Kaylee's not-a-blog » Human stuff » Gear reviews & tips » my primary Lights

My van didn't come with any viable inside lighting, and I've found very little reliable information/advice about such devices (specifically for van use).
It took more than two years to get a set of lights that now meets all my needs. :)

Dollar Tree solar "stake" light (my review):
This is my work horse, used almost every night (except when I forget to set it out in the sun during the day).
It's not bright, however it's enough for general soft lighting, including evening laptop computer use (I touch type).
It's trivially easy to move (its "stake" handle is great for we clumsy folks) and easy to position (the sunflower head shape gives extra flexibility).
It's the easiest to recharge, though I do occasionally forget.
I have used it for cooking (it's straight forward to position it so it shines down), however I generally prefer a brighter light for cooking.
It cost one dollar plus tax, and I bought it a year & a third ago (2020-Jun). I've had no problems with it.
Thanks to "Fantym" for recommending this! :)

• suboptimal for cooking (its light shines out & up, so hard to point "down" towards my stove)
• overly smooth so easy to drop when moving it around
• uses 3 AA batteries which are somewhat annoying to recharge.
• extremely annoying "mode" switching (I often have to cycle thru two or more times to get to the "low" setting)
• particularly annoying/worse-than-useless flashing mode
  (China manufacturers have bought into the whole "mall ninja" meme, so most (all?) portable lights have this annoying design defect)

Foxelli USB Rechargeable Headlamp (Amazon product link):
This is my most recent addition (2021-Feb), and completes all my core needs. :)
I use it mainly for cooking, for which it excels, particularly during the shorter days of Winter!
It's the brighest light I have (even the "low" setting is brighter than all others).
Technically, it's "too" bright for laptop use, however one can remove it from one's head & place it on a convenient object with the light angled for less brightness.
Its only downside (for me) is that the "on" button requires much more hand effort than all my other lights, and I have weak hands (due to 3 injuries in my youth followed by more than three decades of heavy keyboard use).
It's the 2nd easiest to recharge (i.e. the DC charger for my laptop has a USB port, so it's always available, with no plugging/swapping of my only other DC port).
It has a "tilt" plate that's easy to adjust, and is generally much more comfortable than all cheap headlamps that I've used.
It's so handy that I store it in the MOLLE pouch above my computer area.
Its price varies greatly, from about $6 to $13 plus tax.
Thanks to Frater Secessus for recommending this! :)
A headlamp is essential for roadside and medical emergencies at night.
If your budget is ultra tight, Walmart has a one dollar headlamp that's fairly comfortable and far better than no headlamp.

One of several battery powered flashlights:
I have these spread out around my van, because when one needs light, one needs it now. :)
They're good for spot lighting but poor for "area" lighting.
I already had several, pre-van, and have had no need to buy any new ones.
They were my main light sources for my first half year, and were better than nothing, however my current set is much more flexible.
Note the "flamingo pink" paracord lanyard, to promote visibility. :) When I did my car-based proof-of-concept initial vehicle dwelling experiments, I added the lanyard to one of my flashlights, and used it to hang it from one of the "hooks" that are common in rear seat areas.