from a power bank or USB outlet in your vehicle or even your adventure motorcycle.
From bumper-mounted driving lights to roof-spanning light bars to personal headlamps and lighting that brings some colorful ambiance to your campsite, consult this list of some of the best overland and offroad light options available today.
KC Hilites — SlimLite 8 Lights
Instead of a thin rail of LEDs, as is now the fashion, the SlimLite 8 units essentially duplicate iconic off-road lighting and accessory maker KC HiLiTES’s large, classic 8-inch round incandescent form factor that dates back to the company’s early days in the 1970s and ’80s. But instead of inefficient incandescent bulbs, a total of 18 LEDs are used in a rough X-shaped multi-reflector pattern within the light’s shell, pumping out nearly 13,000 lumens. The SlimLite 8 still generates some heat and features cooling fins on the back of the housing along with a “direct front cooling design.” A moisture-sealed power connection on the back of the light simplifies wiring, and while they look old-school, the tech and enormous output are thoroughly up to date.
MSRP: Starting at $662.97
Rigid Industries — 30-inch Radiance Plus LED Light Bar
If you want to get a solid thin-beam style light bar at an affordable price, the 30-inch Radiance Plus LED light bar by Rigid Industries is an easy choice. They can be mounted almost anywhere using standard rail mounts, or they can fit flush into bumpers. RIGID says the Radiance Plus bars are built with the same high-grade aluminum alloy housing as its popular E-Series but in a slim-line beam format. The Radiance Plus bars are optimized with forward-projecting Broad Spot optics that combine the attributes of a spot and flood beam pattern. Plus, the Radiance Plus bars add a bit of style with built-in back-lighting available in white, amber, red, or blue. But activate the high-powered LEDs, and they’ll turn the space in front of your rig into a daylight playground.
MSRP: Starting at $426
KC Hilites — FLEX ERA LED Light Bar
KC’s Flex Era LED slim-style modules keep things very simple. The system is built around easy-to-install 10-inch segments that can be strung together to make larger light bars and also be built into a curved lightbar for a wider spread of illumination. The beam pattern and color can be modified with special drop-in lenses and filters. A cool amber low-draw LED backlight feature adds a stylish twist when the main lights are off. The segments can also be different colors to match your rig’s color palette. Each 10-inch segment delivers nearly 8,000 lumens of illumination.
MSRP: $499 for the base 10-inch segment, up to $1,800 for a 50-inch segment
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Rigid Industries — Ignite Flood Mini-lights
The Ignite is the smallest light in the RIGID product line, but it boasts a strong 1,000-lumen output and low draw, making it perfect for a discreet install on large vehicles – and a perfect fit for most motorcycles as well! The compact housing is under two inches tall and makes the RIGID Ignite a great choice for auxiliary lighting on cars, trucks, motorcycles, UTVs, and even marine applications. It is available in Spot, Flood, or Diffused beam patterns, and the size and price make it easy to mix and match to customize setups for different conditions.
MSRP: $96.29
Coleman — Classic Rechargeable LED Lantern
For decades, campers and explorers have kept the night at bay with Coleman’s classic round lanterns. First fueled by kerosene, then with batteries, and now with LEDs and a rechargeable power bank, the Coleman Classic Rechargeable Lantern remains a favorite. With its familiar green housing, carabiner-type handle, and classic silhouette, it’s tough and ready to work no matter the conditions. Now, with cool-running modern technology, the Classic Lantern can light up a campsite with its 800-lumen maximum output or keep that card game going into the wee hours while dimmed down to a friendly glow. The built-in battery runs it for 45 hours on a charge, then recharges via a common USB cable – and it can charge your phone as well. It is still classic and now more useful, safe, and versatile than ever.
MSRP: $75
BioLite — AlpenGlow Lanterns
Available in three sizes, BioLites’ Alpenglow LED lanterns look like they’re out of a science fiction movie and have the performance to match. AlpenGlow lanterns can illuminate your campground, the inside of your tent, or light your way down the trail. The two larger models have large built-in batteries that can charge phones and other small devices. Each lantern has adjustable intensity levels of white light and yellow light and a variety of colors. The larger lanterns can also show multiple colors at once, phase slowly to different colors, or imitate a flickering candle. The exterior of the lanterns is soft, and they are highly drop-resistant. They are also splash-resistant and operate with one big button on the top of the lantern. Shake them to activate some fun lighting effects or a soothing changing palette of colors.
MSRP: $39.95 to $79.00
DENALI Electronics — D7 Pro Dual Beam LED Lights
Adding auxiliary lighting to your adventure motorcycle has always been somewhat of a compromise. Should you get floods or spots? With the new Denali D7 pro dual beam lights, you no longer have to make that choice. The new D7 pro dual beams feature both flood and spot beams within the single light housing, and they can also change color temperature. The spot and beam lights can also be used together for maximum illumination – an astounding 23,000 lumens per pair. They can also work as a DRL light during the day, and you can pick the color. Included snap-on filters can change the color of the central part of the lights to amber or yellow. They can also be wired in as turn signals and are CANsmart & DialDim compatible for plug-and-play operation on the latest adventure bikes from BMW and others. They are also rated for total submersion.
MSRP: Starting at $399.00
Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp
Featuring a bright 400-lumen primary beam, red light function, and the ability to run alkaline or rechargeable batteries, the Black Diamond Spot 400 headlamp packs a lot of lumens into a small package. Three independent LEDs power the broad, spot, and red light segments, and the controls are easy to learn and use. The light module tilts for exact positioning and is comfortable to wear for hours. It returns to the last setting when turned on, and includes a lockout feature so it won’t turn on while packed. Output is a stout 400 lumens at maximum or a campground-friendly six lumens on the lowest setting. It also has SOS and strobe functions and is IPX8-rated water-resistant. There are four headband and casing color options to choose from.
MSRP: $49.95
ARB — NACHO TM 5 Combo
ARB’s tasty NACHO TM5 Combo lights can be used as DOT-compliant fog lights while driving in traffic or as high-powered illumination well off the pavement. The housing and lenses are also curved so that some of the LEDs point upward, while the bottom section of lights is angled downward for seeing into ditches or other close-off-angle obstacles. Each bank of angled lights is individually controllable and includes two amber covers and two smoke covers for customization. While the lights are submersible for a short time, they also have a pressure equalization vent for better durability at different altitudes. Best of all, they come with a lifetime warranty.
MSRP: $499.00
REVEL GEAR — Trail Hound 30-foot 100 LED Colored Light Kit
Sure, you could call them “Christmas lights,” but Revel Gear’s colorful 30-foot string of 100 festive LEDs both look great and serve a real purpose. There’s no need to power up a lantern or flashlight in the middle of the night; just plug these into any power bank or live USB port for just enough illumination for those late-night nature calls or to bring a splash of not-too-bright color and safety to the campsite. They only weigh 1.6 ounces, will run for hours off even a small power bank, and have multiple lighting modes as well. They’re rain and dust-resistant and can weather backcountry conditions. Get a couple of sets and give your campsite some color after dark.
MSRP: $24.95
