Looking for 12V LED rope lights (or other ideas) for roof tent

[potfish]

Hi.

I am trying to design a lighting solution for my 23zero roof tent. Ideally it would follow one or more of the hoop bars and shine in all directions for general illumination, rather than pointed at a specific task, and also ideally it would remain in place when the tent is folded up. I will have 12V and USB outlets in the tent.

I have seen installs with stick-on 12V LED strips with a simple switch or dimmer, but my tent has sleeves over the poles so I can't stick LED strips and in any case I'd prefer something that doesn't have all the LEDs pointing the same direction. A more diffuse light would be nice.

I was thinking that a rope style LED string stitched to those sleeves would work well, but most of those are 16' or more and cannot be cut to a shorter length. Warm white (2700K) is a must, which seems easily available in the stick-on strips but much less so in the ropes. (A red version would be a bonus.)

I've been through the Sure-Fire Ways thread and found some good ideas (for this and other things) including putting an LED strip into clear heatshrink sleeve, which is the best option I've found so far. Maybe I could add some kind of diffuser strip inside before shrinking it.

A more rigid or a thin under-counter LED strip could work, but I'm struggling to find anything that can run off 12V or USB.

Has anyone got any good ideas or recommendations?

Thanks

 

[NatersXJ6]

I fished the stick-on strips through vinyl tubes and zip tied them to the hoops. Cord with a rotary lamp switch handles the on-off duties.

 

[potfish]

Vinyl tubes is a good idea - cheaper than heat shrink.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Even if the tube gets twisted a bit, it disperses light really nicely. Get bigger tube than you think, have a helper, pull the lights through with a string or fish line and expect to sacrifice one section at the pulling end. I’ve done it a bunch of times, it works with a bit of patience.

I’ve put usually one one each side hoop of a soft tent. Plenty of light to read by, even More than needed.

 

[Wallygator]

I have one of these in my topper, lights up the whole place. Comes with a mount to attach to round bars. Not the cheapest but a high quality light.

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/led-rock-light/