From the 90% utility/ 10% cost department:
This should be a good one. I picked up a fiberglass/aluminum extendable paint roller handle at OSH yesterday:
It's 2' closed, and 4' open, and a reasonable $13. It looks pretty rugged, its rustproof, and it's nice and tight whether dogged down or up. It's sort of like a single leg of a tripod.
I plan on mounting it on the spare tire carrier, and mounting a flood light on the top. Down, the light will be approximately the height of the top of the spare tire. Up, it will be about 6" overhead, which should be pretty much above the eye-line when at camp. More to follow.