Camping Etiquette - Lights On? Lights Off?

[Sharon455]

Originally Posted by merrykalia

I like to a small amount of light outside, but I use a couple of the cheap ($.97) solar lights that you purchase at Walmart near the steps and picnic table. These put out a small amount of light for the surrounding 3 feet of area around them.

That's it. I don't even like to turn our lights on around our EZup in the early evening if we are camping near someone.

X3. I filled 4 small buckets with cement and a piece of pvc to hold the solar lamps. They put out just enough light that we don't trip over anything in the immediate area.


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[Ansubaca]

Lights out for us.

[INBtb]

Originally Posted by Ansubaca

Lights out for us.

X2
Embrace the dark and enjoy the stars.

[53jimc]

Why do they call it a "scare" light?

I dunno, while I wouldn't care for bright outside lights at night, I do like the leds, christmas lights or other hangy lights at the campground, sorta gives it a festive nature, again, as long as they aren't too bright and don't shine into others' campers.

I noticed our one of our site neighbors had rope light strung out on the ground around the perimeter, that wasn't too bad.

[DreiHunde]

Lights out!

[acadianbob]

I guess the flip side is why would you leave them on? Security shouldn't be an issue. You can always flip on a side door light if you need to disembark during the night.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

I guess the flip side is why would you leave them on? Security shouldn't be an issue. You can always flip on a side door light if you need to disembark during the night.

Security is no different in a campground vs. home.

I'm a lights off kind of guy. I have the same feeling- if it's dark and late and I need to go out, I'll flip a light on before heading out. But, I've also camped in plenty of campgrounds that had street lights on their roadways and near the bathhouses. They don't go off. (Heck, in Ocean City- the light pole was literally on my site and it was bright!)

When my mother-in-law stayed in our camper, she was aghast at the idea of all lights out at night. She opted to leave the patio light on (yellow light). With the awning deployed, I'd be surprised if even the closest neighbor had much light spillage out of our site.

I'm always surprised is the level of angst that lights raise. I caught heck for talking about using a fuse to keep my running lights on in the evenings when we were at/away from our site. You would have thought I talked about humping the neighbor's dog with the level of vim received for that one.

Lights on/lights off- do what makes you happy.

[oxcamper]

TURN EM OUT!!!!!!!! Really annoying.
Just like everyone who moves out to a rural area from the city has to have 24 hour security lights.
Dark Sky is nicer to look at than orange bug lights.

[OldCoot]

Our led awning lights cannot be seen unless you are standing right under them. They are kept on the dimmest they will go and are shielded by the awning itself when stowed from shining on anything other than the side of the trailer. They are on a dawn to dusk sensor which is never shut off. When the awning is deployed, we usually also have the sunscreens on and the lights cannot be seen. The only time we turn them up to their brightest is when we are sitting under the awning either reading or watching tv.

[keith_h]

Originally Posted by oxcamper

TURN EM OUT!!!!!!!! Really annoying.
Just like everyone who moves out to a rural area from the city has to have 24 hour security lights.
Dark Sky is nicer to look at than orange bug lights.

Yes lights out. We live in the country and have a city neighbor that calls in the street light every time it goes out. It has ruined my star gazing with my telescope. The neighborhood has asked him to stop but he says he feels safer with it and his floods on. Not sure what he needs to be safe from as the only crime we have had in 14 years is some teenagers playing mailbox baseball 7 or 8 years ago.

[nuisance]

When we go in at night we unplug the awning lights, but the door light stays on until we put the dog out for the last time then it is lights out. The only time we leave the outside light on is if we are camping with others that have a tent or pop up and are on that side and may need to use the bath during the night.

[Prothos]

once we get everything cleaned up and put away the lights get turned off.

[bend302]

We have a couple of low power solar lights that we leave on and our rope lights around the patio are on a timer.

We do leave the solar light shining down on our flag on. Never had any complaints about that.

Bill

[dustym]

My solar lights go up in the spring and put away in the fall. No one is close enough to bother, plus there is some other solar lights off in the distance marking the corners of someones property.

[schrederman]

Lights out, please. I go for the quiet and peacefulness that I can't find in my subdivision... I also turn off my headlights and just use the fog lamps when coming through the camp ground. I wish others would be so considerate.

[deartruc]

x2 schrederman. Nothing like sitting peacefully by the campfire and having someone pull in with all their forward facing lights blaring in your eyes.

[Arefbee]

We have an old set of string lights (from the stone age) that don't put off much light. If there is a chance it will bother anyone, I'll make sure to turn them off.

First trip out I realized after getting in bed that I had missed that step and that the PUp next too us was probably not too thrilled.
Rather than getting changed out of my PJs and riling up our pooches by opening the door (and waking the kids, etc.), I went to the power center and threw the breaker for the outside outlet. Back to bed.

[53jimc]

Originally Posted by deartruc

x2 schrederman. Nothing like sitting peacefully by the campfire and having someone pull in with all their forward facing lights blaring in your eyes.

Yeah, I hate that, too. I try to understand, though. I had to meet my daughter at the gate last weekend to get some kid med for one of our grandchildren after hours. I hated to even start up the truck and even worse, shine my lights on sleeping campers. I tried just using the truck park lights but just could not see.

[another_newfie]

No lights for me. We put on our porch light which is underneath our awning which is almost always deployed early in the evening usually. Once the dog goes in for the night and usually long before the sun completely goes down about the only light to be found around our campsite is the campfire!

Nothing better than a snowy cold evening sitting by a roaring campfire looking at the stars! Heaven on earth.

[Papicamper]

Installed an LED in the small stair light fixture and installed a motion detected type over the door light. The stair light is on 24/7 via inside switch, door light on only when someone/something passes by of course. Otherwise all else off. Pet Peeve: Folks who leave the street side scare light(s) on all night probably due to inconsideration to check!