Campsite Lighting Calculator
Calculate lantern brightness, battery life, and coverage area for your campsite.
Choose the right camping light for your needs.
Campsite lighting quality depends on lumens (total light output) and how efficiently those lumens illuminate your space.
Lumens guide for camping:
- 50–100 lumens: Dim accent light, path marking
- 100–200 lumens: Comfortable reading, small tent interior
- 200–400 lumens: Full campsite table lighting
- 400–800 lumens: Bright campsite, cooking and socialising
- 800+ lumens: Very bright, search and emergency use
Coverage area formula (rough approximation): Radius (m) ≈ sqrt(lumens / (minimum lux × pi))
Where minimum useful lux for:
- Reading: 200 lux
- Campsite tasks: 50 lux
- General ambient: 10 lux
Battery life formula: Hours = battery capacity (mAh × voltage / 1000 Wh) / lamp power (W) Or: Hours = battery (Wh) / power draw (W)
Common camping light types:
| Type | Lumens | Battery Life | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp (high) | 200–500 | 3–8 hrs | 80–120g |
| Lantern (low) | 100–200 | 8–20 hrs | 150–400g |
| Lantern (high) | 300–600 | 4–10 hrs | 150–400g |
| Solar lantern | 50–150 | Unlimited (sun) | 100–200g |
| String lights (2m) | 50–100 | 8–15 hrs | 100–200g |
Diffuser effect: A frosted lantern diffuser spreads light evenly but reduces effective lumens by 20–30%. Useful for ambient lighting; not ideal for focused task lighting.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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