Few things are more annoying than your tent mate waking you up with a 150-lumen headlamp while looking for a toothbrush — and hanging that same headlamp from the top of the tent doesn’t exactly solve the problem. A lighted tent is a novel solution, but most tents with interior lighting are designed for kids or car campers. The mtnGLO series by Big Agnes brings interior tent illumination to everything from one-person backpacking tents to a giant zebra-print car-camping tent.
The LED lights that illuminate the tents add virtually no weight, with most models powered by AAA batteries or any USB power source. The feature-rich UL2+, for example, sleeps two and has a very reasonable packed weight of three pounds, 10 ounces. That’s actually lighter than many of its light-free competitors. All models have on, off and 50 percent settings. Big Agnes estimates that the lights will last about 90 hours before the batteries need to be changed. An optional power source ($200) both powers the lights and charges electronic devices. If you’re already content with your tent, Big Agnes offers the lights on their own for $40.
By starting with quality tents and adding an innovative lighting system, Big Agnes avoids the lights feeling like a gimmick. The mtnGLO series isn’t just a series of shelters with lights — they’re excellent tents that also happen to have interior lights, and they make cloth stretched over aluminum poles feel a little more like home. bigagnes.com