Scene Lighting/Camp Lighting on Silverado 1500 with ARE Shell

[GR8WHTE]

Alright guys, so i am looking to add some rear lighting for camp setup etc..... I am either thinking putting a single row led bar inside the shell and wire it to the factory switch that controls my bed lights and keep it tucked away or baja designs lights in the bumper and keep them on an independent switch. I am open to options to see whats out there!

 

[GR8WHTE]

Rear Bar Idea

 

[SquishBang]

A few years back I installed lights under my bumper (similar to your idea of IN the bumper) to help with scene lighting when loading/unloading my boat at night. Worked good for that, but when I'd go camping and try and use them, they seemed to make way too much glare. I ended up hiding LED floods up under the body of my truck where you can't see them, and that works really well for scene lighting, it's kind of like under-body light kit effect but much brighter (like rock crawling lights I think they're called) the good thing is that you don't get glare. The bad thing is you only light up a few feet around the truck, at least 6 maybe 8 feet of useful light.
I have contemplated installing LED pods on my roof rack, but maybe I'm over-complicating things.
Green circle=glare-prone rear facing lights
Red arrows=hidden LED floods
Blue circles=considering above-head lighting for more area without glare


My 2cents is that LEDs within eyeshot will be very bright and may make for uncomfortable usage at certain angles. I'm not so sure a high-powered LED light bar at head level isn't gonna burn your peepers out if you accidentally look at it.

 

[GR8WHTE]

A few years back I installed lights under my bumper (similar to your idea of IN the bumper) to help with scene lighting when loading/unloading my boat at night. Worked good for that, but when I'd go camping and try and use them, they seemed to make way too much glare. I ended up hiding LED floods up under the body of my truck where you can't see them, and that works really well for scene lighting, it's kind of like under-body light kit effect but much brighter (like rock crawling lights I think they're called) the good thing is that you don't get glare. The bad thing is you only light up a few feet around the truck, at least 6 maybe 8 feet of useful light.
I have contemplated installing LED pods on my roof rack, but maybe I'm over-complicating things.
Green circle=glare-prone rear facing lights
Red arrows=hidden LED floods
Blue circles=considering above-head lighting for more area without glare
View attachment 144333

My 2cents is that LEDs within eyeshot will be very bright and may make for uncomfortable usage at certain angles. I'm not so sure a high-powered LED light bar at head level isn't gonna burn your peepers out if you accidentally look at it.

I used to have pod lights mounted in the same spot that attach to my tow hitch I removed them because the ground clearance and then I just didn’t like the look of them I do like the idea of the flush mounted lights in the bumper if I had a roof rack I would definitely throw some lights on top of thats not a bad call at all and gives you a lot of lighting still haven’t decided I sort of want to go to the lightbar hidden in the shell it doesn’t take up a lot of headspace and it’s very discreet and would be easy to do

 

[SquishBang]

Personally, I like the in-shell or under body idea as I'm not a big fan of lights all over my truck in non-traditional places.
The idea of lights on the rack would be useful camping as they are well over 6 feet above the ground, lights pointing down are more comfortable than lights pointing out.

 

[TexasGMG]

Interesting. I'd like a couple of work lights and was thinking about mounting something like ditch lights but don't want them to be blinding me me or anyone else. Maybe a couple of low power floods? I don't know enough about lighting.

 

[diabetiktaco]

I mounted the light to the track rail and ran the while into the bed from a screw hole. Then siliconed around the hole. I tapped into power from the bed cap lights which has power from the tail lights. The awning is drooping because it was pouring buckets out.

 

[GR8WHTE]

I mounted the light to the track rail and ran the while into the bed from a screw hole. Then siliconed around the hole. I tapped into power from the bed cap lights which has power from the tail lights. The awning is drooping because it was pouring buckets out.


View attachment 144335

What light did you use ?

 

[diabetiktaco]

What light did you use ?

Just some cheap nilight LEDs from amazon. It was like $25 for 2.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

This is all good info and I'm paying attention trying to decide what I want to do.

I would imagine that a powerful light inside the cap, while intended to be used for lighting the area outside the cap, would definitely attract flying insects of every sort from here to Christmas (presuming the hatch is open, of course).

I think if you are going to do that, then you have no choice but to install SOME sort of powerful light actually outside the cap. That way, when bedtime approaches, shut off the in-cap light and turn on the outside light to attract the bugs and get them out of your cap.

Which, for me at least, means no lighting inside the cap if it's to be used to illuminate the outside world. Inside lights for inside. Outside lights for outside.

Hang em high and they will come from a more natural angle.

 

[RoarinRow]

In addition to the under body and LED pod lights that I have on top of my camper shell, I picked this battery operated light bar, which can be used just about anywhere. Include strap and magnet to stick almost anywhere -

 

[MOVE.OVERland]

I just built these drawers (not finished). I installed the lights besidethe drawers, which was a mistake. All it does it attract bugs! Definitely looking for a different location for them.

 

[RoarinRow]

I just built these drawers (not finished). I installed the lights besidethe drawers, which was a mistake. All it does it attract bugs! Definitely looking for a different location for them.

Hate bugs. Nice drawer system though.

 

[fastlife1k]

A few years back I installed lights under my bumper (similar to your idea of IN the bumper) to help with scene lighting when loading/unloading my boat at night. Worked good for that, but when I'd go camping and try and use them, they seemed to make way too much glare. I ended up hiding LED floods up under the body of my truck where you can't see them, and that works really well for scene lighting, it's kind of like under-body light kit effect but much brighter (like rock crawling lights I think they're called) the good thing is that you don't get glare. The bad thing is you only light up a few feet around the truck, at least 6 maybe 8 feet of useful light.
I have contemplated installing LED pods on my roof rack, but maybe I'm over-complicating things.
Green circle=glare-prone rear facing lights
Red arrows=hidden LED floods
Blue circles=considering above-head lighting for more area without glare
View attachment 144333

My 2cents is that LEDs within eyeshot will be very bright and may make for uncomfortable usage at certain angles. I'm not so sure a high-powered LED light bar at head level isn't gonna burn your peepers out if you accidentally look at it.

What rack is that?

 

[RoarinRow]

A few years back I installed lights under my bumper (similar to your idea of IN the bumper) to help with scene lighting when loading/unloading my boat at night. Worked good for that, but when I'd go camping and try and use them, they seemed to make way too much glare. I ended up hiding LED floods up under the body of my truck where you can't see them, and that works really well for scene lighting, it's kind of like under-body light kit effect but much brighter (like rock crawling lights I think they're called) the good thing is that you don't get glare. The bad thing is you only light up a few feet around the truck, at least 6 maybe 8 feet of useful light.
I have contemplated installing LED pods on my roof rack, but maybe I'm over-complicating things.
Green circle=glare-prone rear facing lights
Red arrows=hidden LED floods
Blue circles=considering above-head lighting for more area without glare
View attachment 144333

My 2cents is that LEDs within eyeshot will be very bright and may make for uncomfortable usage at certain angles. I'm not so sure a high-powered LED light bar at head level isn't gonna burn your peepers out if you accidentally look at it.

I've got lights in all the places you highlighted. LED pods on my roof rack bars, underbody LED lights that you can set to whatever color, in my case currently set to amber to match the roof rack lights, and in the back I have amber trail lights that flash or stay solid either amber or white color.

Here's a night shot of just the roof rack and underbody lights, which are on a wireless remote control using a key fob.



I have to say that the roof rack pod lights are very bright at night. Too bright, which is why I put an amber film on them to cut down the glare. So for basecamp setup it should be fine, but otherwise it's too blinding to look at directly.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Nice
Truck

 

[RoarinRow]

Nice
Truck

Thanks it's work in progress...

 

[Drkhrts]

I have been trying a strip light that has a white or red option- for bugs or cramped sites the red is a lot more neighbor friendly then the white setting- you can get amber/ white too.

just search amazon- I think it was supposed to be for equipment like fire trucks. I have mine on a cord and a quick connect so I can move it around. it’s on a telescopic pole also , so I can have it shine down rather then from the side. I hate when you unlock the truck and the headlights come on and blind everyone and I really don’t need the other sun melters I have in camp.

the biggest trick is just to elevate or have lots of lower brightness sources.